A large question bank is being developed for students preparing for the Basic Competency Assessment (BCA) proposed by the Education Commission as a means of assessing learning progress and ending rote teaching.
The commission plans to introduce the BCA for students between Primary Three and Secondary Three following the abolition of the 22-year-old Academic Aptitude Test last year.
Students' scores in the old aptitude test were used as a tool for allocating Secondary One places, but the BCA will not be used for allotting places. It comprises student assessment and system assessment components in English, Chinese and mathematics.
The Examinations Authority has been commissioned to administer the new system. Student assessment is to start with Primary Three students in the 2002 to 2003 school year, while secondary Three students will first sit the assessment in 2005.
Examinations Authority secretary Choi Chee-cheong said a student assessment prototype would be piloted in June next year.
The authority was providing a pool of sample questions for teachers to download via the Internet, he said, with a growing reserve available. Students would be assigned questions tailored to their specific ability. It was likely that the content of test papers would vary from school to school, he added, and even from student to student.