Assessment system puts students under a lot of pressure
The school-based assessment (SBA) has caused a lot of problems for secondary students in local schools in Hong Kong.
The assessment is done in core and elective subjects. It is important, because the results will be counted as part of the overall Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam result.
This adds to the pressure youngsters already face from all the exams and tests they have to sit. The original intention of the SBA was for the students to learn more outside a classroom environment. It would encourage them to read additional material and learn more about society. But now it has just become an extension of the DSE and a cause of stress as students fear they will not get good enough grades. In a desperate attempt to improve their DSE result they work so hard at the SBAs that often they have little time for rest and leisure.
The SBA also puts pressure on teachers as they have to help students with their preparation. They are already stretched dealing with the syllabus in the classroom and marking papers and so the SBAs add to their already heavy workload. The SBA can actually be a distraction for teachers and force them to go quickly through some aspects of the syllabus which means that in the end students learn less.
You do not have to do an SBA for all subjects but they do apply to all core subjects and students who are not good at them will be at a disadvantage. The SBAs could lower their overall DSE results.
Whatever the original purposes of the SBAs might have been, they are now a source of stress for students and a hindrance rather than a help.