TSA cheat sheet: what you need to know about the review of Hong Kong’s controversial city-wide exams
A look at what the tests are, why they are so criticised, and what changes to expect
With the Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy set to submit a report and recommendations on the review of the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) to the education secretary on Thursday afternoon, we take a look at the ins and outs of the much criticised tests and what changes we can expect to be made to the assessment.
Why the Education Bureau wants to keep the tests
Introduced in 2004, the TSA is intended to provide the government and school management with information on students’ standards in key learning areas for the purposes of school improvement in learning and teaching, and to provide more targeted support to schools that are in need of assistance. The tests are designed to gauge Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three students’ performance in three subjects: Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics.
In October, education minister Eddie Ng Hak-kim defended the tests, and said: “TSA itself is a really good tool. When we ask [for] opinions from schools and so on, they did tell us that this is a very important, meaningful and effective tool for them to work together with students, improving the teaching and learning.”
READ MORE: TSA row provides an opportunity to reshape Hong Kong’s learning environment
Why opponents are calling for the assessment to be scrapped