Fadhlina: The ministry wants parents to know their children’s progress. — LOW LAY PHON / The Star
The Education Ministry’s move to change the Academic Session Final Test (UASA) mastery level system to a percentage and grade structure is a good one as it will help parents understand their children’s overall achievements better, say teachers and parents.
“The grading system is widely understood. It assigns letter grades to percentages, making it easy for students, teachers and, especially, parents to understand.
“By pinpointing their weak subjects through their grades, students can easily prioritise where to focus their attention and improve,” said National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon.
On March 18, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that the UASA mastery level system would be changed to a percentage and grade structure starting this year.
The decision was made after taking into account feedback from parents, teachers and other stakeholders on issues with the current curriculum.
She also said classroom-based assessment (PBD) reporting would be simplified and could be accessed online by parents via the Integrated Assessment Management System.
The mastery level system would continue for PBD, which is conducted twice a year.
The current “descriptors” for each mastery level would use simpler terms to make it easier for parents and teachers to understand.
The ministry, said Fadhlina, was introducing a “more parent-friendly assessment reporting for parents, so that they have access to know their children’s progress”.
Introduced in 2022, UASA is a test given at the conclusion of the academic year to strengthen PBD and school-based assessment (PBS), and to replace the existing end-of-year examinations.
Students involved in this test are those from Years Four to Six and Forms One to Three.
UASA results were previously measured based on the six mastery levels, which range from TP1 to TP6.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said many parents struggled to grasp the TP1 to TP6 mastery level grading system.
“This move will help them understand their children’s achievements better,” he said.
Agreeing, Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the move will assist parents to decode their children’s academic achievements more easily, as final exams play a crucial role in gauging their overall progress.
She also expressed approval for the mastery level system that would continue for PBD.
In Noor Azimah’s view, the TP1 to TP6 mastery level system does not discriminate and therefore it is good that it will still be applied throughout PBD.
