Still some tests at PMR level

PETALING JAYA: School-based assessments are expected to replace Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) this year, but there will still be centralised tests for some subjects.

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said this decision came after the union proposed to the Education Ministry in a meeting last month to adopt a “soft landing” approach to the school-based assessment system.

“We proposed that for the first year, core subjects should still have some centralised testing and the other subjects can be fully conducted with school-based assessments,” NUTP secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng told The Star yesterday.

She explained that the “soft landing” approach was needed to build public confidence in school-based assessments.

“In our society, many people still think that examinations are the best way to look at students’ performance and it takes time to change this mindset.

“So with a ‘soft landing’, parents can be more convinced of the reliability of school-based assessments, and teachers will also have the confidence to conduct the assessments,” she said.

When contacted, Deputy Edu­cation Minister II P. Kamalanathan said there would be no final centralised examination, which was conducted during the PMR for Form Three students in previous years.

“But, there are assessments in lower secondary education in the form of school-based assessment, centralised assessment, assessment of physical health and co-curricular activities and psychometric assessment.

“Each assessment has its (own) report and there is no composite score or weightage,” he said.

The school-based assessment system was introduced in primary schools starting with Year One pupils in 2011 and in secondary schools with Form One students the following year.