Parliamentary Replies
Holistic Assessment in Primary Schools
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Yee Jenn Jong, NCMP
Question
To ask the Minister for Education what is the progress on the holistic assessment approach for education at the lower primary levels that places less emphasis on semestral examinations, as recommended in the 2009 Report of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee.
Response
One of the recommendations of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee was to introduce more holistic assessment to support learning. Holistic Assessment comprises the use of a variety of age-appropriate assessment modes. The emphasis is on skills development and to provide constructive feedback for meaningful learning.
Holistic Assessment is being implemented on a progressive basis, starting from Primary One. In 2010, 16 prototype schools implemented Holistic Assessment in Primary 1 and Primary 2. In 2011 and 2012, another 67 and 54 schools started implementation at Primary 1 respectively. We expect the rest to start in 2013. For schools which have started earlier in the journey, efforts are now being focused on implementing Holistic Assessment at higher levels.
Preliminary findings from schools on Holistic Assessment are positive. Many teachers commented that their pupils have become more confident and are able to communicate better. Pupils also receive more feedback, have more opportunities to reflect and improve on their learning, and are developed more holistically.