Assessment for learning in Hong Kong: Conceptions, issues and implications

Hong Kong has a long history of using formal, high-stakes summative tests as the sole assessment method to make decisions on individuals’ educational upward movements, employment opportunities and social mobility. Standardized tests and examinations are set at diff erent stages in the education system as the screening device. To survive this exam-oriented system, a common practice is to teach and learn to the tests. Many teachers review past examination papers, make educated guesses on the questions for the examinations, provide students with model answers and make them memorize the answers by heart. This kind of rote learning suppresses thinking and minimizes creativity. Being aware of these problems, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has taken bold initiatives to make a change. These include the large-scale attempt in reforming learning and assessment practice using the Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC) and its linked Target Oriented Assessment (TOA) in the 20th century and the Assessment for Learning (AfL) movements in the education reform in the 21st century. The focus of these two main initiatives has been to make assessment work for learning, as reflected in the concepts of AfL (used interchangeably with formative assessment) (Berry, 2011b). Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis.