Assessment methods that facilitate learning

One of the main focuses of education is to empower learners with the abilities of learning how to learn. The Curriculum Development Council (2000, p. 54) points out that “Assessment could facilitate learning to learn”. This kind of facilitation, however, can only be achieved by using a “right” form of assessment. The less effective of the forms of assessment, suggested by the Curriculum Development Council, are the ones that inhibit or narrow learning opportunities and therefore, their use should be reduced to a minimum. The “right” forms, accordingly, are the ones that provide learners with plenty of learning opportunities. This paper first highlights the problems of the assessment practices in Hong Kong education contexts by reporting the criticisms made by a review team and the findings of a small-scale study into the assessment practices in Hong Kong schools. Then it stresses the close relationship of assessment and learning and discusses the place of alternative assessment in this kind of relationship. Ten assessment strategies have been developed to bring the concept of assessment for learning into practice in educational contexts.