In this section, I shall present evidence of KSSR implementation based on the analysis of the KSSR Curriculum Document and the Performance Standards Document, the textbooks and teachers’ guides, the school timetables, the Management Guidelines for School-Based Assessment, the field notes written during the classroom observations, and the interview data obtained from the teachers. I will first look at the emerging practices at administrative level, followed by the KSSR and SBA practices emerging among teachers.
5.3.1 Administrative level
My field notes reported that KSSR has been implemented at an administrative level. The data suggest that this school has interpreted the new curriculum as changes, not only in the pedagogical structure, but also in the administrative structure. For instance, the organizational chart for KSSR, as designated by the MOE, was displayed in the administration office, which is separate from the teachers’ staff room. Displaying the organisational chart also indicates that the school leadership complies with the requirements of School Performance Index (SPIn) (see Section 2.2.1 in Chapter 2) that must also be publicised to the school community. The organizational chart illustrates clearly the flow of the teachers’ roles and responsibilities to ensure that the SBA policy is implemented effectively. However, the layout of the school has affected the way in which the policy is enacted; some teachers did not appear to know the different roles or the delegation of tasks within the school, and this has led to confusion, especially when they have to submit any documentation relating to SBA. The separate rooms also gives the impression that a barrier exists in communication between school administrators and staff. From the informal conversations that I had with teachers in this school, there is a strong sense that there is a gap between some of the administrators and the teachers due to their perception of the ‘formality of roles’ and this thus affects the relationships among the school community.
All pupils are registered in the national online database, namely, the SBA Management System (SBAMS) for the purpose of recording and storing the assessment data related to pupils’ achievement within SBA, and also the School Exam Analysis System (SEAS), which is related to pupils’ summative assessment for internal exams. The results of the SBA are recorded offline and are documented four times a year, as stipulated by the MOE. The copies
Coordinator’s file, which is stored in the administration office. The main school timetable, displayed in the administration office, confirmed that the school is aware of the changes in the amount of time allocated to teach English language; this was increased to 300 minutes a week for all pupils, from 240 minutes (Lower Primary) and 270 minutes (for Upper Primary) in the new curriculum. However, this timetable is not displayed in the staff room and teachers only have a copy of their own class timetable. This seems to affect the efficiency of the teaching times, especially when some of the classes are left unattended when the teachers are not sure who is supposed to be in that class at that time. Analysis of the teachers’ lesson plans suggest that all the teachers who participated in the study wrote their lesson plans as mandated by the KSSR (see Appendix I for a sample lesson plan). I will now turn to the existing teachers’ practices relating to the new assessment system.
5.3.2 Teachers’ School-Based assessment (SBA) and pedagogical practices
One of the important features that the KSSR introduced is a focus on holistic assessment. There is clear evidence that this school is conducting SBA as intended by the KSSR. There is an appointed coordinator for SBA who is responsible for monitoring and administering the implementation of the SBA system. Records of pupils’ assessment are also kept by every teacher and a copy of these are kept by the English Head. The summary of the pupils’ assessment is prepared by the teachers and a copy is kept in the SBA Coordinator’s files. As for the filing system, each teacher in this school has two files: one in which to store a record of their pupils’ performance for SBA; and one in which to store their summative assessments (internal exams). According to the SBA coordinator, the rationale for adopting this system was to make it easier for the school to refer to KSSR document, especially when there is an inspection made by the relevant authority. However, this was also seen as a factor that led to teachers’ poor engagement with the policy; too much documentation to be prepared for the same purpose that only added to their already overloaded workload.
centralized exam in Year 6. So all teachers must do and record the assessment for the pupils.
(SBA Coordinator)
KSSR is more holistic and not focusing on exam. Data will be keyed-in offline 4 times in a year. Assessment is done every day to check whether or not the pupils have passed the tasks in each descriptor. Once they have passed, they continue to the next stage.
(Kelly)
KSSR focuses on well-rounded pupils and does not solely depend on exams. Assessment is done anytime. It is more on mastery learning. Pupils need to master the learning standards required before moving on to the next learning standards. The teachers need to make sure that pupils pass the standards for they are the criteria to be recorded in the assessment.
(Will)
The interview extracts above revealed that teachers in this school were aware that the KSSR implementation changes their pedagogical approach and their assessment practices. However, it is interesting to note that none of the teachers I interviewed mentioned anything about the differences between formative and summative assessment in SBA. They seemed to have a lack of clarity about these concepts as they are situated within of the new SBA system. The emerging practices tell us little about teachers’ understanding of the new assessment.
In addition, the highlighted text in the excerpt from an interview with the Senior Teacher below provides a strong sense that SBA might not be effectively implemented in this school.
The new assessment is more holistic and well-rounded. Pupils are assessed in all aspects – in and outside the classroom. If only teachers are doing it properly, it will be really good because the new curriculum does not focus on the exam.