Assessment reform in Hong Kong: developing the HKDSE to align with the new academic structure

ABSTRACT

In alignment with the New Academic Structure, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) was launched in 2012 to replace the former Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) as certification for completion of secondary education, and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) as the main credentials for university admission in Hong Kong. Standards-referenced reporting is adopted for the HKDSE with the objective of reporting candidates’ results against a set of prescribed levels of achievement based on typical performances at those levels. Clearly defined standards facilitate learning and teaching as well as enable users of the qualification, including tertiary institutions and employers, to set appropriate entrance/job requirements. The standards are set and maintained by expert judgement supported by psychometric data to ensure fairness and consistency of standards across subjects and across cohorts. Systemic and implementation issues and their resolutions are discussed in the context of the education reform in Hong Kong.

KEYWORDS:

• Education reform
• standards setting
• standards-referenced reporting
• Rasch model
• group ability index

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The CDC is an advisory body that gives recommendations to the Hong Kong Government on all matters relating to curriculum development for the school system from kindergarten to senior secondary level. Its membership includes heads of schools, practising teachers, parents, employers, academics from tertiary institutions, professionals from related fields/bodies, representatives from the HKEAA and the Vocational Training Council, as well as officers from the Education Bureau.

2. A Subject Committee is a standing committee under the Public Examinations Board of the HKEAA, which is established for each individual subject, with members from the Education Bureau, secondary schools and tertiary institutions, to provide feedback on the examination papers for respective subjects and advice on assessment development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chong-Sze Tong

Chong-Sze Tong Professor Chong-Sze TONG is currently the Vice President (Administration & Development) of the Open University of Hong Kong. Professor TONG was educated at The University of Cambridge where he received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He joined the Department of Mathematics at the Hong Kong Baptist University as a lecturer, and had won awards for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Service in a 20 year career that culminated in administrative leadership role as Academic Registrar. He then joined the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) and served as Secretary General from 2011 to August 2017, successfully launching the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination.

Christina Lee

Christina Lee joined the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority in 1990. She served in various capacities in the public examinations directorate and was responsible for the development and administration of public examinations, including the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination and the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, until she retired as Director of Public Examinations in November 2019.

Guanzhong Luo

Guanzhong Luo joined the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority in 2004. He had been Director of Assessment Technology and Research for more than 10 years before he retired from the organisation in February 2019. He is now a Professor in the School of Psychology, Jianxi Normal University, China.