Defining SBA

Standards-Based Assessment is the term used for Malaysias school-based assessment

system being implemented in Years 1 and 2 to evaluate childrens ability to meet or achieve
the standards specified by the SS! syllabi "both S and S#$%
School-based assessment generally refers to any evaluation of students conducted in a
classroom% &t is also referred to as continuous assessment' assessment for learning and
formative assessment in its many forms around the (orld "!a)put' *e(ari + umar' 2,,-.
Blac/ + 0iliam' 2,,1$% 0hilst a test (ritten and conducted (ithin the school (ould fall (ithin
this definition' 2ui33es' tests and e4aminations are not usually included%
&t is also the case that the emphasis of school-based assessment is on actual' everyday
teaching and learning practices% *eachers teach. learners learn' and (hat occurs as part of
those processes is evaluated "Blac/ + 0iliam' 2,,1. 0ebb + #ones' 2,,5$% Although
(ashbac/' the impact of assessment on teaching practices and content' is inevitable' school-
based assessment attempts to avoid this' or to ensure that the effect is in a positive direction
"Yu' 2,,6$%
7inally' because of 89*:s role in enhancing 8nglish language teaching practices as the
SS! is implemented' it is (orth noting that' as is the case in Malaysia' school-based
assessment is often introduced in con)unction (ith curricula change' or innovations intended
to improve teaching practices and learning outcomes "oh' 9ee' ;ong + 0ong' 2,,<. Yu'
2,,6$% *herefore' school-based assessment plays a role as a formative instrument in
realising these innovations' a summative one in evaluating them' and' in the case (here it is
used to focus teachers on the desired change' as a form of positive (ashbac/%
SBA for Young Learners
=ne feature of Malaysias SBA that differs from most others is that it evaluates young
learners rather than those underta/ing secondary education' although it should be noted that
SBA is also being implemented in Malaysian secondary schools "Mala/olunthu + >oon'
2,1,$% *here are t(o ma)or implications of this difference%
7irst' the ma)or cited benefit and aim of many school-based assessment programs is their
impact on learning "0iliam + Blac/' 155?$% A type of formative assessment' these school-
based programs target teaching practices and pedagogical decision-ma/ing in the
development of a classroom learning culture in (hich students ultimately have greater
responsibility for and control over their learning strategies through a dialoguing or
embedding process "Sithamparam' 2,11. 0ebb + #ones' 2,,5$%
&t is clearly unnecessary that school-based assessment intended for young language learners
be formative in nature' as the feedbac/ processes needed to engage young children in
learning' and motivate them to learn are (ell-documented ":respo' 2,,2. >eyman' @(ec/ +
:ain. 1552' Aentall + Morris' 2,1,$%
&t follo(s too that the re2uirements of this feedbac/ to facilitate learning "that it be effort-
based' behavior-specific' and not contain criticism$ mean that the results achieved and
evaluated by this summative SBA system should not be communicated to the learners
themselves (ho are particularly vulnerable to such feedbac/ at this age' but only to other
sta/eholdersB school management' parents' district management' and the relevant divisions
of Ministry of 8ducation "Mcay' 2,,<$% !89*ma4 &mplementation of the SS! Standards-
Based AssessmentB Simone 8vans' Ch@B May 2,12 D
What does SBA evaluate?
&n its first iteration of SBA' the 84am Syndicate "8S$ encountered negative (ashbac/ in the
form of the unintentional creation of an alternative syllabus as teachers moved their focus
from addressing the re2uirements of the SS! to addressing the SBA descriptors
themselves "8S !epresentative' personal communication' #anuary 5' 2,12$' an e4tremely
common occurrence (ith any form of assessment (hich appears to change the content of
(hat is taught long before it affects teaching practices themselves ":heng' 1555. Yu' 2,1,$%
*o counter this' the SBA descriptors (ere re-releasedB the later version precisely mapping to
the SS! syllabi "ementerian Cela)aran Malaysia' 2,12a' 2,12b' 2,12c + 2,12d$% *o
understand the SBA' therefore' (e must first briefly e4amine the SS! in light of the
literature on and terms used (ithin syllabus design and assessment%
As noted above' the SS! is referred to as a standards based syllabusB a commonly used
term% 7or the purposes of SBA' ho(ever' it is (orth considering the syllabi in terms of their
being competency-based and te4t-based%
*he hallmar/ of a competency-based syllabus is that it focuses on learners being able to do
things (ith language' rather than to know about it "7indley + Eathan' 15?,$% All the standards
(ithin the SS! are e4pressed in this language% FGCupils (ill beH Able to listen to' say aloud
and recite rhymes or sing songs (ith guidanceI "Bahagian Cembangunan uri/ulum' 2,11b'
p% 1D$ is one such e4ample%
Additionally' the SS! can be said to be a te4t-based syllabus% A te4t is a (hole piece of
language (hich is complete in itself' such as a story' a poem' a chant' a dialogue or a
description% A te4t can be heard' spo/en' (ritten or read "7ee3 + #oyce' 155?. Metropolitan
8ast @isadvantaged Schools Crogram' 15?5$' and the process of reading' saying' listening to
or (riting a te4t is /no(n as negotiating "Savignon' 1551$' constructing or deconstructing it%
*he SS! and BS! syllabi re2uire learners to negotiate a range of te4ts such as those
noted above "BC 2,,1' 2,11a$ as do the J)ian Cencapaian Se/olah !endah "JCS!$
e4aminations conducted at the end of Year < "brochure' a dialogue' a story' and either a
process description or a chart or graph$%
8ach competency statement or descriptor is then lin/ed to a te4t or a part of a te4t as can be
seen in *able 1 belo(% All *able descriptors 1-< are ta/en directly from the SS! S# *ahun
1 syllabus "BC' 2,11b$% *he right-hand column contains the SS! Standard Eumber