Modifications to English Language
SBA NEW
What changes have been made
to English SBA? NEW
What's the reason behind
these changes? NEW
What do these changes mean
for me and my students? NEW
The texts
My students don't know how to choose books or
films, and the librarian can't help. How can I help them?
NEW
How do I teach literature? I've never done it
before. NEW
How do I keep track of the texts my students
use?
Do I have to read and watch the same texts as
my students?
Will my students get better marks if they use
more challenging texts?
Should students make notes while they are reading
or viewing the text?
How assessment works
How do I record the marks?
How is the final mark decided?
Should I share the assessment criteria with
my students?
Is it necessary to videotape the task? Won't
it make students more nervous?
If I have to give students a mark immediately,
how can I make a judgement based on the criteria in such a
short time? NEW
How will the HKEAA ensure marking is fair amongst
schools? NEW
What are students assessed on?
Can I talk to my students during the assessment?
The assessment tasks
What are the different task types? Do they test
different skills?
How do I choose a task?
What is my role in the tasks?
Are these SBA tasks similar to assessed oral
presentations?
My students have chosen different texts. How
do I manage the process? NEW
Do students get any feedback
on their tasks?
Preparing your students
How do I prepare my students for these assessments?
How much input can I give my students for the
summative SBA task?
Can students look at model answers?
Can students use notes to help them in the assessments?
How far in advance should I plan the assessment
task? NEW
Modifications
to English Language SBA NEW
As of the HKEAA press release of 11 April 2006, there are
some modifications to the English Language SBA. These will
come into effect immediately, so it is important that you
are aware of the impact these changes will have on you and
your students.
What
changes have been made to English SBA? NEW
Overview
See the tables below for a detailed comparison of the previous
set-up to the new version. Italics highlight the changes between
the previous set-up and the new one.
Previously
| |
Overall |
Form 4 |
Form 5 |
| What texts do students use? |
Four texts, one from each category:
- print fiction
- print non-fiction
- non-print fiction
- non-print non-fiction
|
At least two texts from two categories. |
Remaining two texts from remaining categories |
| How are students assessed? |
They do four tasks: one text from each category. |
They do at least two group interactions. |
They do at least one group interaction and one individual
presentation. |
| How much of the total English
mark is SBA worth? |
15% of the total English mark. |
5%. The highest mark is used at the end of
the year. |
10%. The two highest marks ˇX one for the group
interaction and one for the individual presentation ˇX
are reported at the end of the year. |
Now
| |
Overall |
Form 4 |
Form 5 |
| What texts do students use? |
Three, from three of the following four categories:
- print fiction
- print non-fiction
- non-print fiction
- non-print non-fiction
|
One or two texts. |
One or two texts. |
| How are students assessed? |
They do two tasks, each on a text from a different
category. |
They do one task in the second semester. This can
be either group interaction or individual presentation. |
They do one task at any time. This can be either
group interaction or individual presentation. |
| How much of the total English
mark is SBA worth? |
15% of the total English mark. |
7.5%. |
7.5%. |
The use of texts
There are fewer compulsory texts: down from 4 to 3.
You no longer have to use two texts from the HKEAA-recommended
list.
"After the modification the list will be for reference only.
The recommended texts may still be used but any other texts
can be chosen according to the text selection criteria provided
on page 1 of the document 'Recommended Texts for the SBA Component'.
The updated version of the document can be accessed on the
HKEAA website: www.hkeaa.edu.hk starting from 29 April 2006."
Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority, 25 April 2006
Assessment
There are fewer assessment tasks: down from 4 to 2.
In both assessment tasks, schools can choose the type of
task (group interaction or individual presentation).
Time frame for implementation
SBA must start in 2007, but inclusion of students' marks can
be deferred until 2009.
What's
the reason behind these changes? NEW
The concept of SBA was generally well-received
amongst schools. However, as with any major educational reform,
it is a big adjustment for all concerned. Research suggested
that many teachers felt overwhelmed or ill-prepared for the
English Language SBA.
HKEAA listed the following aims for the recent modifications:
1 |
To simplify the design of SBA
Teachers felt that the system was unnecessarily complicated.
This has been made more straightforward, with the workload
and weighting in Form 4 the same as that of Form 5. |
2 |
To give schools time to adjust to SBA
With such a fundamental change to the assessment
system, it was felt that teachers and students should
be given adequate time to adjust. In 2007 and 2008, schools
can choose for their students' SBA marks not to count
towards their final marks. This gives schools two years
to get used to SBA without being assessed on it. From
2009 onwards, however, SBA marks must count. |
3 |
To allow for variation between schools
The new SBA component involves not only speaking but also
reading and/or listening texts. While many students will
excel at this type of examination, for others this will
be challenging. With this in mind, the minimum number
of texts has been reduced, as has the number of assessment
tasks. Stronger students will be able to do more than
the required minimum, however.
|
What
do these changes mean for me and my students? NEW
Your workload will be more manageable
SBA is now streamlined and the requirements simplified, with
students doing one text and one assessment task per year.
This also means that the compulsory workload has been reduced,
so teachers and students alike have time to adjust to the
demands of the new curriculum.
You will have more control over your
students' workload
The modifications also give schools greater flexibility. The
workload will be sufficiently challenging for less able students,
yet teachers are free to do more texts and/or tasks if students
need stretching.
You must decide if you plan to submit
your students' SBA marks in 2007
Each school must decide if they plan to submit students' SBA
marks in 2007, and if these marks should count towards their
final English result. HKEAA will contact schools with further
information.
The texts
My
students don't know how to choose books or films, and
the librarian can't help. How can I help them?
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
Set up genre tables, like the ones we displayed at our
recent seminar. Provide tasks to help students familiarize
themselves with the different genres, e.g. matching each
genre to its description and examples of popular titles.
Our website includes the HKEAA recommended list which
students can browse by genre, level and category. We
have also included suggestions for other titles that
they might be interested in.
Browse by genre
Browse by level
Browse by
category
Since recent modifications to English Language SBA,
students no longer have to read or view texts from the
HKEAA recommended list. This means that although titles
from the list can be used, there is greater flexibility
with your studentsˇ¦ choice of texts.
For print fiction texts, consider using Oxford Progressive
English Readers (OPERs). These are popular or classic
stories in the form of carefully graded readers. Each
OPER comes with activities and teacherˇ¦s notes to help
students get the most out of their reading experience.
To see the full range of titles and find out how to
choose the right level for your students, see the website
at www.oupchina.com.hk/elt/oper/index.asp.
|
|
How do I teach
literature? I've never done it before.
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
That's OK, because you don't have to. SBA is about speaking,
and students read and view texts to give them something
to talk about. The SBA Kit contains material
to prepare students for doing a task on each of the four
text types. |
|
| How do I keep
track of the texts my students use? |
|
Students will use their logbooks to record what they
are reading and watching. You should check these logs
regularly and make a note of their progress. |
|
| Do I have to
read and watch the same texts as my students? |
|
No, this is not necessary. However, some familiarity
with the texts will be needed when you plan the tasks.
|
|
| Will my students
get better marks if they use more challenging texts? |
|
SBA evaluates students' speaking ability not reading
ability: how effectively they can discuss the content
of their text, as well as related thoughts and opinions.
A text should be at a suitable level for the individual.
Above all it should be engaging and motivating. |
|
| Should students
make notes while they are reading or viewing the text? |
|
Yes. They will need to make notes to help them when
it comes to preparing their notecards. There are worksheets
for each specific task in this kit, and Booklet 1 also
has reading guides and viewing guides that can be used
for further practice with any text. |
|
How assessment works
| How
do I record the marks?
|
|
Each time a student does a task, you complete an
assessment record. This covers the specifics
of the task and the final mark. It is signed by you
and the student.
You will also keep a class record, which is
cumulative, listing all the marks for each student in
the class. It is signed by you, the Principal and the
SBA coordinator.
|
|
How is the final
mark decided?
|
|
Students receive feedback, rather than a mark, from
the formative task. The mark from the Students will do
a formative (practice) task followed by a summative task.
As these two tasks must be similar, the formative one
is valuable preparation for the real thing. Students receive
feedback, rather than a mark, from the formative task.
The mark from the summative task will count towards the
final mark if it is reported.
For each summative task, students are given a mark from
0 to 6 on four speaking criteria. Two of these marks will
go towards the student's final SBA mark (15% of the total
English mark). |
|
| Should I share
the assessment criteria with my students? |
|
Yes. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
(HKEAA) guidelines stress that students should have read
and understood the criteria. Two versions are included
in the SBA Kit, both intended for students' use. |
|
| Is it necessary
to videotape the task? Won't it make students more nervous? |
|
A recording of a task is an accurate record of it, which
is needed for SBA quality assurance. Although video is
preferred, audio is also acceptable.
The benefit of using video is that you can watch the recording
together and give feedback to your students. This will
help them get used to the camera's presence. |
|
If I have to
give students a mark immediately, how can I make a judgement
based on the criteria in such a short time?
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
Before you come to assessing your students, watch
sample tasks to check the anchor levels. Using our SBA
Kit, go through all the steps of the assessment.
This includes the moderation conversation between the
teacher and a Moderator.
Use the student-friendly version in the SBA Kit
to unpack the criteria. Once you become familiar with
the criteria, you'll find you won't have to read it
so closely during the task. Using our marking sheets,
you can make notes or highlight relevant parts of the
criteria.
Download our marking sheets, containing the latest version
of the HKEAA official assessment criteria and space
to make notes. Using the marking sheet in your assessment
tasks allows you to focus on the descriptors for each
of the criteria on one handy sheet.
|
|
How will the
HKEAA ensure marking is fair amongst schools?
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
Training teachers, familiarizing them with the anchor
levels and giving them practice of marking students will
all help ensure fairness. Standardization serves the same
purpose. |
|
| What are students
assessed on? |
|
Students are assessed on four criteria:
I Pronunciation and delivery
II Communication strategies
III Vocabulary and language patterns
IV Ideas and organization |
|
| Can I talk to
my students during the assessment? |
|
Remember you are a facilitator during the assessments,
so this means you can help the task go smoothly. However,
remember to help only when necessary. In the group interactions,
students should be encouraged to demonstrate communicative
strategies by controlling the discussion and involving
one another. You should not interrupt a student giving
an individual presentation, but you may use follow-up
questions to give him/her the chance to extend on or clarify
the content.
For further guidance, see the suggestions for suitable
questions for each relevant text type. |
|
The assessment tasks
| What
are the different task types? Do they test different skills?
|
|
There are two task types: individual presentation
and group interaction.
In the group interaction, the student:
- takes part in a speaking task with at least one
other classmate
- is assessed on his/her ability to communicate with
others
- should do a number of short turns
- is expected to respond to prompts from other participants
- prepares notes in advance for use in the task
In the individual presentation, the student:
- gives a structured and uninterrupted talk for 2ˇV3
minutes
- is assessed on his/her ability to communicate with
others
- should do one extended long turn
- is expected to perform independently
- answers questions, but is not assessed on this
part
- prepares notes in advance for use in the task
|
|
| How do I choose
a task? |
|
This is up to you. This will depend on your students'
strengths and weaknesses, their interests, and the texts
they have been using. To help your planning, download
samples from the Hong Kong University SBA project website:
http://web.hku.hk/~sbapro/ |
|
| What is my role
in the tasks? |
|
Before the task you are the organizer, making
sure your students have the relevant input and know what
they are doing.
During the task you are a participant. You should
facilitate the talk or discussion and encourage students
to interact appropriately.
You are also an assessor, which means that during
the task you need to make notes about each student's performance
and afterwards you give feedback. |
|
| Are these SBA
tasks similar to assessed oral presentations? |
|
Similar, but not the same. SBA has students working
with their classmates and the style is much less formal,
particularly for the group interaction. The individual
presentation for SBA is only 2ˇV3 minutes. |
|
My students have
chosen different texts. How do I manage the process?
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
You need to find a common reference point and a way
of grouping students. If they have covered a range of
genres, make groups based on this. If you need to combine
genres, think about which ones go together naturally,
e.g. mystery and thrillers.
Many tasks are suitable for all genres. See the SBA
Kit for worksheets that can easily be adapted to
use with different genres. |
|
| Do students get
any feedback on their tasks? |
|
Yes. You should give feedback after each task, in particular
the formative ones. You can give some general group pointers
but also individual comments so that each student knows
what to aim for next time. In addition, you should encourage
students to self or peer assess. |
|
Preparing your students
| How
do I prepare my students for these assessments? |
|
You could set up a class reader and use it as a stimulus
for related activities. |
|
| How much input
can I give my students for the summative SBA task? |
|
In the SBA Kit there is a two-lesson lead up
to the task, as well as some homework. During this time
you will be facilitating preparation activities and giving
students some guidance. Students must not memorize what
to say, but the formative task allows them to practise
something similar to the summative one. |
|
| Can students
look at model answers? |
|
No. There are no model answers.
Because SBA is a new style of oral assessment, however,
you could show your class the video of a sample task.
This would help familiarize them with the set-up. You
can use the disks included in the SBA Kit, or
download clips from the HKedCity website: http://ec.hkedcity.net/sba |
|
| Can students
use notes to help them in the assessments? |
|
They may use one 4 x 6 notecard or one PowerPoint slide
on which they have notes (not full sentences). There are
examples and a notecard template in the SBA Kit. |
|
How far in advance
should I plan the assessment task?
Question asked at our November SBA seminar.
|
|
The SBA Kit suggests a six-lesson
block for each task, with the assessed task in the final
lesson. You need to work this into your teaching schedule
and tell students in advance. Give students a deadline
by which they must tell you which text they are going
to talk about, and make sure you give yourself enough
time to prepare for the lessons. |
|
|
