TSL3123 LANGUAGE

ASSESSMENT EXAMORIENTED SYSTEM

Exam-oriented System
The educational administration in Malaysia is highly
centralised with four hierarchical levels; that is, federal,
state, district and the lowest level, school. Major
decision-and policy-making take place at the federal
level represented by the Ministry of Education (MoE),
which consists of the Curriculum Development Centre,
the school division, and the Malaysian Examination
Syndicate (MES).

The current education system in Malaysia is too

examination-oriented and over-emphasizes rotelearning with institutions of higher learning fast
becoming mere diploma mills.Like most Asian countries
(e.g., Gang 1996; Lim and Tan 1999; Choi 1999);
Malaysia so far has focused on public examination
results as important determinants of students
progression to higher levels of education or
occupational opportunities (Chiam 1984). The
Malaysian education system requires all students to sit
for public examinations at the end of each level of
schooling. There are four public examinations from
primary to postsecondary education. These are the
Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) at the end of
six years of primary education, the Lower Secondary
Examination (PMR) at the end of another three years
schooling, the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM)
at the end of 11 years of schooling, and the Malaysian
Higher School Certificate

Examination (STPM) or the Higher Malaysian Certificate

for Religious Education (STAM) at the end of 13 years
schooling (MoE 2004).

Malaysia Education Blueprint

2013-2025
In October 2011, the Ministry of Education launched a
comprehensive review of the education system in Malaysia in
order to develop a new National Education Blueprint. This
decision was made in the context of rising international
education standards, the Governments aspiration of better
preparing Malaysia s children for the needs of the 21st century,
and increased public and parental expectations of education
policy. Over the course of 11 months, the Ministry drew on many
sources of input, from education experts at UNESCO, World Bank,
OECD, and six local universities, to principals, teachers, parents,
and students from every state in Malaysia. The result is a
preliminary Blueprint that evaluates the performance of Malaysia
s education system against historical starting points and
international benchmarks. The Blueprint also offers a vision of
the education system and students that Malaysia both needs and
deserves, and suggests 11 strategic and operational shifts that
would be required to achieve that vision. The Ministry hopes that
this effort will inform the national discussion on how to
fundamentally transform Malaysia s education system, and will
seek feedback from across the community on this preliminary
effort before finalising the Blueprint in December 2012.

School assessment refers to written tests that

assess subject learning. The test questions and
marking schemes are developed, administered,
scored, and reported by school teachers based on
guidance from LP;

Central assessment refers to written tests,

project work, or oral tests (for languages) that
assess subject learning. LP develops the test
questions and marking schemes. The tests are,
however,
administered and marked by school
teachers;

The examined Curriculum

Psychometric assessment refers to aptitude
tests and a personality inventory to assess
students skills, interests, aptitude, attitude and
personality. Aptitude tests are used to assess
students innate and acquired abilities, for
example in thinking and problem solving. The
personality inventory is used to identify key traits
and characteristics that make up the students
personality. LP develops these instruments and
provides guidelines for use. Schools are, however,
not required to comply with these guidelines; and

Physical, sports, and co-curricular activities

assessment refers to assessments of student
performance and participation in physical and
health education, sports, uniformed bodies, clubs,
and other non-school sponsored activities. Schools
are given the flexibility to determine how this
component will be assessed.