[Archive] Allocation of Secondary One discretionary places by schools

Asked by : Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung

Replied by : SEM

Question :

Under the existing Secondary School Places Allocation System, written tests are not allowed in the allocation of Secondary 1 ("S1") discretionary places. However, it has been reported that the Subsidized Secondary Schools Council encourages its member schools to consider the applicants' scores in open examinations such as the Cambridge Young Learners' English Tests. In this regard, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it has assessed if such a practice of secondary schools violates the spirit of the no-written-test requirement and the objective of the education reform; if there is violation, whether it will take administrative measures to forbid this practice; and
   
   
2. how the Education Department monitors subsidized secondary schools to ensure that they will not set written tests for the allocation of S1 discretionary places?
   

Reply:

Madam President,

1. The rationale for reforming the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA)system recommended by the Education Commission includes:
   
   
   1. High-stake public examination for the purpose of allocating S1 places is not necessary during the nine years of free and universal basic education. Empirical evidence has proven that selection-oriented public assessments, even if they are not intended to require prior preparation, would inevitably hamper students' learning experience and make primary education examination-driven. This would in turn hinder the all-round development of students; and
      
      
   2. aper-and-pencil type of examinations cannot reflect the all-round abilities of students. Therefore, the Government encourages primary schools to adopt more diversified assessment mechanisms. To promote diversity in education, we also encourage secondary schools, in selecting students for the discretionary places (DP), to consider different aspects of applicants' performance in order to identify those who are best suited for the schools' characteristics and education philosophy.

   
   Given the above rationale, in reforming the SSPA system, apart from abolishing the Academic Aptitude Test, the Government has also increased the percentage of DP from 10% to 20%, and required secondary schools to formulate admission procedures, criteria and weightings which are fair, just, open and educationally sound. These procedures, criteria and weightings must have the prior endorsement of the School Management Committees. For the purpose of selecting students, secondary schools may arrange interviews. However, written tests are not allowed, in order to forestall high-stake examination which would result in students being drilled for S1 admission and which would in turn hamper their learning experience. The use of any assessments which are similar in nature to written tests for selecting students for S1 admission may give rise to similar adverse effects, and is thus also against the spirit of the education reform.
   
   The Education Department (ED) has provided schools with a set of "Points to Note for Schools in Handling Applications for Discretionary Places" for reference in late 2000. The document stressed that in assessing applicants, secondary schools should not require students to sit for any public examinations. Instead, they should as far as possible require students to provide readily available information which can reflect students' performance at schools and their abilities in different aspects.

   In case a school is found to have violated the above principles in the admission process, the ED will provide appropriate advice or directive to the school. The ED has been given to understand that information on applicants' English proficiency required by member-schools of the Association of English Medium Secondary Schools includes internal assessments and school-work. Results of international English tests are not obligatory information that applicants must submit. If students take international English tests on a voluntary basis, and schools have not specified the results of such tests as a prerequisite for admission, the Education Department cannot take any action to forbid this.
   

2. With effect from this year, for greater transparency, secondary schools are required to publicize their admission criteria and weightings, and to display such information in a prominent place at the school premises. This would enable parents to know clearly the admission criteria and weightings adopted by various schools during the DP application period (i.e. from 3 December 2001 to 9 March 2002). Through the liaison between the Regional Education Offices and schools, the ED will closely monitor how schools administer their DP admission, and provide advice and assistance where necessary. Moreover, the ED would visit schools on a selective basis to understand how they actually administer the allocation of DP.