Published on September 17, 2022 by Kenny Lam, Lead Researcher, For Good Measure
I’m pleased to share that my latest opinion piece, co-authored with Professor Paul Yip from the University of Hong Kong, has been published in the South China Morning Post: “Hong Kong’s young people deserve more than outdated standardised tests.”
The Core Argument
The central argument of this piece challenges Hong Kong’s over-reliance on standardised testing as the primary measure of student success. While Hong Kong has fallen in international rankings and over 50% of secondary students show signs of depression, we argue that continuing with “business as usual” is no longer viable. Standardised tests fail to capture crucial attributes like teamwork, curiosity, resilience, and empathy—skills that are essential for our students’ future success and wellbeing.
Key Proposals
Drawing from international best practices and research evidence, we propose three fundamental changes to Hong Kong’s education assessment system:
- Multiple Pathways to Success: Implementing holistic university admissions that consider students’ long-term performance and backgrounds, while elevating vocational education through models like Germany’s dual apprenticeship system.
- Measuring What Matters: Moving beyond standardised tests to include formative assessments like Finland’s project-based evaluations, which better capture deep thinking and collaborative skills.
- Prioritizing Equity: Addressing how current testing systems disadvantage students from lower-income families and ethnic minorities, ensuring assessment methods account for diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
Why This Matters
Assessment dictates instruction—if we only measure rote memorization, that’s all we’ll teach. By reforming how we evaluate our students, we can create ripple effects that improve mental health, strengthen whole-person development, and better prepare our young people for the demands of the 21st century workplace.
Read the Full Article
Please refer to the SCMP website for the full article co-authored with Professor Paul Yip.
Written by Kenny Lam, Lead Researcher, For Good Measure
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