Background: Since 2005, professionals in nine special schools collectively had developed an assessment tool called SCALES for all students regardless they are in special or mainstream schools in Hong Kong. Based on the concept of “one common curriculum for all”, SCALES is classified into the four Key Learning Area (KLA) strands of learning as in the mainstream curriculum framework, namely, Chinese, Science, Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE) and Mathematics. This means that for the first time all of the students are being measured by exactly the same criteria irrespective of the ability or disability. Aims: In this study, we aim to apply Rasch measurement approach to analyzing a this innovative evaluation tool for children with special needs due to intellectual disabilities. Since Rasch measurement can convert ordinal measures into interval measures, the latter of which is fundamental for objective measurement in human sciences (Bond and Fox 2007). Methods: By using Winsteps, statistics such as infit and outfit mean square, person separation index, reliability, and dimensionality of the measurement scales are supported empirically. Results: The uni-dimensionality of the four major subject areas is supported with good psychometric properties such as high reliability and person separations that help differentiation of subjects. Selective applications of some items of these scales could be used by practitioners for quick screening and better intervention for care of children with special leaning needs. Conclusion: The scales are supported with both subject experts’ observation and quantitative evidence from sophisticated psychometric tests. Successful establishment of the instrument by subject experts is evident and quality-assured administration of the Rasch-based items in the future is recommended as the SCALES has proved to be a valid and reliable assessment measure for diverse learners.

This paper examines to what extent and how the data and results of PISA have been used for various education stakeholders and to what extent PISA affect educational policy and practices in Hong Kong. From the point of view of the government, PISA has played an important role in supporting and legitimising government educational reform since 2000. It has supported curricula frameworks and to some extent development and reform from the philosophical and educational viewpoints. However, the mass media and general public seldom went beyond ranking to look at other variables that might inform policy with the exception of some researchers and curriculum developers. Nonetheless, considerable effort has been expended by key researchers in Hong Kong in disseminating information about PISA prior to and after the administration of each assessment and in sharing the Hong Kong results, through such means as press conferences, seminars, international conferences, research and professional development. Experience from the case of Hong Kong suggested that, by keeping international assessment low stake but making good use of it to inform different stakeholders and initiating teacher professional development could be a cost-effective tool to drive educational reform. However, there is a tendency of overuse or abuse of international assessments by making international assessment high stakes, which might create unnecessary pressure for participating schools, teachers and students.

The present study adapted the abbreviated version of Swanson-Cognitive Processing Test (S-CPT) (Swanson, 1996) to be used in Hong Kong. The S-CPT, a North American standardised dynamic working memory assessment, was used to measure 215 students' cognitive ability from four primary schools Hong Kong. The abbreviated S-CPT had five subtests of verbal and visuospatial tasks, which were suggested by Swanson as suitable for individual administration on students above 8 years old. The five S-CPT subtests were adapted and translated into Cantonese in order to suit the Hong Kong context and to minimise the effect of participants' language ability on their performance in the assessment. Students were individually administered the adapted versions of the S-CPT. The adapted English version was administered to students from English-medium schools whereas the adapted Cantonese version administered to students from Chinese-medium schools. The obtained data was Rasch analysed using the Partial Credit Model (Masters, 1982). Two subtests were discovered to have disordered categories during the testing period and the categories in these subtests were collapsed to improve the categories structure, and hence, the measurement scale. Fit measures and reliability estimates for both the English adapted and Cantonese adapted S-CPT showed acceptable values to the Partial Credit Model, indicating that the adapted S-CPT was a valid and reliable measure of cognitive constructs of students within the four schools in Hong Kong.

Assessment has taken the centre stage in the Asia Pacific Region in the last two decades which has witnessed many education reform initiatives. Due to historical as well administrative, technical and statistical reasons in the past, examinations in the Region are generally construed as top-down with little input from the persons assessed and out of their control. That situation does little to enhance learning, which needs ownership by the assessed in order to realize the full potentials of assessment for and as learning. With norm reference as its trademark, the sole purpose of high stake examination is to select the best for the next levels of advancement, be it in education or career. Nevertheless, there is a strong trend within the Region and elsewhere striving to replace the unitary purpose of assessment with a new paradigm entitled the Self-directed Learning Oriented Assessment (SLOA), which holds that assessment should be learning oriented and self-directed. Within the SLOA paradigm, assessment not only has multiple roles in support of learning; it is an integral part of learning. Assessment is to collect evidence of performance and to match the results against preset criteria or standards. The objectives are to evaluate, to inform and to effect learning: assessment of, for and as learning. Modern advancement in assessment design, delivery, statistical models and reporting systems has enabled the assessed to be nearly fully in control of the process of assessment and to self-evaluate against objective criteria. The persons being assessed can, therefore, have full ownership of the assessment. SLOA is a perspective and an assessment design, delivery and reporting that implement the above scenario in assessment. Initial attempts to carry out SLOA in a number of schools in Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, albeit still in its initial stage, have amply demonstrated its validity, feasibility and benefits.
[Copyright © 2009 The Hong Kong Institute of Education]

Assessment and evaluation are essential educational practice. In December 2003, a set of Performance Indicators on the Domain of Child Development (revised edition) was published by the Education Manpower Bureau and Social Welfare Department to assist preschools in Hong Kong to evaluate young children’s performance in learning and development. This paper outlines how a project conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Education has empowered 15 Hong Kong preschools using Performance Indicators to formulate strategies for self-evaluation on the Domain of Child Development. Implications for successful change of the assessment culture in the preschoosl are discussed.
[Copyright © 2008 Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research. The journal website is located at http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/en/pej/]

Hong Kong Teachers understand students' abilities and ranked students' position by the scores of quizzes, tests and examination. Setting items for assessing students is therefore one of significant tasks for Hong Kong teachers. Teachers usually set items to access their students based on what they taught in the classroom. Teachers do not usually consider whether the items are set appropriately to measure their students' abilities. On the other hand, it is important for the teachers learn the quality control of item settings. Rasch measurement is a quality control mechanism and good for diagnosis. The area of diagnosis includes item misfit between items and persons, and probability of a person's correctly answering the item against his ability. The diagnostic information obtained can be used by teachers to enhance their assessment tools such that teachers are better informed about their students' learning. Nonetheless, such diagnoses are under-utilised. The aim of this study is to illustrate how the diagnostic information can be generated from Rasch measurement using the Winsteps software, and how teachers can make use of such information to enhance assessment tools. In particular, this study focused on how to use one of the Item Characteristic Curve as a diagnostic tool in order to analyze the relationship between students' abilities and item difficulties. Based on this analysis, teachers can discern the quality of items in the assessment and hence obtain more accurate estimates of students' abilities and item difficulties. The sample for the study involved about 150 Primary Three students from a local school. Students' basic competencies in mathematics at end of Key-Stage-l were gauged in June 2006 using an assessment tool designed by the authors. Rasch measurements of the students were obtained using the Winsteps software. Item Characteristic Curves of the items were analysed to diagnose the psychometric qualities of the assessment tool. Implications for teachers in

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between theories of intelligence and goal orientations, and their joint connections to students' academic achievement in the Chinese cultural context. A total of 418 university students in Hong Kong participated in the present study. The survey was administered to collect information on students' beliefs about their goal orientations, theories of intelligence and their college grade point averages. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that beliefs in the incremental theory of intelligence contribute to students' academic achievements by facilitating their endorsement of mastery goals and performance-approach goals. Students' performance-avoidance goals have a negative association with academic success. Cultural factors and considerations are addressed to clarify further the culture-specific findings.
[Copyright of Educational Psychology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2014.893559]