Language Assessment TSL 3123

Examine the contributing factors to the changing trends of language assessment. Adam Ariff Ahmad Zulfaqqar Ainul Hakim Anil Raj Anne Priyanka Hema

‘Changing wind and shifting sand’ A cyclical pattern in which a new method emerged about every quarter of a century. Each new method broke from the old but took some of the positive aspects of the previous practices.

Time Demands

The KSSR was introduced to overcome certain shortcomings within the older system, the KBSR.

It is hoped with this new restructured and improved curriculum, students would have the necessary knowledge, skills and also the values to face and overcome the challengers of the current times.

In this fast paced progressive world, what worked very well in 1983 is just not good enough today.

The use of technology and people skills for one, are vital tools that needed to be in cooperated into the curriculum to ensure that the students can perform successfully on a global platform.

They need to be equipped not only with the necessary knowledge and skills but also with the strength of character and leadership qualities to be successful.

To ensure every child is proficient in the English language Expand Every

the LINUS programme to include English literacy.

student in Years 1 to 3 will be screened twice a year to

determine if they are progressing in Bahasa Malaysia and English literacy at an expected pace. Students

who fall behind will be given remedial coaching until

they are able to return to the mainstream curriculum. Teachers

working with such students will also receive

dedicated coaching from district level teacher coaches .

To remain globally competitive •

The government realised that in order for Malaysia to move forward towards globalisation, Malaysians must be proficient in the English language. Hence, a reconsideration of the role of the English language in Malaysia was necessary for the future development of the country and its people. Beginning January 2003, English began to be used as the medium of instruction for the teaching of Mathematics and Science subjects in Standard One, Form One and Lower Six in all government schools in Malaysia, which was also known as the ‘Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik Dalam Bahasa Inggeris’ (PPSMI) or in English it is known as ‘the  teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English’. By 2009, the first batch of students had sat for public examinations vide English for Science and Mathematics.

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However, PPSMI lasted only for a decade. In 2011, the government decided to discontinue PPSMI and replace it with a new policy called ‘Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia dan Memperkukuhkan Penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris’ (MBMMBI) or in English it is known as ‘To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to Strengthen the English Language’. The objective of the program is to sustain Bahasa Malaysia as the official national language and retain the language as a medium of unity and solidarity, and simultaneously to enhance English proficiency among Malaysians to prepare them with a sense of competitiveness and capacity to explore new knowledge at national and international levels.