Reforming testing and evaluation

Starting from the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year, the test matrix for periodic assessments in graded subjects will consist of two parts: objective multiple-choice and essay questions. Notably, the objective multiple-choice section will include not only multiple-choice questions but also true/false and short-answer questions.

This is one of the new points in the assessment and evaluation for junior and senior high schools that the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just sent to the Departments of Education and Training. According to the Ministry's requirements, for subjects assessed using a combination of comments and scores, the Departments of Education and Training are to guide junior and senior high schools in developing matrices, specification sheets, test questions, and guidelines for grading periodic tests, ensuring professional and technical requirements are met, as per the appendix attached to the document.

According to this appendix, the periodic tests for graded subjects at the high school level will have a new matrix consisting of two parts: objective multiple-choice questions (worth 7/10 points) and essay questions (worth 3/10 points). The objective multiple-choice section is similar to the format of the high school graduation exam, with multiple-choice, true-false, and short-answer questions. For subjects without "short-answer" questions, all points in this section will be allocated to "true-false" questions. Overall, the exam will have 40% of questions at the knowledge level, 30% at the comprehension level, and 30% at the application level.

Implementation will begin in the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year. Prior to that, in November 2024, core teachers in localities received training, so the Ministry of Education and Training requests that the Departments of Education and Training train all management staff and teachers of educational institutions implementing the general education program in their respective areas.

Observations at junior and senior high schools show that periodic tests vary from school to school. Some schools only use multiple-choice questions, while others combine multiple-choice and essay questions. Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy (Bien Hoa Specialized High School, Ha Nam province ) supports this approach, arguing that it diversifies the test structure and comprehensively assesses students' abilities. She believes that relying solely on multiple-choice questions would not adequately test knowledge while also evaluating students' application skills, critical thinking, reading comprehension, analysis, and information synthesis abilities.

Ms. Thuy also believes that this method avoids students randomly circling answers; instead, they must truly understand the concepts to fill in the correct answers. This allows teachers to clearly identify students' abilities, distinguishing between their strengths and weaknesses, and adjust teaching and learning activities accordingly. They can fill knowledge gaps, provide individual support for weaker students, and nurture gifted students.

Assessment is an indispensable part of the teaching and learning process, aimed at helping students progress. Many teachers share the view that test and assessment questions must be appropriate to students' abilities and levels, while also providing feedback to help teachers and students understand their progress, identify areas of knowledge and skills improvement, and identify areas of weakness, in order to adjust the teaching and learning process.

Current reforms in assessment include not only teachers assessing students, but also students learning to assess each other, self-evaluating their own learning and training results, and making adjustments in their studies and revision to achieve better results.

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According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Secondary Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training), the reform of testing and examinations aims to accurately assess and encourage teachers and students to teach and learn in a way that develops competencies and qualities, rather than simply acquiring pure knowledge. The circulars regulating the assessment of secondary school students have been adjusted to include diverse, humane assessment methods that encourage student progress and promote "teacher-organized, student-executed" approaches, rather than traditional paper-based tests with increasing difficulty levels. Traditional tests will still exist, but they will adhere to the matrix prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/doi-moi-kiem-tra-danh-gia-10297087.html