School Based Assessment (SBA):

Moral Education

Abstract
The Malaysia education system has undergone various transformations in aspects such as
policy, curriculum and pedagogy. However, for the first time since independence in 1957, the
Ministry of Education in Malaysia officially introduced School Based Assessment (SBA) in
primary schools in 2011 and secondary schools in 2012. SBA is an assessment which is
embedded in the teaching and learning process which involves the teacher from the beginning
to the end; from planning the assessment programme to developing appropriate assessment
tasks right through to making assessment judgments and reporting the assessment in various
forms as required by the ministry. This paper looks into the issues and challenges that
teachers face when asked to implement an assessment which might had been ongoing but not
as objective as what is expected in SBA.
Keywords: School based assessment Moral Education holistic challenges - future
1. Introduction
SBA is conducted according to the delegated power given to the Minister of Education passed
on to the Director of Examinations Syndicate based on the 1996 Education Act (Act 550):
Section 67-Assessing Pupils, Section 68-Examination and Section 69-Prohibition on
Conducting Examination and Education Regulations (Assessment and Examination) 1997,
Part II, Section 3 which:
(a)
is to advise, monitor and analyse about SBA;
(b)
to manage all examinations according to regulations, guide lines and instruction
about the examination; and
(c)
to conduct examination, and to manage examination and to enforce regulations,
guide lines and instruction about the examination.
In the year 2011, Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah or better known as KSSR was
introduced in all Malaysian primary schools. These include national type schools and
vernacular schools. The new curriculum is based on Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah
(KBSR) which was the curriculum before KSSR. The new curriculum focuses on holistic
development of students in line with the National Philosophy of Education, which also
includes new elements such as grooming of creativity and innovation, entrepreneurship,
integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and latest on the list is
inclusion of financial skills such as saving, investment, insurance etc. (KSSR Year 4, 2012).
In line with KSSR is the introduction of the National Education Assessment System (NEAS)
which implements the School Based Assessment (SBA) in phases; SBA in Year One, starting
from 2011 and SBA in Form One starting from 2012. It should be clarified here that SBA for
the primary school is based on KSSR where else the SBA for the secondary school is still
based on Kurikulum Sepadu Sekolah Menengah (KBSM). It is a challenge here because the
KBSM curriculum was tailored to assess a different method of assessment but is now being
utilised for SBA. The whole notion of NEAS is to reduce the focus on public examination,
improve students learning capability, create a holistic and everlasting assessment, develop
better human capital and strengthen SBA (Malaysian Examinations Syndicate, 2009).

SBA is one type of assessment that is conducted in school. SBA is planned, executed, scored
and reported systematically according to procedures set by the Malaysian Examinations
Syndicate (Malaysian Examinations Syndicate, 2009). Assessment is implemented by the
school and conducted by the relevant subject teachers continuously in the teaching and
learning process (Malaysian Examinations Syndicate, 2011). SBA is inclusive of school
assessment, centralised assessment, physical activity, sports and co-curriculum assessment
and psychometric assessment. School assessment is inclusive of formative and summative
assessment. Centralised assessment is conducted in the school based on assignments provided
by the Examinations Syndicate in certain times according to certain subjects. Physical
activity, sports and co-curriculum assessment is conducted in school to measure and evaluate
the performance, involvement and contribution of students in the mentioned activities.
Psychometric assessment is conducted in school and/or centralised location to measure
natural capability, thinking skills, problem solving skills, interest, attitude and students
personality. The focus of my paper is on school assessment (SA) and focusing on the subject
of Moral Education.
1.1 School Assessment (SA)
School assessment (SA) in Malaysian schools can be conducted either using formative
assessment or summative assessment. SA functions as a means of assessment for learning and
assessment of learning and refers to the performance standards prepared by the Malaysian
Examinations Syndicate based on KSSR and KBSM. The processes involved in the SA
include:
- identify the construct or aspects that need to be assessed;
- plan, choose, construct and execute the assessment that provides students the
opportunity to exhibit or present work that is relevant;
- evaluate students work by referring to the descriptors and evidence in the standard
performance to confirm the students levels;
- provide feedback to the students about their performance based on their strengths and
weaknesses as well as plan and execute instructional correctives; and
- record performance in portfolios for future reference by teachers, co-coordinators,
students and parents.
(Malaysian Examinations Syndicate, 2009)
SA is inclusive of formative and summative assessment. At times, formative assessment
means classroom formative assessment and at other times it may mean something like using
student achievement data to inform instruction or benchmark assessment (McMillan,
2007). Summative assessment is conducted to monitor and record student achievement as
well as for school accountability (McMillan, 2007). Below is a comparison between
formative and summative classroom assessment.
Table 1.1. Characteristic of Formative and Summative Classroom Assessment
Characteristic
Purpose

Formative
Provide ongoing feedback to
improve learning

When Conducted
Student Involvement
Student Motivation

During instruction
Encouraged
Intrinsic, mastery-oriented

Summative
Document student learning at
the end of an instructional
segment
After instruction
Discouraged
Extrinsic, performance-

Teacher Role
Cognitive Levels
Emphasized
Level of Specificity
Structure
Assessment Techniques
Effect on Learning

To provide immediate,
specific feedback and
instructional correctives
Deep understanding,
application, and reasoning
Highly specific and
individual
Flexible, adaptable
Informal
Strong, positive, and longlasting

oriented
To measure student learning
and give grades
Knowledge and
comprehension
General and group-oriented
Rigid, highly structured
Formal
Week and fleeting
(Ref: McMillan, 2007, p.2)

1.2 Moral Education (ME)

Moral Education (ME) is a core subject in primary and secondary schools. It is meant for the
non-Muslim students as the Muslim students are already studying Islamic Studies (Cabinet
Report, 1979). The general objective of ME in primary and secondary school is to develop
students into individuals who recognize, accept and internalize his or her role as a responsible
decision maker pertaining to moral values in a democratic society such that his or her actions
are governed by moral principles in all situations.
ME was first introduced when KBSR was introduced in 1983 in Year One and proceeded to
other standards on a year to year basis. In 1989, with the implementation of KBSR in
secondary schools, ME was extended to all secondary schools also on a year to year basis. At
the end of 1993, the first cohort of Form Five students sat the centralised examination for
ME. Since then until today, ME has been under great pressure where assessment is
concerned. After several revisions, the assessment has been divided into two sections. One
section tests knowledge and the other is project work where students commitment to the
affective and physical domains of morality is assessed.
Since 1983, ME has undergone various transformation. The syllabus itself has been revised
for the third time in three decades. The first syllabus was based on core values to be observed
and upheld by the individual and society. The second syllabus was based on several principles
to deliver holistic individuals physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.
The current syllabus for KSSR is based on themes and inclusive of 14 core values.
The philosophy behind ME in Malaysia is to educate individuals into holistic, rationale and
social and morally responsible individuals i.e. teaching and assessing of moral thinking,
moral feeling and moral action (Lickona, 1991). If teaching and assessment was conducted
according to the syllabus and assessment methods, subjects like ME should be championing
SBA. However, the lack of knowledge, training and commitment in parties involved in ME
has made it a memorising, boring and burdening subject (Vishalache, 2011).
This paper will look into the minute aspects of SBA in the field of ME and suggest ways to
ensure that another policy does not fail and fade away.

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