Concerns arising from reforms in primary school student assessment.

(Baonghean) - Not assigning homework to students attending two sessions a day, not organizing gifted student competitions, and evaluating students using comments instead of grades are some of the new features in the assessment of primary school students in the 2014-2015 school year. After one semester of implementation, there have been positive signs, but concerns remain…

At this time of year, in previous years, primary schools would be focusing on selecting gifted students, organizing review sessions to prepare for Olympiads and online math competitions, and parents would be very interested in the results of end-of-semester assessments.

However, visiting Ha Huy Tap 2 Primary School (Vinh City) these days, the learning atmosphere is quite relaxed, even for the 5th graders. Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet Ha, the school's Vice Principal, said: “In the system of primary schools in Vinh City, in previous years, Ha Huy Tap 2 Primary School was one of the schools with the highest percentage of excellent students and students admitted to specialized schools. This can be considered an achievement, but it is also a pressure for the school. To maintain the reputation and sustain the achievement, we have to set targets for teachers every year. Parents also have to keep up with their children's studies by sending them from one extra class to another, making the children very tired and leaving them with little opportunity to participate in other recreational activities. From this school year, teachers no longer have the pressure of grades, achievements, or targets for excellent students; the students' psychology is also more relaxed, and learning and exams are much more harmonious.”

A lesson at Nghi Thuy Primary School (Cua Lo Town).

As is known, to reduce the burden and pressure on students, starting from the 2014-2015 school year, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular 30, according to which instead of evaluating students by grades as before, teachers will switch to evaluating students based on their knowledge, skills, and learning attitudes. Simultaneously, the Ministry also directed that no student competitions, no extra tutoring, and no entrance exams for grade 6 be organized…

Ms. Phan Thi Hong Mai, Principal of Hong Son Primary School (Vinh City), said: "Initially, we faced many difficulties, and most parents disagreed. Teachers themselves were also quite confused by this change. However, after one semester of implementation, the most noticeable improvement is that the increased need for feedback and evaluation has led to more frequent, self-motivated, and thorough engagement from teachers towards their students. Students are happier and more active, feeling less pressure from homework and participating in more extracurricular activities. The school also no longer places as much emphasis on provincial and city-level competitions as before. Instead, the school organizes many intellectual games such as math and English competitions with the aim of learning and interaction, so the students feel very comfortable participating."

However, regarding the assessment of student quality and the comparison of academic results between this school year and the previous one, teacher Phan Thi Hong Mai still has many concerns. The reason is that previously, results were quantified by scores on tests, so the distinction between excellent, good, average, and poor was clearly visible. Now, the "measurement" of academic quality mainly depends on the teacher's comments, so the results are only relative.

Furthermore, Ms. Mai also believes that while innovation is correct, the current approach is somewhat hasty, and teachers haven't had enough time to prepare. The infrastructure and other factors are insufficient to help students develop comprehensively in both abilities and talents. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, a parent, shared: “Currently, I'm very happy to see my child studying less and having more time to rest. However, I'm still concerned because we've only reformed the methods and assessment methods, not the curriculum and textbooks. The current curriculum is too heavy, yet we only teach in a 'learning through play' style, and the assessment is still too general, so I'm afraid the children won't be able to keep up with the curriculum and grasp all the knowledge in the textbooks.”

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen The Son, Head of the Primary Education Department of the Department of Education and Training, assessed: Since the 2013-2014 school year, Nghe An has been one of the few localities that have piloted the method of assessment from scores to comments in grade 1. In addition, this assessment method has also been applied in 73 schools teaching according to the VNEN new school model.

However, due to the training and implementation being somewhat delayed (close to the implementation date of October 15, 2014), the initial student assessment was not timely, and the dissemination of information to parents and the community was insufficient, resulting in low effectiveness. Furthermore, this was a new policy, and many administrators and teachers were unfamiliar with the new assessment method. Therefore, some teachers struggled with providing feedback: some comments were 3 or 4 lines long, contained little or unclear information, making them difficult for students to understand and implement, especially in the lower grades; some comments were too general, failing to point out specific errors for correction (e.g., "The assignment still has many spelling errors; the presentation is not neat..."); and choosing the right language for accurate, relevant, and unique assessments for each student proved challenging. In classes with excessively large class sizes, monitoring the learning outcomes and the development of each student's qualities and abilities becomes difficult to ensure accuracy and objectivity; the time spent grading and correcting students' work in each lesson and subject is time-consuming and arduous for teachers.

Furthermore, some teachers are still hesitant to embrace innovation and new approaches; some teachers lack a full understanding of Circular 30 (the purpose of assessment, the use of assessment results, etc.), leading to superficial and perfunctory assessments. First-grade students in the first semester have limited reading skills and cannot fully grasp or understand much information through teacher feedback, so teachers must primarily provide direct feedback during lessons. Students in mountainous and ethnic minority areas have limited communication skills, making it more difficult to develop their qualities and competencies. The new assessment methods also create difficulties in quality management and evaluating teachers' teaching performance. Meanwhile, the results of the two periodic tests are mainly used for reference only, not for ranking. Some assessment records, according to regulations, are not reasonable or scientific, while their effectiveness remains low.

Entering the second semester, in order for the policy of reforming the assessment of primary school students according to Circular 30 to truly achieve its purpose of helping teachers adjust teaching methods appropriately and helping students become confident and progress, the Department is continuing to direct the content of professional development activities at schools and school clusters. This includes improving the overall quality of education and the quality of teaching in two sessions per day. It also directs the development of school teaching and education plans (timetables) that are scientifically sound, aligned with professional orientations, and include self-study sessions at the end of each day to help students complete their learning tasks, reduce the pressure of extra classes outside of regular school hours, and help teachers differentiate instruction for students. A minimum of one lesson per week is allocated to life skills education for primary school students. Furthermore, the Department continues to strictly implement solutions according to Directive 5105 of the Minister of Education and Training to minimize the pressure of extra classes for primary school students. At the same time, schools are required to assess students' learning outcomes accurately, especially by identifying areas for improvement and their causes to help students correct and overcome them. For students who have not completed the learning content, timely and appropriate support measures are needed to help them overcome difficulties. In the monthly, semester, and end-of-year assessments, teachers must identify areas where students have progressed or excelled, and areas that require assistance, in order to monitor students' development across the assessed areas.

My Ha