Educational change is complex and dynamic. It requires strategic planning, consensus building, and commitment to capacity building, review and improvement to take root and to bear fruit.
Hong Kong is not alone in its commitment to education reform. Other education systems, especially those in the developed regions of the world, are responding promptly and constantly to the challenge of globalization. To raise the bar and close the gap has been a shared concern among these systems. Associated with this concern is the challenge to set and meet high expectations and at the same time to cater for learner diversity. To face the challenge requires collective wisdom and multi-pronged strategies. It requires policy makers, state administrators, front-line educators and academics to work with, and learn from, each other. It also requires the involvement of the community in learning about, and contributing to, the development of our children - be it intellectual, moral, social, aesthetic or physical.
In Hong Kong, 2012 sees the full implementation of the curriculum reform covering all key stages from Key Stage One to Key Stage Four, viz. Primary 1 to Secondary 6. It also sees the launch of the first Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination. To add an impetus to the various key reform initiatives, the promotion of assessment for and as learning in particular, a duty visit that engaged a delegation of Education Bureau and Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority officers was scheduled for 26 February to 6 March 2012 to learn from and exchange experiences with educational professionals in the United States and Canada about how alignment between curriculum, instructional and assessment practices can be fostered to enhance learning and teaching....
The learning team was composed of 9 officers from different divisions of Branch 5 of the Education Bureau, together with 2 officers from the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority. They were:
Quality Assurance Division
- Mr Sheridan Lee, Leader of the Delegation
- Mr Joe Leung, Deputy Leader
- Ms Ng Mei-ling
- Mr Thomas Ip
- Mr Philip Chan
- Mrs Belinda Chow
- Dr Lau Yiu-hon
Education Infrastructure Division
- Ms Janet Au Yeung
- Ms Flora Leung
Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
- Dr Tenny Lam
- Dr Amy Cheung
The delegation departed on 26 February 2012 and upon traveling for 24 hours, they arrived at the first stop of the learning journey, Albany, where they had a chance to meet with, and learn from, Steven Katz, Director of the Office of Assessment Policy, Development and Administration, and Jeff Baker, Data Director of the Office of Information and Reporting Services....- "Measuring Critical Thinking" by Dr John Hawthorn
- "Item Banking Requirements from a Statistical and Psychometric Perspective" by Mary J. Pitoniak
- "Standard Setting: Overview" by Dr Luis Saldivia
- "Design and Scoring of Performance Assessment" by Jakub Novák
Dr Annabelle Simpson, Director of ETS Global Institute- John A. Kochanski, Director of Client Management APAC and North America, Global Division, ETS
- Alex Yu, Associate Director, Global Division, ETS
- Pujan S. Mehta, Manager, ETS Global Institute, ETS
- Erin Tomey, Client Manager Lead Channel Expansion, Global Division, ETS
- Zhiming Yang, psychometrician, Statistical Analysis, Global, ETS
To make the best possible use of the time available, the delegation took an early flight to Toronto on 1 March and upon arrival, they paid a visit to the Ontario Ministry of Education to have a meeting with:
Ted Whittaker, Program Analyst, National and International Liaison
- John Ryall, Manager, Assessment and Reporting Unit, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Branch
- Paul Walsh, Education Officer, Assessment and Reporting Unit, Curriculum and Assessment Branch
- Phil Hedges, Education Officer, Student Success/Learning to 18, Strategic Branch
The delegation had one of the most informative and inspiring school visits, which was to Clinton Street Public School on 2 March - a school composed of a day care center, a kindergarten section and an elementary school for children from Grade 1 - Grade 6. There the delegation met with Wendy Hughes, the Principal, Danielle Hyles-Rainford, Vice Principal, and a number of teachers and students, and, as arranged by the school, visited a number of classes, in one of which a class of Grade 2 students were engaged in setting success criteria for composing a personal letter...
A follow-up meeting was then held with Paul Walsh, together with his colleague, Joanie Causarano, Education Officer of the Ontario Ministry of Education to learn more about the development and functioning of professional learning communities, a key strategy for supporting teachers' professional development.
To share observations and experiences, the delegation held two debriefing session, one on the morning of 3 March in the lounge of the hotel where they stayed and another on the morning of 5 March at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto.
To learn about policy issues and teacher professional development, the delegation paid a visit to Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) on the afternoon of 5 March where the delegation had the honor to meet and discuss with Professor Michael Connelly and Dr Julia Pan....
Then the delegation returned to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office to attend a sharing session arranged by Paul AU, Director of AYJ Global, on e-learning conducted by:
- Brian Hill, Lead Principal, e-Learning & Online Programs, Teaching & Learning with Technology IT Services, Toronto District School Board
- Luciano Lista, Programme Coordinator, eLearning and Digital Resources, Toronto Catholic District School Board
The last day, 6 March, was hectic and immensely fruitful. The delegation visited a total of three schools in Halton District School Board where they attended presentations, had meetings with the Board Director, board members, the Principals and teachers, and visited classes:
- Orchard Park Public School - presentation by Rob Eatough, Superintendent, meeting with Libby Stephenson, Principal, and teachers, class visits
- Lester B. Pearson High School - exchange with Karen Hartman, Principal, and class visits
- Lunchtime presentation by David Euale, Director of Halton District School Board
Chris Hadfield Public School - presentation by Sean Marks, Principal, class visits and meetings with board members, teachers and specialists
