E. Record Keeping

(1)

Is it sufficient to keep only audio recordings of student performance?

(2)

How many student samples do teachers need to keep?

(3)

Are schools expected to videotape every performance?

(1)

Is it sufficient to keep only audio recordings of student performance?

It depends on the mode of assessment. For group discussions, video recordings are better because you can see who is talking. For individual presentations, audio recordings would be sufficient. It also depends on the resources of the school. If it is not possible to make video recordings, audio recording would be better than no recordings at all. However, if only audio recordings of students' oral language use are kept, teachers/students cannot later review the body language, eye contact, physical movement, smiles, flaws, and actual listening while other people are speaking, etc. There might also be greater problems with standardization if only audio recordings are used at the internal meeting at the end of the year.

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(2)

How many student samples do teachers need to keep?

In the first year of implementation of the SBA component, it would be advisable for teachers to keep as many samples as possible for feedback and within-school standardization. As teachers become more confident about what the standards mean, then they only need to keep a representative range of samples for standardization.

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(3)

Are schools expected to videotape every performance?

No. The recordings are for schools' own use only and teachers can decide how many they want to make. The recordings do not need to be high quality - they can be very much home-made material, recorded by the students themselves. Their most important role is to provide a means of giving feedback and improving teaching and learning. For example, teachers should review a range of recordings with the students after the assessment, and explain to them why they got the marks they did. This kind of feedback is essential to improve learning. Students can review the recordings as well and monitor their own progress as part of the self-assessment process. Having audio/video recordings of students' performance as evidence is also useful if there are complaints about an assessment not being fair or a teacher favouring certain students. Remember that for school-based assessment, schools are expected to handle complaints themselves.

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