On behalf of the HKEAA, we are pleased to extend our warmest season's greetings to all readers of HKEAA E-news - candidates, teachers, schools, exam personnel and members of the education community.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are also pleased to announce that we will be staging the HKEAA Info Day in January 2011. Consisting an exhibition and a series of information seminars the event is designed to showcase the latest developments in examinations and assessment services provided by the HKEAA, with a special focus on the forthcoming Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE). Full details can be found below - we hope to see you at the event.

For details: HKEAA Info Day - Starting A New Chapter in Examinations and Assessment

The HKEAA Council has announced the appointment of Dr Tong Chong-sze as the new Secretary General. Dr Tong is currently the Academic Registrar of the Hong Kong Baptist University. With profound knowledge of the education system in Hong Kong, Dr Tong has been actively engaged in various stages of the education reform and the implementation of the New Academic Structure. Dr Tong will assume the new position on 1 April 2011.

Please click here for the press release on Appointment.

To look back at HKEAA's contribution to the community over the past decades and to look forward to the launch of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), we will be holding a three-day exhibition and series of seminars – Starting A New Chapter in Examinations and Assessment – from 7 to 9 January 2011 at Gallery 4, the Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay.

An opening ceremony will be held at 4pm on Friday, 7 January 2011, to mark this opportunity for the public to learn about HKEAA's services and the milestones in the public examinations system in Hong Kong. As well as this look into the past, the exhibition is a chance to get first-hand information about the HKDSE, its implementation in 2012, and all the hard work and careful preparation that has gone into developing and delivering this new public examination.

For enquiries:
Website: www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/events/
Tel: 3628 8804
Email: info@hkeaa.edu.hk

The first report in the Assessment Development and Research Series, was recently published by HKEAA. Entitled “A Longitudinal Study on the School-based Assessment Component of the 2007 Hong Kong Certificate of Education English Language Examination”, we are sure it will prove of great interest to all those with a professional interest in senior secondary education.

To facilitate the launch of the HKDSE in 2012, we have been conducting a number of research projects to investigate various issues related to the design of assessment, implementation schemes and the marking of scripts.

This study was conducted through a series of questionnaires and focus group interviews. It successfully identifies some key concerns on the part of stakeholders – including teachers, students, school administrators and parents – when the school-based assessment component was first introduced. The research was carried out by an independent team from the University of Hong Kong.

Please click here for the full report, or contact Dr Siu Wai-lok, Manager of the Assessment Technology and Research Division of HKEAA, by phone at 3628 8577 or by email wlsiu@hkeaa.edu.hk for enquiries.

In the run-up to the new HKDSE in 2012, the HKEAA launched a short video to introduce the new examination. Full details of the new curriculum are included and assessment methods are clearly explained. Please click here to browse watch the video online.

Schools, parents or students who are interested in having a free copy of the HKDSE Introductory DVD can contact us by phone at 3628 8833 or by email pa@hkeaa.edu.hk.

The International and Professional Examination Division will present an information seminar in collaboration with the College Board, on a wide range of U.S. college admission exams and programmes.

 Programme details:

Date:	January 15, 2011 (Saturday)
Time:	9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Venue:	9/F, Stelux House 698 Prince Edward Road East, San Po Kong, Kowloon
Medium:	English language

Participants can find out the latest information about AP and SAT, widely recognized tests for universities and college admissions as well as PSAT/NMSQT, which prepare students for sitting SAT.

Reservation and enquiries: Tel: 3628 8191 / Email: tsa1@hkeaa.edu.hk