EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO 4 (RETYPED DOCUMENT) November 1990 Hong Kong EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO 4 THE CURRICULUM AND BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS IN SCHOOLS November 1990 Hong Kong MEMBERSHIP OF THE EDUCATION COMMISSION Upon the expiry of its third term of office, the Commission was re-appointed for the period 1 January to 31 December 1989, and again for the period 1 January to 31 December 1990. Its membership since 1 January 1989 has been as follows - Chairman - The Hon Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, OBE, JP (from 1 January 1990) Dr Sir Quo-wei Lee, CBE, JP (1 January - 31 December 1989) Vice - Secretary for Education and Manpower (The Hon K Y Yeung, JP: from 1 July 1989; Mr R G B Bridge, CBE, JP: 1 January - 30 June 1989) Ex officio - Chairman, Board of Education (Mr Timothy Ha Wing-ho, MBE, JP: from 1 January 1990; The Hon Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, OBE, JP: 1 July - 31 December 1989) Chairman, University and Polytechnic Grants Committee (Mr Andrew Li Kwok-nang, QC, JP) Chairman, Vocational Training Council (The Hon Stephen Cheong Kam-chuen, CBE, JP) Secretary for the Treasury (Mr N W H Macleod, JP: from 1 March 1989; Mr J F Yaxley, CBE, JP: 1 January -28 February 1989) Director of Education (Mr Y T Li, JP) Members - The Hon Maria Tam Wai-chu, CBE, JP (1 January - 1 December 1989) The Hon Selina Chow Liang Suk-yee, OBE, (from 1 January 1990) The Hon Ho Sai-chu, OBE, JP The Hon Szeto Wah (from 1 January 1990) The Hon David Cheung Chi-kong, JP Dr Kathleen Esther Barker, MBE, JP Mrs Angela Cheung Wong Wan-yiu Dr Paul J T Morris Mr Tsim Tak-lung Secretary - Principal Assistant Secretary for Education and Manpower (Ms Anne Shepherd : from 1 January 1990; Mr A R Wells : 1 January - 31 December 1989) TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE EDUCATION COMMISSION The terms of reference of the Commission are as follows - (a) to define overall educational objectives, formulate education policy, and recommend priorities for implementation having regard to resources available; (b) to co-ordinate and monitor the planning and development of education at all levels; and (c) to initiate educational research. 2. In carrying out these tasks, the Commission is to co-ordinate but not seek to direct the work of the Board of Education, the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee and the Vocational Training Council. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 The Government's educational strategy for the 1990's 1 1.3 Background to our investigations 3 1.4 Future tasks 6 1.5 Acknowledgments 6 Chapter 2 Curriculum Development 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 The existing curriculum 8 a) Structure 8 b) Initiatives 9 2.3 Problem Areas 12 a) Introduction 12 b) Nature and suitability of the curriculum 13 c) The means of curriculum development 14 2.4 Proposals 16 2.5 Financial implications 20 2.6 Summary of recommendations 21 Chapter 3 Special educational provision: support services in schools 3.1 Introduction 24 3.2 Measures to help students with learning, emotional or behavioural problems 26 a) Current situation 26 b) Whole school approach 28 c) Student Guidance Officers 30 d) Guidance Teachers 35 e) Educational Psychologists 37 3.3 Summary of recommendations 39 i Chapter 4 Special educational provision: education enhancement measures 4.1 Introduction 41 4.2 Measures to help students who have learning difficulties 41 a) Remedial teaching 41 b) Schools with large intakes of students with learning difficulties 43 4.3 Measures to provide for students who are academically gifted 47 a) Definition 47 b) Prevalence 48 c) Proposal 49 4.4 Measures to help students who are unmotivated 53 or who have severe learning problems 4.5 Measures to help students who wish to transfer to pre-vocational schools 57 4.6 Summary of recommendations 59 Chapter 5 Attainment targets and related assessment in schools 5.1 Introduction 62 5.2 Background 62 5.3 Purposes of assessment 63 a) Formative purpose 64 b) Summative purpose 64 c) Evaluative purpose 64 d) Predictive purpose 65 e) Comparative and selective purpose 65 5.4 Current assessment practices in Hong Kong 68 a) Internal assessment in schools 68 b) The Hong Kong Attainment Tests 68 c) The secondary School Places Allocation 69 d) Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination 70 5.5 Hong Kong's needs 71 ii 5.6 A framework of targets, levels and assessments at key stages 72 a) Key stages 73 b) Subject domains and levels of attainment 73 c) Attainment targets 75 d) Target-related assessment based on criterion-referencing principles 76 5.7 Implications of introducing a framework of 77 attainment targets and related assessments a) Implications for research and development 77 b) Implications for teacher education 79 c) Effects on existing Hong Kong assessment 80 practices and implications for the future d) Timing implications 82 e) Teaching and learning strategies 82 f) Financial implications 83 5.8 Summary of recommendations 84 Chapter 6 Language in education 6.1 Introduction 87 6.2 Reforms under ECR 1 and ECR 2 87 6.3 Review of current policy by Education Department 92 a) Report of the Working Group 92 b) Main issues 92 c) Recommendations of the Working Group 95 d) Public consultation 98 6.4 The framework for future reforms 98 a) Statement of guiding principles 98 b) Resolution of specific issues 99 c) The proposed framework 106 6.5 Implementation 108 a) Introduction 108 b) The assessments 108 c) Interaction between the proposed framework 113 and the Secondary School Places Allocation iii d) Bridging courses and language enhancement 114 e) Additional positive discrimination measures 118 f) Teacher education 118 g) Research 119 h) Administrative measures 119 i) Financial implication 119 6.6 Summary of recommendation 120 Chapter 7 Implementation of mixed-mode schooling in primary schools 7.1 Introduction 123 7.2 Background 123 7.3 Planning 126 7.4 Implementation: measures within schools 127 a) Staffing 127 b) Teacher re-deployment 131 c) Phasing in programme 131 7.5 Implementation: territory-wide measures 132 a) Teacher training 132 b) Provision of furniture and enhancement grants 132 c) Building of new schools 132 d) Phasing in of mixed-mode schooling by 133 Primary one Admission district 7.6 Timing 134 7.7 Financial implications 134 7.8 Summary of recommendations 135 Chapter 8 Triad related activities and corporal punishment in schools 8.1 Introduction 138 8.2 Triad related activities in schools 138 8.3 Corporal punishment 140 8.4 Summary of recommendations 142 iv Chapter 9 Approach to this report and funding of recommended measures 143 Annexes Annex 1A Behavioural problems in schools 145 Annex 1B List of panel discussions and programme of school visits 161 Annex 1C List of submissions from the public 164 Annex 2A Curriculum Development - the Curriculum 167 Development Council and the Advisory Inspectorate Annex 2B Organization chart of the Curriculum Development Institute 169 Annex 2C Curriculum Development Institute 170 Annex 2D Proposed incentive grant to be introduced 172 in 1992-93 to further promote the adoption of the activity approach in primary schools Annex 3A Nature of cases handled by SGOs in 1988/89 173 Annex 3B Implementation of the proposal for two or 174 more schools under the same sponsoring body to share one SGT (assuming a 15% wastage rate of serving SGOs) Annex 3C Additional support and training posts 175 required for the Student Guidance Section Annex 3D Manpower projection of Educational Psychologists 176 Annex 4A School-based remedial support programme 177 Annex 4B Alternative models for provision of 180 school-based remedial support programme Annex 6A Extract from Education Commission Report No. 2 181 v Annex 6B List of submissions from the public on 184 the Report of the Working Group set up to Review Language Improvement Measures Annex 6C ILE Languages in Education Research and 187 Development Unit Projects Annex 6D Research and development projects to be 189 managed and conducted by the ILE and supported by the Hong Kong Band Language Development Fund Annex 7A Demand and supply of primary school 190 places (in terms of classrooms) Annex 7B Extract from the Code of Aid for Primary 191 Schools - Duties of senior teachers in primary schools Annex 7C Comparison of class structure 193 Annex 7D Model for phasing in mixed-mode 194 schooling in a 24-classroom school Annex 7E Tentative plan for implementation of mixed mode operation 195 vi List of abbreviations A level Advanced level AAT Academic Aptitude Test AM Assistant Masters/Mistresses AS level Advanced Supplementary level BoE Board of Education CDC Curriculum Development Council CDI Curriculum Development Institute CM Certificated Masters/Mistresses D of E Director of Education ECR 1 Education Commission Report No. 1 ECR 2 Education Commission Report No. 2 ECR 3 Education Commission Report No. 3 ED Education Department EP Educational Psychologist ERE Educational Research Establishment HKATs Hong Kong Attainment Tests HKCEE Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination HKEA Hong Kong Examinations Authority HKSS Hong Kong Sea School HT Head Teacher ILE Institute of Language in Education IRS Intensive Remedial Services JSEA Junior Secondary Education Assessment POA Primary One Admission RRC Revised Resource Classes RTC Resource Teaching Centres SEM Secretary for Education and Manpower SGO Student Guidance Officer SGT Student Guidance Teacher SSEE Secondary School Entrance Examination SSPA Secondary School Places Allocation SSW School Social Worker ST Senior Teacher SWD Social Welfare Department TRA Target-related assessment based on criterion-referencing principles UPGC University and Polytechnic Grants Committee vii CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 In this our fourth report, the Education commission is concerned mainly with examining, in the context of nine years of free and compulsory education, the curriculum and behavioural problems in schools.