ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
This past five years has seen a drastic reform in the Malaysian education system. The reform prompts significant changes in teaching and learning and the assessment system. The emphasis on high-stakes examinations were revised and a new assessment system is introduced. In 2021, many high-stake examinations like Uijan Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) were abolished due to the reason of being ineffective tools to measure students’ learning capability. Since the abolishment, the government paved the way by introducing a more progressive and continuous assessment system known as Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA) which gives full autonomy to teachers to assess students by introducing formative assessments. In the context of English Language Education, the CBA is aligned with CEFR. CEFR breathes new ways for teachers to assess students’ language progression across a standard international descriptor. This change has resorted in a huge transformation in the teachers’ role as CEFR-aligned CBA demands teachers to plan, design, implement, and report the new assessment system in their teaching practices. Hence, a mixed-method study was conducted to explore the teacher’s assessment literacy in implementing CEFR-aligned CBA at the micro level. The findings of this study reported that teachers posit a low assessment literacy level which has influenced their practices to enact the new assessment system. Several challenges like the time constraint, lack of training, teachers’ unfamiliarity, and tedious process of CBA raised the concern for the government to reduce these deficiencies in enacting the change in education.
Abd Rahman, A. Z., Chong, S. T., Kaman, Z. K., & Leon, C. E. (2021). The CEFR Impact on English Language Educators Teaching Engineering Programmes at a Private University in Malaysia. Journal of Techno-Social, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.30880/jts.2021.12.02.005
Abidin, N. Z., & Hashim, H. (2021). Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): A Review on Teachers’ Perception & Plurilingualism. Creative Education, 12(4), 727-736.
Arrafii, M. A., & Sumarni, B. (2018). Teachers’ understanding of formative assessment. Lingua Cultura, 12(1), 45-52.
Arumugham, K. S. (2020). Kurikulum, pengajaran dan pentaksiran dari perspektif pelaksanaan pentaksiran bilik darjah. Asian People Journal (APJ), 3(1), 152-161
Azli, N., & Akmar, A. (2019). Implementation of CEFR-Aligned Assessment Tools in Malaysian ESL Classroom. Asia Proceedings of Social Sciences, 4(2), 7-10.
Azman, H. (2016). Implementations and challenges of English language education reform in Malaysian primary schools. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies. 22(3), 65-78.
Balang, N. N. N. J., Sakudan, K., & Semion, M. F. (2021). LESTARIKAN PENTAKSIRAN BILIK DARJAH (PBD) DEMI KEMENJADIAN MURID. Kajian Tindakan Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Selangau, Sarawak.
Chin, H., Thien, L. M., & Chiew, C. M. (2019). THE REFORMS OF NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS IN MALAYSIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS), 4(1), 93-111. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss1pp93-111
Council of Europe (2009). Relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (Cefr) . Language Policy Division.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). A concise introduction to mixed methods research. SAGE publications.
Ergül, A. Ö., & Çetin, S. (2021). Measurement and Assessment Literacy Levels of Teachers in the Context of Certain Factors. Ad?yaman University Journal of Educational Sciences, 11(1), 26-35.
Ghavifekr, S., Kunjappan, T., Ramasamy, L., & Anthony, A. (2016). Teaching and Learning with ICT Tools: Issues and Challenges from Teachers' Perceptions. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 4(2), 38-57.
Holzknecht, F., Huhta, A., & Lamprianou, I. (2018). Comparing the outcomes of two different approaches to CEFR-based rating of students’ writing performances across two European countries. Assessing Writing, 37, 57-67.
Hopfenbeck, T. (2018). ‘Assessors for learning’: understanding teachers in contexts. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice. 25. 439-441. 10.1080/0969594X.2018.1528684.
Irvine, J. (2018). Teaching in an increasingly polarized society. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 54(3), 103-105.
Isa, A. M., Mydin, A. A., & Abdullah, A. G. K. (2021). Road to School Transformation 2025: A Systematic Literature Review on Teacher Autonomy in Malaysia.
Ishak, W. I., & Mohamad, M. (2018). The Implementation of Common European Framework of References (CEFR): What Are the Effects Towards LINUS Students’ Achievements? Creative Education, 09(16), 2714–2731. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2018.916205
Kannan, B., Pillai, R. V., & Kunhikannan, S. K. (2021). KEBERKESANAN PELAKSANAAN BENGKEL PENTAKSIRAN BILIK DARJAH. Jurnal Penyelidikan Dedikasi, 19(1), 51-72
Khatab, Z. A. (2012). A study on English teachers’ assessment practices on the school-based assessment for English language. Retrieved 18/09/2018 from https://www. researchgate. net/publication/291975343.
Lange, F., & Söderlund, M. (2004). Response formats in questionnaires: Itemized rating scales versus continuous rating scales. SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Business Administration, 13.
Marnizam, F. I., & Ali, S. R. (2021). Evaluation of The Implementation of Classroom Assessment (PBD) Among Primary School Mathematics Teachers. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Dan Matematik Malaysia, 11(2), 81-94.
Mertler, C. A. (2003). Preservice Versus Inservice Teachers' Assessment Literacy: Does Classroom Experience Make a Difference?
Mertler, C. A. (2004). Secondary teachers' assessment literacy: Does classroom experience make a difference? American secondary education, 49-64.
Ministry of Education. (2019). Working Committee English Language Management Guidebook. The Inspectorate.
Moidunny, K. (2009). The effectiveness of the national professional qualification for educational leaders (NPQEL). Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Bangi: The National University of Malaysia.
Ozden, M. (2018). Digital Literacy Perceptions of the Students in the Department of Computer Technologies Teaching and Turkish Language Teaching. International Journal of Progressive Education, 14(4), 26-36.
Pellegrino, J. W., DiBello, L. V., & Goldman, S. R. (2016). A framework for conceptualizing and evaluating the validity of instructionally relevant assessments. Educational Psychologist, 51(1), 59-81.
Rahman, N. H. (2014). From curriculum reform to classroom practice: An evaluation of the English primary curriculum in Malaysia (Doctoral dissertation, University of York).
Rashid, R. A. B., Abdul Rahman, S. B., & Yunus, K. (2017). Reforms in the policy of English language teaching in Malaysia. Policy Futures in Education, 15(1), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210316679069
Rethinasamy, S., Ramanair, J., & Chuah, K. M. (2021). English Medium Instruction at Crossroads: Students’ Voice and Way Forward. Social Sciences, 11(14), 109-123.
Santos, J. M., & Castro, R. D. (2021). Technological Pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in action: Application of learning in the classroom by pre-service teachers (PST). Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 3(1), 100110.
Sidhu, G. K., Kaur, S., & Chi, L. J. (2018). CEFR-aligned school-based assessment in the Malaysian primary ESL classroom. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8, 452-463. doi: 10.17509/ijal. v8i2.13311
Shak, M. S. Y., Albakri, I. S. M. A., Haniff, M., Tahir, M., & Adam, M. H. M. (2021). The Use of Imported CEFR-aligned English Language Textbooks in Malaysian Schools: Issues and Concerns. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(9), 954-963.
Suppian, Z., Ghazali, N. H. C. M., Isa, N. J. M., & Govindasamy, P. (2020). Penilaian Kendiri Guru Pelatih Terhadap Tahap Kemahiran Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah (PBD). Jurnal Dunia Pendidikan, 2(4), 98-106.
Suskie, L. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. John Wiley & Sons.
Yeh, L. H. (2021). PENGETAHUAN DAN KESEDIAAN GURU PSV HILIR PERAK DAN BAGAN DATUK DALAM MELAKSANAKAN PBS DALAM PDP. Jurnal Penyelidikan Dedikasi, 14, 112-130.
Zhao, H., & Zhao, B. (2020). Co-constructing the assessment criteria for EFL writing by instructors and students: A participative approach to constructively aligning the CEFR, curricula, teaching and learning. Language Teaching Research. https://doi. org/10.1177/1362168820948458.
In-Text Citation: (Marzaini et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Marzaini, A. F. M., Sharil, W. N. E. H., Supramaniam, K., & Yusoff, S. M. (2023). Evaluating Teachers’ Assessment Literacy in Enacting Cefr-Aligned Classroom-Based Assessment in Malaysian Secondary Schools ESL Classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(1), 661–675.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode