5. Conclusion
In view of the increasing emphasis on self-directed and self-regulated learning as an indispensable 21st century competency, Singaporean policy makers, school leaders and teacher training agencies are considering incorporating AfL practice in their English language curriculum. The theme of the Ministry of Education’s annual English Language Teaching Seminar in 2010 was “Assessment Literacies for the EL Curriculum” and its key-note speaker, Ms Karen Yager presented a paper focused on incorporating AfL into the teaching Syllabus. The English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS) was also specially set up by the Ministry of Education in 2010 to provide English Language teachers with professional development.
One of the flagship courses is assessment literacy. Policy rhetoric aside, the implementation of AfL would require stakeholders (parents especially) and school leaders to understand its socio-educational effects. Coming from an educational culture where summative assessment of learning is still a major driving force to grade, rank and certify learners, the taught syllabus can remain chained to large doses of passive learning and the drill-and-practice tradition of teaching. In fact, many teachers mistakenly equate AfL with “more mini-tests and mini-exams” – in order to “make up” for the high-stake year-end examinations which their schools have since lowered in percentage-weighting. This misnomer indicates to me that teachers themselves need to transit from the traditional “teaching students to test them” paradigm to the new “testing students to teach them” mindset; that AfL is not about grading students’ ability (or the lack of it) to learn, but rather, relates to quality interactive teaching.