Assessing Learning Achievement Nationwide

Learning achievement at the national level is measured through the Primary School Achievement Test (PSAT) administered at the end of primary education. The PSAT assesses pupils’ academic achievement in four main subjects: Bahasa Melayu, English language, mathematics and science. The objective of the PSAT is to evaluate the achievement of primary students in reading, writing, scientific and numeracy skills in Malay and in the pupils’ own language (Chinese or Tamil).

The PSAT is a norm reference achievement test. Therefore, data concerning reading and writing should not be equated with the level of literacy, as candidates who did not meet the level of achievement set for a particular year may still be literate.

Within the framework of the Education For All 2000 Assessment, results of the PSAT were used to measure learning achievement in three basic areas (reading, mathematics and writing) from 1994 through 1997. Data made available covered only those in the public sector.

For the year 1994, about 95% of Grade VI pupils exceeded the minimum level of achievement in reading (comprehension); the percentage was about 93% in 1995, 96% in 1996 and about 96% in 1997. In the writing domain, the percentage of Grade VI pupils who mastered the minimum level of achievement was 78.3% in 1994, 78.7% in 1995, 80.4% in 1996, and 81.4% in 1997.

Grade VI pupils’ performance in mathematics (numeracy skills) shows an upward trend. In 1994, 68.9% of the pupils managed to perform impressively exceeding the minimum achievement level. This performance improved further to 71.9% in 1995, 77.5% in 1996, and 77.9% in 1997.

Grade VI pupils’ performance in science was first assessed in 1997, after its introduction in the national curriculum. Data show that 76.3% of the pupils exceeded the minimum level in 1997, and 76.5% in 1998. (Ministry of Education, 1999).

The Malaysian school system adheres to a common, national curriculum and as such national norms are implicitly stated as curricular objectives in the related documents. The assessment system is based on the national curriculum, thus all assessments carried out within the system reflects the needs and realization of the curricular objectives.