Assessment Matters

1 Assessment Matters  

The Singapore Curriculum Philosophy describes our beliefs about assessment.  

 We believe that assessment is integral to the teaching and learning process and helps our children become self-directed, lifelong learners, as they monitor, assess, and improve their own learning. We design assessments with clarity of purpose to gather evidence of our learners’ progress, provide timely and targeted feedback to them to move their learning forward, and improve our teaching practices, harnessing technology where useful. 

At Boon Lay Secondary School, we design assessments with clear learning intentions to check our students' understanding and provide timely feedback that helps address learning gaps and stretch potential.  

2 Our Assessment Approach 

 Our approach is guided by four key beliefs: 

• Assessment begins with clarity of purpose. 

• A variety of well-designed assessments are integral to the learning process. 

• Assessment provides feedback to move learning forward and improve teaching practices. 

• Assessment is valid, reliable and fair. 

3 Assessment Schedule and Weightings 

4 Absence from Weighted Assessments (WA) and Examinations 

a. Absence from WA due to medical reasons 

Students must produce a Medical Certificate (MC) issued by a doctor registered with the Singapore Medical Council for the assessment to be reflected as ‘Absent with MC’. The MC must cover the date(s) of the assessment(s) missed and should be submitted to the student’s CCAM as soon as the student returns to school. Upon receipt of the MC, the assessment status will be reflected as “MC”. Marks will then be pro-rated based on the other assessments for the year and reflected accordingly in the progress report. 

b. Absence from WA due to non-medical reasons 

For non-medical reasons (e.g. bereavement in the family), students must notify the school of their absence through their CCAM. The student is required to submit a parent’s letter together with relevant supporting documents (e.g. death certificate, official appointment letter), upon returning to school. Once the documents are verified, the assessment status will be reflected as ‘Absent with Valid Reason’ or “VR". Marks will be pro-rated based on the other assessments for the year and reflected accordingly in the progress report.  

c. A student who is absent from an assessment without a medical certificate or a valid reason will be given a zero mark for the paper missed. The assessment grade will be reflected as Absent or “AB”. Letters from parents without valid supporting document(s) will not be accepted. 

d. If a make-up test is not possible, students who are absent from the Weighted Assessments (WAs) or examinations will be given the paper for practice upon their return to school. 

e. The school reserves the right to determine the pro-rating of marks if a student is absent for part of an examination paper, or for one or more papers within each subject.

f. If marks are pro-rated due to a valid reason, the student may not be eligible for school-based and/or Edusave academic awards. 

5 Alternative Assessments (AA) 

a. The school conducts Alternative Assessments (AA), such as project work and performance tasks, to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning in ways that cannot be directly or meaningfully assessed with just pen-and-paper tests.

b. Through AA, students demonstrate their learning in different ways, such as presenting their point of view and applying knowledge in authentic contexts. It helps them develop emerging 21^st century competencies and social-emotional competencies such as information skills, communication, relationship management, and grow students’ confidence and motivation for learning.

c. Students should strictly adhere to the submission deadlines for AA tasks. Students may submit work after the deadline; however, late submission may be penalised. Work submitted beyond a given period will be considered as non-submission and be awarded a mark of zero. 

6 Academic Integrity 

a. For WAs/Examinations, students are not permitted to bring or use unauthorised materials, including handphones, smart watches, or any other electronic devices capable of storing, transmitting, or displaying visual or verbal information. The possession of such items during an assessment will be regarded as an attempt to cheat. Any such case will result in the award of zero marks for the assessment and disciplinary consequences.

b. Work submitted as part of Assessments (e.g. Alternative Assessments or Coursework) must be the student’s own work. Students are expected to act with integrity by creating their own content, properly attributing ideas and information to the original sources, and acknowledging any assistance received. Submitting work that is not the student’s own, including AI-generated content unless permitted, will result in the award of zero marks for the assessment and disciplinary consequences.

7 Home-School Partnership 

a. We believe in a partnership where parents/guardians work with the school to develop our students. You can provide support by: 

• helping your child/ward develop time management, research, study, and organisational skills as he/she prepares for the assessments. 

• fostering a growth mindset that values learning over grades. 

• nurturing integrity and celebrating effort. 

b. Your child/ward will be notified by the respective subject teachers should there be any changes to the assessments as the year progresses. 

8 Schedule of Weighted Assessment / Examinations 

You can download the schedules and details from the links below: 

Sec 1 Schedule for Weighted Assessments / End-of-Year Examinations 
Sec 2 Schedule for Weighted Assessments / End-of-Year Examinations 
Sec 3 Schedule for Weighted Assessments / End-of-Year Examinations 
Sec 4 & 5 Schedule for Weighted Assessments / Preliminary Examinations