Assessment Symposium 2025: Strengthening the Foundations of Educational Assessment
Close to 350 educators from 100 primary schools and 10 iPSLE centres gathered at SEAB on 23 April 2025 for an enriching symposium focused on "Back to Basics: Mastering the Fundamentals of Effective Assessment". The symposium created opportunities for educators to revisit and enhance their assessment expertise.
Left: A bright start to the Assessment Symposium as our emcee, Ms Alicia Yeow, kicked off the programme.
Right: Mr Pek Wee Haur, Director of Assessment Planning and Development Division, delivering the keynote address on "Building Excellence through Assessment Practice".
In his keynote address, Director of Assessment Planning and Development Division, Mr Pek Wee Haur, emphasised that assessment is more than just academic results – it is a powerful tool for enhancing teaching and learning outcomes. He highlighted the importance of developing deeper understanding in students rather than focusing solely on test preparation.
The symposium featured dynamic breakout sessions across different subjects by SEAB’s assessment specialists. The session on English Language, led by Ms Chan Sau Mei, equipped educators with strategies for vocabulary assessment and formative assessment practices. In Science, Mr Tan Wee Siang and Ms Sharon Tan introduced frameworks like Science Content Accuracy, Technical Quality, Alignment, and Rationale (STAR) and Content, Complexity, Contexts, and Response Strategy (C3R) to help teachers design quality assessment items. Ms Karen Yap presented on Mathematics Assessment fundamentals, introducing the 4i (4i stands for Imitate, Improve, Innovate, Invent) framework for designing assessment items aligned to the Singapore Primary Mathematics curriculum.
Active learning in action: Assessment officers leading subject-specific breakout sessions on assessment design principles and best practices
Participants were invited to explore two engaging showcase exhibits duirng the lunch break. 'Powering up Assessments using Gen AI' was one of the exhibits by SEAB’s Research and Developoment Division. It demonstrated how artificial intelligence can enhance assessment design. Through interactive stations, educators explored practical applications of generative AI in crafting English passages and generating Mathematics questions that incorporate the model method as solutions. Another exhibit featured Mr Tan Lee Sze's presentation on SEAB's decade-long journey in developing e-Examination tools, showcasing how digital assessment methods have evolved to create more engaging examination experiences.
Lunchtime learning in full swing: Participants engaging with innovative showcases on AI-powered assessment tools and SEAB's electronic examination journey.
Chief Executive of SEAB, Mr Yue Lip Sin, concluded the symposium with insights on assessing 21st century competencies. He emphasised SEAB's commitment to incorporating higher-order thinking skills while maintaining age-appropriate assessments, particularly at the PSLE level.
Chief Executive Mr Yue Lip Sin emphasising the critical role of 21st century competencies in preparing students for a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world
The strong participation in Assessment Symposium 2025 successfully reinforced educators’ commitment to excellence in educational assessment. The engaging discussions and innovative showcases demonstrated the evolving landscape of assessment practices. SEAB looks forward to future symposiums as we continue to strengthen Singapore's assessment capabilities with educators together.
