Enlightenments of Standard-based Academic Assessment System - SBAC in America and SA in Hong Kong

Oct 3, 2026

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As standard-based reform advances across the world, countries and regions are building assessment systems aligned with core academic standards to improve education quality. SBAC in America and Student Assessment (SA) in Hong Kong serve as influential models through innovative design, strong development capacity, and advanced supporting technology. This study reviews standard-based reform and compares SBAC with SA, highlighting differences in scope, item presentation, and reporting, then proposes strategies for China’s national English assessment system, including standards building, accessibility, online assessment, and post-assessment support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

INTRODUCTION

STANDARD-BASED ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Enlightenments of Standard-based Academic Assessment System--SBAC in America and SAin Hong Kong Haiyan Zhang1， Qi Xu2 1, 2 School of Foreign Studies, Nantong University, Jiangsu, China Abstract: As standard-based reform sweeps across the world, many countries and areas are establishing the standard-based assessment system of core courses to enhance their education quality. As the products of this educational reform, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) in America and the Student Assessment (SA) in Hong Kong have earned their reputations for innovative design, powerful development team and advanced supporting technology. In this situation, Mainland China also initiates a project to construct China’s standards of English and national English assessment system. Therefore, the study of these two representative academic assessment systems will benefit the construction of national English assessment system in China. This paper probes into the development of standard-based assessment reform, as well as the characteristics of SBAC and SA. The differences of the two assessments appear in assessment scope, presentation of specific items and test report. Based on those characteristics and differences, some suggestions for the establishment of national English assessment system in China are proposed include constructing academic standards, improving universal accessibility, developing online assessment system and providing post-assessment teaching and learning support. Keywords: standard-based reform; assessment system; Student Assessment; Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. 1. INTRODUCTION English education in China has undergone several reforms since 1990s. One of the most remarkable outcomes is the National English Curriculum (NEC) issued in 2011 which provides teaching guidance and references for English educators. To some extent, NEC improves English education quality in China. However, it fails to exert an impact on English assessment system as English educators and learners expected. In recent years, the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) which administers almost all the nationwide educational tests has realized the importance of English academic assessment system to education quality 1. In 2014, a conference on constructing national foreign language proficiency assessment system was launched in Beijing. During the conference, the goal and working scheme of developing China’s Standards of English (CSE) and the foremost aspects of the CSE Working Manual was introduced and clarified. Based on CSE, the concept of establishing national English academic assessment system which combined formative assessments and summative assessments was initiated in 2015. As NEEA has been preparing for the establishment of national English academic assessment system, the successful experience of areas and countries where assessment systems have been set up is worth exploring and discussing. In the 1980s, many states in America such as Texas, Maryland and California began to implement standard-based reform. Many scholars attach much attention to America on account of its experience. In 2001, Race to the Top (RTTP) allocated 1.75 billion to develop the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the assessment based on English core standards is an important component in the consortium. And the new assessment systems will send a powerful signal to schools about the meaning of the CCSS and what students should know and be able to do for college readiness and success in work2. Hong Kong’s English proficiency ranks medium level in the worldwide non-native English countries and areas. In 2005, its Student Assessment (SA), an innovative web-based assessment system, won a Silver Medal at the prestigious Geneva-based international competition le Salon International Des Inventions. Therefore, the comparison of these two assessment systems will have some implications on the construction of national English asse

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this study?

It probes the development of standard-based assessment reform and compares the characteristics of SBAC and SA to inform the construction of China’s national English assessment system.

How do SBAC and SA differ according to the paper?

The differences are reflected in assessment scope, presentation of specific items, and the format/content of test reports.

What suggestions are proposed for establishing China’s national English assessment system?

The paper suggests constructing academic standards, improving universal accessibility, developing an online assessment system, and providing post-assessment teaching and learning support.

Oct 3, 2026

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