No drilling problem has been observed under the new arrangements for the Primary 3 Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) this year.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung told legislators today the new arrangement has progressed smoothly. Under it, the Government is sampling 10% of students from each public and Direct Subsidy Scheme school to participate in the annual TSA. No school reports will be provided.

Schools wanting to obtain school-level reports to improve learning and teaching can arrange for the participation of all of their P3 students.

By the end of April about 230 primary schools opted for full cohort participation in the assessment.

Mr Yeung said these schools can approach the Examinations & Assessment Authority to make participation arrangements, adding the bureau has pledged not to enquire about the participation of individual schools or obtain the school reports of individual schools from the authority.

"The new arrangements and the enhancement measures have greatly reduced the incentives for drilling, and drilling problem before the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) and 2017 Basic Competency Assessment Research Study was not observed, while the Education Bureau will closely monitor the situation."

He said the TSA is an assessment on basic competencies which form part of the curriculum, and are the core requirements of the curriculum that students are expected to acquire upon completion of the learning stage.

"We should not simply categorise the exercises that schools or teachers give to students for consolidating their basic competencies as drilling for the purpose of P3 TSA or simply equate P3 TSA with drilling."

Mr Yeung reminded schools to follow the "Protocol of School Level Data of the TSA" and undertake not to publicise the school level data, or part of the data in isolation to anybody outside school, saying the authority will seriously follow up with schools for any violations.

He said the bureau will monitor the implementation of the new arrangements. It will collect the views of parents and teachers, and liaise with schools to consider improvement areas.

It will also keep in view the implementation of school-based assessment through inspections, school visits and daily contact.