CPT & PSELT

When PTK (Penilaian Tahap Kompetensi) or Competency Level Evaluation is abolished, Mama was one of the thousands of teachers (and other government servants) who shouted for joy. Yeah, exams are for students who are still at the prime of their lives; they can absorb new things like sponge unlike us, the old-timers. Well, you can't teach old dogs new tricks, right?
 When we heard that we had to sit for two tests this week, Mama and friends were aghast. What? After years of teaching and they still doubt us? Mama doesn't blame the DPM (Deputy Prime Minister)for his concern though. Looking at the dismal results of English in the major public exams, it is no wonder he's stressing that the issue of maintaining and sustaining quality standards for teaching this subject is his key concern. The first test we sat was the Cambridge Placement Test.
 (From http://www.cambridgeesol.org/placement/
 The Cambridge Placement Test is an online adaptive test of Listening, Reading and Language Knowledge. It has been designed to be short and flexible to meet the needs of users who want to place English language learners at all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) from Pre-A1-C2 in a wide variety of contexts.
 Score CEFR
level 90-100 C2 (Mastery)
        75-89 C1 (Effective proficiency)
        60-74 B2 (Vantage)
        40-59 B1 (Threshold)
        20-39 A2 (Waystage)
       10-19 A1 (Breakthrough)
         0-9 Pre-A1
 The second test (or rather self-assessment) was Pedagogy Standards for English Language Teaching. We have to answer series of questions based on our teaching skills and methods in classrooms.
 http://www.thesundaily.my/news/72109

 PSELT has identified six key areas of a teacher’s professional practice namely language proficiency, curriculum application, lesson planning, methodology, classroom management and assessment. An instrument consisting of 127 items has also been developed allowing teachers to conduct self-evaluation exercise. The standards can assist teachers in identifying their own strength and weaknesses, design learning goals and devise plans to achieve the goals. These standards also serve to inform the Education Ministry in planning, designing and implementing teacher development programmes.

Well, Mama had been assigned to invigilate and help the English Language teachers in Mama's department. But before Mama could do that, Mama had to sit for the test first. At the beginning there were some stressed souls, walking into the room but later all of us began enjoying ourselves answering the questions.