The ongoing debate over the abolishment of high-stakes exams like UPSR and PT3 in Malaysia has brought the nation’s education system to a crossroads.

While the Ministry of Education (MoE) has emphasised the need to reduce mental pressure on students and shift toward holistic assessments, the absence of structured, more high-stakes examinations has sparked concerns about the overall accountability and rigour of student learning and whether eliminating the academic exams is the best course of action.

Rather than focusing solely on the existence of exams, it is time to shift the conversation toward the quality of assessments and how they contribute to student success. The core issue is: What does better measurement mean for our education system?

What does better measurement mean?

Better measurement must be socially useful and socially responsible, ensuring that assessments serve not only academic purposes but also broader educational goals. This can be approached from both a policy perspective and a psychometric perspective:

From a Policy Perspective:

• Tasks with verisimilitude: Assessments should reflect real-world contexts, preparing students for challenges beyond the classroom. Exams, projects and alternative assessments should model scenarios that students are likely to encounter in their future studies or careers.
• Sending the right messages: Assessment tasks should signal the importance of critical thinking, problem-solving and meaningful learning, rather than rote memorisation or test-taking strategies.
• Promoting learners’ ongoing success: Assessments should guide students toward growth, providing feedback that directly and indirectly supports their continued academic and personal development.

From a Psychometric Perspective:

• Reliability: Assessments must produce consistent results that accurately reflect a student’s performance across different settings and contexts.
• Representativeness of cognitive skills: Tasks should measure a wide range of cognitive abilities, including reasoning and analytical thinking, rather than narrowly focusing on content knowledge.
• Reducing construct-irrelevant factors: Scores should not be influenced by extraneous, unintended variables like language proficiency, socioeconomic background or access to technology.

By integrating these principles, assessments can provide a more accurate picture of student abilities while supporting the overarching goals of education.

Balancing exams and alternative assessments

The debate surrounding the abolition of UPSR and PT3 has revealed the need to find a middle ground – one that balances the structure and accountability of exams with the flexibility and depth of alternative assessments.

High-stakes exams, if designed thoughtfully, can motivate students, set benchmarks and ensure educational quality.

Meanwhile, alternative assessments, such as portfolios and project-based tasks, capture broader competencies like collaboration, creativity and real-world problem-solving.

To achieve this balance, assessments should:

1. Incorporate authenticity: Both exams and alternative assessments should reflect real-world tasks, ensuring that what students learn and demonstrate is applicable and meaningful.
2. Motivate without overwhelming: Exams should challenge students enough to inspire effort but not induce undue stress.
3. Complement rather than replace: Exams can serve as checkpoints for foundational skills, while alternative assessments provide deeper insights into application and critical thinking.

Ensuring meaningful learning

The goal of any assessment system – whether it includes exams, alternative assessments or a combination of both – is to foster meaningful learning. This requires:

• Teacher training: Teachers must be equipped to design, implement and interpret assessments that align with learning objectives and promote critical thinking.
• Accountability measures: Regardless of the type of assessment, there must be consistent standards to ensure that students across different schools and regions receive equitable opportunities to succeed.
• Support systems: Students need access to resources that reduce anxiety and support their development, such as mental health services, study guides and peer support networks.

A call for thoughtful reform

While the ministry's intent to reduce student pressure is commendable, the decision to abolish UPSR and PT3 must be informed by validity arguments and a commitment to better measurement.

By designing assessments that are socially responsible, psychometrically sound and aligned with educational goals, Malaysia can build an education system that balances accountability with meaningful learning.

The focus must shift from whether exams should exist to how assessments – exams, alternative methods or both – can contribute to lifelong learning and success.

Thoughtful reform will require collaboration among policymakers, educators, parents and students to ensure that every learner thrives.

It is time to embrace assessments that motivate, measure meaningfully and move education forward. The future of our nation depends on it.

-- BERNAMA

Nurliyana Bukhari, Ph.D. is an Associate Fellow at the Institute of Excellent Teachers and Leaders in Education (IETLE), School of Education, Universiti Utara Malaysia, with expertise in Educational Measurement and Evaluation.