Assessment of literature in SKSS

(Sorry this is way overdue!!! Will bear all necessary consequences...sorry!)

Currently the assessment mode for literature in my school is still relatively conventional, and pretty much based on tests and examinations; there is a much bigger focus on summative rather than formative assessment. For instance, though the Secondary Two students have only just started on a novel this term, they will be faced with a graded test in week five or so, and they will have to sit for a mid-year examination based on the novel in week seven. Consequently, I feel like much of the teaching is geared towards what will be tested in the test or examinations, simply because with one 1-hr lesson a week there is not enough time to cover everything in the novel, yet there is a pressure for students to perform well in graded tests/exams at the end of the day. This is quite limiting in terms of the potential of the subject, as I feel that assessment for literature can in fact be relatively flexible and creative, taking on the form of performance tasks, creative writing, and so on. It is especially quite a pity that literature is assessed in the same way other subjects are (i.e. through conventional tests and examinations) when there is not even upper-secondary literature being offered in the school, as it hinders the level of interest and engagement that could otherwise be stimulated.