ABSTRACT
Examinations are not a unique feature of education systems in Asia but they have been a dominant feature for some time, and they continue to be so as the above quotation clearly indicates. Yet Lee (2001, p.10) identified a trend in Korea and Japan where assessment reform policies appeared to be moving towards ‘diversification/loosening’ compared with England and the United States where assessment policies were characterized as moving towards ‘unification/tightening’. Lee (2001, p.11) described the different operational approaches to assessment reform: ‘more uniform curriculum and high-stakes assessment with a focus on academic achievement were expected in England and the U.S., whereas more adaptive curricula and flexible assessments towards whole-person education were expected in Korea and Japan’ (Lee 2001, p.11).
