From Formative Policy to Performative Grading Practices: ESL Teachers’ Enactment of Classroom-Based Assessment in Malaysian Primary Schools

Abstract

Classroom-based assessment (CBA) is positioned as a cornerstone of Malaysia’s assessment reform. Yet evidence of how it is enacted in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms remains limited. This qualitative case study examines ESL teachers’ grading practices and evaluates their alignment with expectations articulated in national CBA guidance and curriculum standards. Data were generated through semi structured interviews with six ESL teachers who taught in three primary public schools in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Relevant policy and curriculum documents and school recording artefacts were analysed to triangulate teachers’ accounts. Thematic analysis identified three dominant patterns. First, teachers relied heavily on numerical mark accumulation and percentage conversion to judge progress and motivate learners. Second, grading decisions were shaped through local standard-setting activities
within panels and professional learning communities. These processes often produced cut scores that were not explicitly anchored to national performance descriptors. Third, teachers documented student evidence and recorded mastery using templates such as transit forms. Documentation supported professional judgment for some teachers. For others, it functioned mainly as administrative compliance and increased workload. Overall, teachers reported structured routines and multiple assessment strategies. However, grading enactment frequently reflected exam-oriented logics that conflicted with the intended formative emphasis of CBA. The study highlights a policy–practice gap that may weaken the credibility and comparability of mastery judgments. It recommends clearer exemplars for standards-referenced decisions and sustained professional learning that focuses on interpreting evidence over
time and using assessment information to guide feedback and intervention in routine practice.