He would later contribute to the development of the Secondary School Alternative Assessment (SSAA) for students with Special Needs, a project led by Dr. Khodori Ahmad, founder and chairman of KNK Total Assessment, with his highly able team in collaboration with the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate.
Utilising an Environment-Reaction-Recognition-Acknowledgement (ERRA) model and Environment Based Assessment Instrument (EBAI) instrument, SSAA gauges students’ abilities within their disabilities.
A more holistic, integrated and student-oriented approach, SSAA is focused on tapping into an individual student’s abilities — a term that Dr. Khodori attributes to Hasanah.
“To force a special needs student to be evaluated in the same way as neurotypical student would be akin to abuse or torture. And at the end of their 11-year schooling journey, they leave school with nothing,” laments Dr. Khodori, who is the lead researcher of this project.
Cikgu Zul applied SSAA at SMK Batu Muda, and points out a unique feature of this assessment — a “live” certificate which can be continuously updated after the student has completed schooling. After all, learning and growing does not stop after graduation.
23rd December 2021 marked a big win for special needs students nationwide when the Malaysian Examinations Board issued a circular introducing SSAM into schools beginning in 2021. Students who opt in will be awarded the Secondary School Alternative Certificate (SASC).
The pilot cohort was a window that shows a world of possibilities for these special needs students, and SSAA could now open doors to a future that will no longer be defined by a mere grade on a piece of paper.
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