Building a Competency Assessment Framework for Grade 10 Physics: An Urgent Need from Teaching Practice

Abstract

The context of implementing the 2018 General Education Curriculum requires a profound change in the assessment activities for Grade 10 Physics, shifting from a content-oriented approach to developing learners' competencies. This paper presents the main findings from a survey study aimed at clarifying the current state of teachers' perceptions, difficulties, and needs during this transition. Using a questionnaire survey method with 20 Physics teachers at high schools in Thai Nguyen province, data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The research results paint a challenging picture: the majority of teachers lack confidence and detailed guidance materials; they face significant pressure as developing matrices and assessment questions in the new orientation is considered too complex and time-consuming, leading to a common trend of reusing questions from old question banks. This situation also affects students, leaving them confused with new ways of learning and taking tests. Most notably, the study records a near-unanimous consensus (95%) on the urgent need for a standardized reference framework and question bank. These findings confirm the existence of a “difficulty loop” that is hindering the innovation process, while also emphasizing the urgency of building and implementing effective professional support tools to help teachers overcome barriers and bring the spirit of the new curriculum into practice.