In Vietnam, what does chemical formula mean? What are the regulations regarding the assessment of Chemistry education outcomes?

In Vietnam, what does chemical formula mean?

A chemical formula refers to the concise representation of the composition and structure of a chemical substance. It indicates which elements form the substance and the ratio of atoms of each element in a molecule of that substance.

*Example:

Water: H₂O. This formula shows that a water molecule consists of 2 hydrogen atoms (H) and 1 oxygen atom (O).

Table salt (Sodium chloride): NaCl. This formula shows that a molecule of table salt consists of 1 sodium atom (Na) and 1 chlorine atom (Cl).

*Types of chemical formulas:

Molecular formula: Indicates the number of atoms of each element in a molecule.

Structural formula: Indicates how the atoms are bonded together in a molecule.

Simplest formula: Indicates the ratio of the number of atoms of elements in a compound.

*Note: The information on what a chemical formula is should only be used for reference./.

In Vietnam, what does chemical formula mean? What are the regulations regarding the assessment of Chemistry education outcomes? (Image from the Internet)

What are the regulations regarding the characteristics of Chemistry subject in Vietnam?

Under Section, I of the Appendix of the General Education Program for Natural Sciences subject issued together with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, the characteristics of Chemistry at the upper secondary level (grades 10-11-12) are as follows:

Chemistry is a science within the natural sciences, studying the composition, structure, properties, and transformations of elements and compounds.

Chemistry closely combines theory and practice, serving as a bridge to other natural sciences such as physics, biology, medicine, and geology. Advances in chemistry are associated with the development of new discoveries in the fields of biology, medicine, and physics. Chemistry plays an important role in life and production, contributing to economic and social development. The achievements of chemistry are applied to fields such as materials, energy, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and many other sectors.

In the general education program, Chemistry is a subject within the group of natural sciences at the upper secondary level, selected by students based on career orientation, interests, and individual abilities. Chemistry helps students acquire core knowledge of chemistry and apply this knowledge to life while relating to many other educational fields.

Along with Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Informatics, and Technology, Chemistry contributes to promoting STEM education, one of the educational trends being valued in many countries around the world.

The content of the Chemistry subject is designed into topics that ensure the consolidation of content circuits, developing knowledge and practical skills formed from the lower educational levels, while also helping students gain a deeper understanding of the foundational chemistry knowledge, providing a basis for learning, working, and research.

For each academic year, students with career-oriented aspirations need to use more chemistry knowledge and select three study modules that are suitable to their own desires and the organizational conditions of the school.

These modules aim to meet the deep differentiation requirements, helping students enhance knowledge and practical skills, applying learned knowledge and skills to solve real-world issues and meeting the orientation requirements for their careers.

What are the regulations regarding the assessment of Chemistry education outcomes in Vietnam?

Under Section 7 of the Appendix of the General Education Program for Natural Sciences subject issued together with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, the regulations on the assessment of Chemistry education outcomes in Vietnam are as follows:

- The objective of assessing education outcomes is to provide accurate, prompt, and valuable information about the level of response to the program's requirements and student progress to guide learning activities, adjust teaching activities, manage and develop the program, ensure the progress of each student, and improve the quality of education.

- The basis of assessment is the required qualities and competencies as stipulated in the overall program and the chemistry subject program. The assessment scope includes all content and requirements needed to be achieved in the chemistry subject program.

- Forms, methods, and assessment tools:

+ Assessment form: Combining process assessment (regular assessment), summative assessment (periodic assessment), and large-scale assessments at national, local levels, and international assessments ensuring comprehensive, frequent, and integrated evaluation in teaching and learning activities by teachers and students.

+ Assessment methods and tools:

+ Combining teacher assessment with self-assessment and peer assessment by students. Coordinating situation assessment; assessment through testing; assessment via projects and portfolios; assessment through feedback and reflection; assessment through observation.

+ Combining the assessment of learning products (essay tests, objective multiple-choice tests, oral answers, presentations, experimental practice exercises, research projects,…) with assessment through observation (attitudes and behavior in discussions, group work, experiments, field trips,…).

- Choosing appropriate methods and tools to assess a specific competency.

+ Assessing the component of chemistry cognitive capability, questions (oral, written), exercises,... that require students to present, compare, systematize knowledge, or apply knowledge to explain, prove, and solve problems can be used.

+ Assessing the component of exploring the natural world from a chemical perspective, the following methods and tools can be used:

++ Checklists or records of observation results by teachers according to predetermined criteria about the execution of experiments and the investigative tasks of students,...

++ Questions and tests aimed at evaluating students' understanding of experimental skills; the ability to reason to conclude, verify options, process given data to infer conclusions; the ability to design experiments or research to perform assigned learning tasks and propose appropriate devices and techniques,...

++ Reports on test results, practice, conduct research projects,…

+ Assessing the component of applying learned knowledge and skills, students can be required to present practical problems that need resolution, which must use chemical language, charts, models, experimental skills,... to describe, explain chemical phenomena in the problem under consideration; use questions (which may require oral or written answers) that demand students to apply knowledge and skills to solve learning problems, especially real-world issues.