Thank you for sharing!!

coast\" post_id=\"2022460\" time=\"1620106511\" user_id=\"38933:

Some statistics on last year DSA. I think this is the first year that MOE is releasing such details like total applicants, % admitted for different categories, ...

While many schools usually indicate that there is no fixed quota, the % across talent areas seem consistent with my observation of a few IP schools (note that it may differ from year to year):-
Big percentage admitted via Sports
Few admitted via Leadership
Few admitted via Languages (compared to Maths & Science)

The success rate (about 30%) is quite impressive (all applicants admitted via DSA to IP and non-IP schools).

All the best to parents with kids applying for DSA this year! :rahrah:

DSA 2020 (Sec 1 2021)
3,600 admitted via DSA (around 30% of 11,900 applicants)
- About 33 per cent to IP
- About 67 per cent to non-IP
- 40 % via sports and games
- 20 % via performing arts
- 20 % via STEM
- Nearly 10 % via leadership skills and uniformed groups
- About 10 % across other 3 talent areas - entrepreneurship and innovation; languages and humanities; and visual arts, design and media.

Source:-
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/one-in-four-pri-6-pupils-applied-for-dsa-last-year
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/1-in-4-psle-pupils-last-year-applied-for-place-under-direct-school

CCK2008\" post_id=\"2022507\" time=\"1620118720\" user_id=\"26004:

6thisnthat9\" post_id=\"2022152\" time=\"1619912767\" user_id=\"145858:

Kids in P6 this year. My first PSLE children. Appreciate advice from experienced parents.

Boot Camps in June, which subject to go for? Weaker or stronger subjects?
Any good places to consider?

My DD sits for PSLE last year, she only had Chinese 1-1 tuition for a few months after CB with a former Chinese teacher. The rest of the subjects, I just coached her. My opinion

English - do well in paper 2 on the various editing, vocab cloze, in another word, read more story books, learn more power phases

Maths - practice more, this subject is relatively the easiest among the 4 subjects, practice the past year school papers will do

Science - MCQ needs to be correct and perfect. Open-ended questions need to enforce the concept of keywords. The marker marked according to keywords. Comparative questions need to use comparative words, like fastest, slowest, bigger, smaller etc. Some notes from Pique Lab are very useful.

In other words, practice more past year papers.

Yes, will be taking more time to walk through this journey with them, thank you for sharing

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2022403\" time=\"1620089699\" user_id=\"17023:

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2022396\" time=\"1620087111\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2022396 time=1620087111 user_id=53606]Practically speaking, schools will not allow any child to simply give up on whichever weak subject. Believe me, u hear the heart pain stories from those parents with academically weaker kids, they get almost daily calls (or at least, monthly harassments) from various subject teachers telling them that their kid is still not scoring well in this, in that, they should buck up with getting their hw done on time. They are trying, very hard, especially with child feeling dead tired after attending all those remedial lessons after school, and take extra long time for brain to process each sentence of hw.

After each exam, yet another round of post-mortem from the teachers. They are well-meaning. Some of them do genuinely care for the child. But they do not let go nor let their standards drop so that they allow child to get away with 0 marks or blank paper. They want to see effort made.

So there’s no feasible way for parent to say, ok let’s just give up 2 subjects & focus on aceing other 2. More likely it would be nearing PSLE cram time, when revision time is extremely precious. May finally choose to spend more revision time on X subject or Y component, and let another component slide a little bit. This is probably what goes thru older exam candidates’ heads anyway. Eg O level or A level candidates.

Precisely for these reasons, PSLE is very stressful for a 12yo, as well as the parents!

Hit and scold, shoutings, all these strain the parent-child relationship, yet still score around 64%, might as well adopt a strategic approach and focus on his other strengths while taking the time to explore what other areas he could have untapped talents (like codings, music etc.) or just simply play.

Under old Tscore system where one is pitted against the cohort, one cannot afford to let any subject slide, but now under new rules it’s time to re-strategise. After all holistic development goes beyond academic pursuits. [/quote]

How about another strategy? Accept our children for who they are and have faith in them.

:goodpost:

floppy\" post_id=\"2022405\" time=\"1620089966\" user_id=\"97579:

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2022392\" time=\"1620083777\" user_id=\"17023:

…
Student who scores 74, 74, 64, 64 has no advantage over a kid who scores 80, 80, 0, 0 under AL Banding. And if there’s balloting, the one who submitted 2 blank papers might got in via ballot and not the other kid !! Same old game but with a new set of rules !

Mathematically / statistically possible, but in reality, not going to happen.

As many have said, if you can score > or = 80 for English, unlikely that you can score < 20 for Math and Science. It’s the way our brains are wired. You could score < 20 if you give up completely ***

The strategy, however, doesn’t guarantee a score > or = 80 for English and Chinese. Hence, it may backfire spectacularly.

*** Apart from giving up completely, It’s actually quite difficult to score < 20 under the current format. If I have to coach a kid which is at risk of scoring < 20, my strategy would be:
1. Answer A for every MCQ question. Should be able to finish in less than 10mins. There’s 28 questions with 4 options each. There’s a possibility that you will get ~ 7 of them right and yield you ~ 14 marks.
2. Focus on 1 or 2 topics for math or science. Just have to answer 3 - 5 related questions well. Should be able to finish in less than 20 mins. If done correctly, could be worth anything between 6 to 10 marks.
Doesn’t guarantee > 20 but definitely > 0 with minimal effort.

floppy\" post_id=\"2022435\" time=\"1620098894\" user_id=\"97579:

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2022422\" time=\"1620097081\" user_id=\"17023:

[quote=6thisnthat9 post_id=2022419 time=1620096224 user_id=145858]Which parent or educator in sound mind would tell a child to submit a blank answer paper in exam?
What message will the child be getting from this? To throw white towel in life without trying at all?

The blank paper is just to answer to doubts on whether it’s possible to score zero for a paper.

If you can’t understand the discourse thus far, it’s about focusing on strengths as a viable strategy under the new rules.

The PSLE game is still the same but the rules have changed. Time to relook and re-strategise.

However...

PSLE is a pitstop, not the end point.
The rules for N / O / A haven't changed.[/quote]Whatever strategy whoever is suggesting, 80, 80, 0, 0, does it involve the child to cooperate? If so, is this good parenting advice? To tell the a 9 years old child, submit an empty exam paper with putting only his name, for 2 subjects. Stop doing any homework for sci and CL etc. Would any such strategy would need to involve the child?

Back to your own question, if you can't understand, its about the interest of a child here, parenting.

Or MOE allows the child to be not present for the paper and scored a zero on the result sheet? not sure about this

if your are referring to extra effort in preparing for exam translate to 200, 200, 0, 0, .... that is a different story

I am neither in educatiion line nor working for the ministry. I do not need to defend the new AL system. But I am wondering the intention for some users to be criticising a new system in the name of the interests of parents and children as reasons.

I am disengaging from further discussion with the other account user on this topic as the intention to me is not about parenting.

Which parent or educator in sound mind would tell a child to submit a blank answer paper in exam?

What message will the child be getting from this? To throw white towel in life without trying at all?

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2022406\" time=\"1620090129\" user_id=\"17023:

6thisnthat9\" post_id=\"2022401\" time=\"1620088706\" user_id=\"145858:

For the strategy that was suggested by I m not sure now if he or she is a parent or tuition agency stakeholder, to work, the giving up must be right from p1. So if let's say this is allowed, would you or any parent allow it?
Whether this strategy will work or not, it's a question mark throughout the 6 years journey.

Pls lah, would a tuition agency advise you to drop a subject? So can I suppose that all who oppose the strategy must be tuition agencies owners who are desperate to encourage parents to pump in money to improve their children’s grades in a weak subject?

As I mentioned earlier, counter-intuitive it may be but logically the strategy is viable. You may not need it but some other parents may just require it.

That user account, is not suggesting to drop subjects, obviously not.
It keeps suggesting the pitfalls of new AL system. Esp to the lower scoring groups

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2022396\" time=\"1620087111\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2022396 time=1620087111 user_id=53606]
Practically speaking, schools will not allow any child to simply give up on whichever weak subject. Believe me, u hear the heart pain stories from those parents with academically weaker kids, they get almost daily calls (or at least, monthly harassments) from various subject teachers telling them that their kid is still not scoring well in this, in that, they should buck up with getting their hw done on time. They are trying, very hard, especially with child feeling dead tired after attending all those remedial lessons after school, and take extra long time for brain to process each sentence of hw.

After each exam, yet another round of post-mortem from the teachers. They are well-meaning. Some of them do genuinely care for the child. But they do not let go nor let their standards drop so that they allow child to get away with 0 marks or blank paper. They want to see effort made.

So there’s no feasible way for parent to say, ok let’s just give up 2 subjects & focus on aceing other 2. More likely it would be nearing PSLE cram time, when revision time is extremely precious. May finally choose to spend more revision time on X subject or Y component, and let another component slide a little bit. This is probably what goes thru older exam candidates’ heads anyway. Eg O level or A level candidates.[/quote]

For the strategy that was suggested by I m not sure now if he or she is a parent or tuition agency stakeholder, to work, the giving up must be right from p1. So if let's say this is allowed, would you or any parent allow it?
Whether this strategy will work or not, it's a question mark throughout the 6 years journey.

There are many average kids I know, scoring lower than 80 for Eng and maths and doing reasonable for Sci and min above 50 for CL, no tuition or extras.

And no parents or school will tell the child (no special needs) right from p1 or p3, your fate is sealed.

For a child w special needs to score 80 for Eng n maths in Upper pri, he or she should be given a chance in sci and even CL too. Who are we to take that chance from them?