Any Updates As To When PSLE T-Scores Will Be Scrapped?
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jnemummy:
If there's only 1 or 2 parents who are highly stressed, then it is an individual parental issue. However, if the majority of the nation's school going children's parents feel stressed about the PSLE and its aftermath, then it is a systemic issue.
\" No matter the system, there will still be parents who stress their kids. If so, then it really is parental accountability.\"
http://petunialee.blogspot.sg/2016/07/n ... m.html?m=1
I remember some of Petunia's posts about her son struggling in primary school (esp with Chinese). Now that her children has exited the primary school system, she can afford a loftier tone in her blog. -
lee_yl:
I don't think they feel stressed about PSLE and its aftermath. I think they feel stressed about their children's future life in Singapore as a whole. This one takes much more than making changes to PSLE or secondary school admission.If there's only 1 or 2 parents who are highly stressed, then it is an individual parental issue. However, if the majority of the nation's school going children's parents feel stressed about the PSLE and its aftermath, then it is a systemic issue.
This is not an examination issue. This is an existential issue. -
phtthp:
Under AL :
You think you shooting arrow ah, so accurate? Can make sure all the 4 subjects score exactly 90 and not one point less?lee_yl:
[quote=\"pirate\"]
Don't waste time and money sending for tuition to get all the extra points above 90 that don't count.
Who are these 4-pointers ?
Those equivalent to say, T-score 270 ?[/quote]Difficult to estimate as the t-score is a normalized statistic and is only relevant to the specific cohort. So, regardless the difficulty level of the PSLE exams, a t-score of 270 (and above) is likely restricted to the top 1% of the cohort. However under the AL banding, there could be many many 4 pointers if all the PSLE papers are easy that year.
At this juncture, many details are still lacking. For example, the cut-off for IP. Assume that top 10% of the cohort falls into the group of 6 pointers, does that mean that ALL 6pointers qualify for IP or will there be a dividing line within this group such that those who fall below the dividing line are not eligible for IP? -
pirate:
For most parents, the equation is simple.
I don't think they feel stressed about PSLE and its aftermath. I think they feel stressed about their children's future life in Singapore as a whole. This one takes much more than making changes to PSLE or secondary school admission.lee_yl:
If there's only 1 or 2 parents who are highly stressed, then it is an individual parental issue. However, if the majority of the nation's school going children's parents feel stressed about the PSLE and its aftermath, then it is a systemic issue.
This is not an examination issue. This is an existential issue.
Good examination result = good schools = good future. -
Instead of just contributing on this thread, as some feel rather strongly about the new system, you might want to write to MOE on this (See link below)? I suspect that they will refine the scheme further between now and 2021.
https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/Share%20Your%20Thoughts/share-your-thoughts.html
I am happy enough with the new scheme at the moment and have always believed that my wife and I are responsible for my son's stress so I probably won't bother (unless MOE mucks around the affiliation
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lee_yl:
That doesn't quite matter. What I know is that every new minister will try to leave his mark and he won't gain much credit by implementing his predecessor's policies. So we have \"Every school is a good school\", \"AL banding\" and .....
The new motto is now... \"Every Subject must be a Good Subject\"... :evil:
My disappointment with the new scheme is how it comes across as a knee-jerk, half-hearted approach to addressing parents' and students' stress. Just because someone high up says that parental stress is caused by the very fine-grain measurement of students' achievements, MOE has to respond by making it more coarse, which, ostensibly, would reduce parental stress. It is too little, it addresses the symptoms and not the root causes, and it introduces new uncertainties which lead to new kinds of stress. -
MOE has not done anything to improve the stress of parents but worsened it.
it has only changed the grading system but has not looked into the contents of the curriculum. -
floppy:
I share the same suspicion as you :evil: . (Reminds me of that \"Emperor's new clothes\" story.. :siam: )lee_yl:
Horror of all horrors, what if after the next GE, there's a new Minister of Education who has other idea and decides to suspend the PSLE reforms before X takes her PSLE?
You think these are the ideas of the Minister?
:rotflmao: -
lee_yl:
For most parents, the equation is simple.
I don't think they feel stressed about PSLE and its aftermath. I think they feel stressed about their children's future life in Singapore as a whole. This one takes much more than making changes to PSLE or secondary school admission.pirate:
[quote=\"lee_yl\"]If there's only 1 or 2 parents who are highly stressed, then it is an individual parental issue. However, if the majority of the nation's school going children's parents feel stressed about the PSLE and its aftermath, then it is a systemic issue.
This is not an examination issue. This is an existential issue.
Good examination result = good schools = good future.[/quote]Ya - this pretty much sums up the root cause of the stress experienced by our parents (who in turn, pass the stress to their children).
And such exam-induced stress is not unique to Singapore; it's also prevalent elsewhere in the world, particularly asian countries like Japan, Korea, and especially, China: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36457453
[quote]More than nine million high school graduates are sitting China's national exams, the Gaokao.
Their result will determine which university they can attend, and therefore much of the rest of their future, so they are under huge pressure... [/quote]Unless there's a change in mindset (that good score = good school = good future), I think there's really nothing much one can do to alleviate such kind of stress.. Unless, of course, we abolish PSLE completely, since, as repeatedly asserted by our government, all school are good school and so, no need to choose..
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ChiefKiasu:
Quite the contrary, I think this does look at the root cause more than any suggestions so far. It is more long term, the stress levels will go down albeit after a few years after this is implemented.lee_yl:
That doesn't quite matter. What I know is that every new minister will try to leave his mark and he won't gain much credit by implementing his predecessor's policies. So we have \"Every school is a good school\", \"AL banding\" and .....
The new motto is now... \"Every Subject must be a Good Subject\"... :evil:
My disappointment with the new scheme is how it comes across as a knee-jerk, half-hearted approach to addressing parents' and students' stress. Just because someone high up says that parental stress is caused by the very fine-grain measurement of students' achievements, MOE has to respond by making it more coarse, which, ostensibly, would reduce parental stress. It is too little, it addresses the symptoms and not the root causes, and it introduces new uncertainties which lead to new kinds of stress.
What is the cause of stress -T score, difficulty level of subject, tough papers ?
Or the fact that the child/parent is worried that the good schools are too few, and the level of education/facilities/environment between schools ( real and perceived) is large between the different schools, and by not enrolling in the better ones , the child loses out in life?
I definitely think it is the last one is the major reason. That is why I dont think stress can be reduced no matter what we do with PSLE. As parents, some of us are experts at gaming the system. Even the laid back ones are forced to up their game in order not to be left behind. Stress can be reduced only by changing the allocation to schools in a reasonably meritocratic and non-discriminatory manner.
Uncertainty leads to stress , and this new system does introduce it, so yes there is added stress for parents, which will, of course, be passed on to children. This is going to be a little hard on the first few batches and then the stress levels will be more reasonable.
I honestly there is no easy way out of the current PSLE system, it is going to be hard to undo the damage it has caused as a side effect, so this new system will introduce a paradigm shift in our kiasu mindset and slowly move us away from this obsession. There maybe be kinks that need to be ironed out , but overall objective is what we really really need.
I would go on to say this is a brave change, perhaps even a tad foolish ,considering it is going to be unpopular. Because the most vocal of us are not going to be happy that we can do nothing to manipulate it beyond the basic. And we will not keep quite either.
Edited the last three paragraphs as the idea conveyed did not seem clear.
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