2017 PSLE Discussions and Strategies

[charchel]

[quote=\"pck2002\"][quote=\"charchel\"]My DD Tscore is 266, she is now considering RGS, anyone here has DC with RGS? Can share the school culture and learning environment? Do the teachers really teach and girls are helping each other?

hello! i am currently an upper sec rgs student so i can definitely help you with this (personally though, not DC :rotflmao: :rotflmao: )

the transition from primary school to secondary school is tough, but the school has a whole orientation programme for all y1 students (my year had an overnight camp), where everyone could learn more about the school, get drowned in the thunderous school cheers, gets introduced to our enthusiastic house system, and get comfortable with their classmates. i could say this eased the transition by A LOT, together with the support of the teachers and seniors.

when it comes to academic help, it is very important for students to approach their teacher at once whenever she is unsure of what's going on in class, and not only when exams are approaching as teachers might be 'fully booked for consultation'. if you ask for the help, you will definitely get it. based on personal experience, teachers here could range a lot, from the not-so-good, to those who could engage the whole class actively in every lesson! (most of them are the second one ) since we have the macbook system, both teachers and students make use of technology a lot, aka at least half of our lesson notes are on google drive, easily accessible at least

do we help each other? of course we do! we aren't exactly THAT competitive when it comes to academics, just make some good friends and whenever someone is struggling in school, they would be glad to help that person. just before end of year exams, seniors from one year above would also compile all their notes from their previous year to 'donate' to the year below. you could say our sisterhood here is quite strong!

overall, i would say my rgs experience so far has been really tough but enriching at the same time. stress and lack of sleep could hit students during the exam periods, but thats what makes us stronger and the 'shared pains of struggling' just makes us bond more and more with our peers. typed this in a rush so this reply could be a little slipshod, but if you have any more questions you can approach me

Thank you for sharing the information. I have some more questions and PM you, can advise?[/quote]

sure! just PM me and i'll reply you promptly :)[/quote]

Hi I pm you twice but dint see any reply, or convenient to send me your email address?

[lee_yl]

sunshine05:

lee_yl:

T-score still not fair? I thought it was criticized for sorting children too finely to the last decimal point! Current system sorts children by that 3-digit number, not by A* or A.

Take the hypothetical case cited of 3A* and 1A. Assuming the A is around 75 marks, this is AL4 which then gives an AL score of 7 points (3 AL1 + 1 AL4). For the 2A* and 2A, if the As are high As (which explained the high t-score), say between 85-90, then the AL score will be 6 points (2 AL1 + 2 AL2), still better than 7 points.

So for both t-score and AL banding, it’s possible for 2As and 2A*s to be ranked ahead of 3A*s and 1A.

And don’t forget, under new AL banding, there’s also balloting involved.

I think the narrowing banding of ALs is better compared to current system where an 'A' is too wide a range.

However, under new system, there are balloting and choice order of schs. Some may be advantaged, some may be disadvantaged, which equals to \"less fair\". The choice of schools also changes the game of putting down the options - how much risks we are willing to take. Probably more will turn to kiasuparents for advice.

Also, hcl plays a lesser part under the new system. It is only used in tie-breaking.

I still prefer the current system, but probably with smaller banding ranges. T-score is good in posting of schools at the backend. Just that, don't let us know - so that we don't compare and chase after the last point. Afterall, it is not printed on the psle certificates!

New system is good if t-score is used at the backend for posting.

Yes, I agree under the current system, the ‘A’ range is too wide. 90 is A, 75 is also A. The alphabet is good to know but it is the 3-digit tscore that determines where a child will be posted.

Oh yes, under the announced AL banding, HCL only comes in when there is a tie at cut off for entry to SAP schools. Otherwise, it is pretty useless. Unlike now, HCL can directly be added to tscore when applying for SAP schools.

Just came to my mind, under AL banding, a child with 3A* 1A might end up with 7 points (3AL1s + 1AL4), while another child with 1A* 3A (1AL + 3 AL2s) may also end up with 7 points.

Imagine both kids go balloting for same school, if unlucky, the kid with 3A* 1A may just lose the last place to another child with 1A* 3A!

[SpartanMum]

Mr OK:

Frankly speaking, parents with DCs who are in the top 3 percent or above 262 T-score, be more sensitive & tactful when posting questions. Just my 2cents worth.

Agree. Same for those who have several DSA offers under their belt and are wondering which ones to choose.
The thing is that the forum has a lot of parents with kids in this range and with a number of DSA offers. It's a \"kiasuparents' forum after all. They are more likely to have brilliant kids and yet worry about school choices like RI vs HCI or NYGH vs RGS. It's all in day's work at Kiasuparents.com
:salute:

[charchel]

Newinthisforum:

Hi charchel, i pm you also about cca, can you give me some advice?

I dint receive any Pm. What would you like abt CCa? My girl had not even entered RGS

[Bbpc]

Mr OK:

Frankly speaking, parents with DCs who are in the top 3 percent or above 262 T-score, be more sensitive & tactful when posting questions. Just my 2cents worth.

Hi Mr OK, sorry for my not that \"sensitive & tactful's Qs.....\" Please accept my sincere apologies.

[veryscared]

Musings:

phtthp:

[quote=\"yap_susan\"]3A*,1A -- 256

2A*, 2A also 256

Can give an example, how these 2 different situation, can lead to the same 256 ? Thank you.

Not surprising. It depends on how strong the A* and A is. There is a wide range. In my DS class, 4A* - 267, 3A*1A - 269.[/quote]This is the issue with current system. If grading is by A*,A,B,C,D, then getting high As or low A* should not matter. What is the point of getting A* if in the end, those with more A ablt to have higher T-score. Marks for A* is definitely higher than A, even comparing lowest A* and highrest A, am I wrong?
For me,.the fairest way is add up the total marks, without any adjustment. This reflects the true score. BTW, under this system, my DS might get lower score, but show what? His svores are the reflection of how much hard works he had put in.

[janet88]

hi lee yl,

i hope you are feeling more relaxed now that the results have been released. take care of your mental well-being.

[sunshine05]

lee_yl:

Yes, I agree under the current system, the ‘A’ range is too wide. 90 is A, 75 is also A. The alphabet is good to know but it is the 3-digit tscore that determines where a child will be posted.

Oh yes, under the announced AL banding, HCL only comes in when there is a tie at cut off for entry to SAP schools. Otherwise, it is pretty useless. Unlike now, HCL can directly be added to tscore when applying for SAP schools.

Just came to my mind, under AL banding, a child with 3A* 1A might end up with 7 points (3AL1s + 1AL4), while another child with 1A* 3A (1AL + 3 AL2s) may also end up with 7 points.

Imagine both kids go balloting for same school, if unlucky, the kid with 3A* 1A may just lose the last place to another child with 1A* 3A!

Under psle new system, every subject is equally important. Getting 100% for 3 subjects cannot help much if the other single subject is badly done.

Isn't it more stressful than O level L1R5??

[floppy]

sunshine05:

Under psle new system, every subject is equally important. Getting 100% for 3 subjects cannot help much if the other single subject is badly done.

Isn't it more stressful than O level L1R5??

Stress is self-induced.

If you insist on a super high score and to fight for single point, it’s going to be stressful - be it old, new or a revamped / rebranded / re- marketed yet-to-be developed new-new system.

Likewise, if you insist on scoring 2 points for L1R5, it is going to be equally stressful in O level.

[mum_sugoku]

veryscared:

This is the issue with current system. If grading is by A*,A,B,C,D, then getting high As or low A* should not matter. What is the point of getting A* if in the end, those with more A ablt to have higher T-score. Marks for A* is definitely higher than A, even comparing lowest A* and highrest A, am I wrong?
For me,.the fairest way is add up the total marks, without any adjustment. This reflects the true score. BTW, under this system, my DS might get lower score, but show what? His svores are the reflection of how much hard works he had put in.

First and foremost, my apologies for committing a glaring error in my illustration in my previous post. However, while the figures (computed AL points) were incorrect, the implication is still the same, ie those with better overall raw psle scores may not necessarily enjoy priority over another with lower overall raw scores.

Note that t-score under the current system is NOT the actual score the students receive, t-score is a merely a computation of the student's ranking/position in the entire psle cohort, based on his/her actual psle scores. Purpose of t-score is to ensure that those who perform better (overall) get priority over the next in the selection of sec schs.

Advantage of t-score is that it's able to divide the ranking/positioning so finely (to many decimal places) that it's very unlikely for students to get exactly the same score (unless, of cos, 2 students score exactly the same raw marks for every subjects in all 4 subjects). That's why allocation of school can be accomplished by merit alone, order of choices does not matter, chance of needing balloting is very slim too, pretty hazzle-free for parents/child.

Order of choice matters, with balloting highly likely required because under the new AL system, the likelihood of students receiving exactly the same points is far higher (compared with t-score). It's also the same reason why t-score was adopted over total raw scores (also more likely for students to receive exactly same overall score, though not as bad as under the new AL system, since, under the later, student who scored, say 85 marks will get the same point as another who scored 89 marks).