Mid-year exams to be scrapped in all primary, secondary schools by 2023

[sushi88]

ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2061005\" time=\"1646798915\" user_id=\"3:

My goodness. :oops: I didn't know that. Sheesh. The changes just keep coming.

Change is the only constant. The only certainty is death. Sounds familiar?

[MrsKiasu]

MyPillow\" post_id=\"2061001\" time=\"1646798591\" user_id=\"70594:

ya agree. generally to encourage consistent work n revision with bite sizes term assessment,
I recall last time those termly continual assessment were very stressful too !
but final exam are full papers & range abt 1.5 to 2 hours per paper , with less exposure - some kids may lack stamina and rigour , having difficulties to focus n concentrate for long hours in exam hall - my ds was one of such case previously :roll:

I don't remember we have CAs last time. So if WAs which looks like in every terms then we getting more ..which I think will be good for my kiddos coz they can really relaxed.

[MrsKiasu]

sushi88\" post_id=\"2061011\" time=\"1646799437\" user_id=\"100857:

Change is the only constant. The only certainty is death. Sounds familiar?

To add..I also read..taxes

[sushi88]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2061015\" time=\"1646800289\" user_id=\"43981:

To add..I also read..taxes

Taxes is the all-encompassing one. :lol:

[chenlaoshi]

I can't speak for other subjects but for CL, WA acts as a form of \"Assessment for Learning\"/\"Formative assessment\" whereas SA are meant more for \"Assessment of Learning\"/\"Summative Assessment\".


The tested scope for WA are usually very precise and laid out pretty clearly to the students - so it's very often a case of \"as long as you understood and revised, you can do well\" a.k.a. you have no excuses for not managing a satisfactory result .

Some examples of how detailed the tested scope can be:
https://i.imgur.com/qSxxoq3.jpg\">https://i.imgur.com/lw9ChqM.jpg\">

As always, there's 2 sides of the coin. For example, in some schools, the topics for discursive essay (choose 1 from 2 or 3) was announced to Year 2/3 students and reading materials were given to them to prepare accordingly. Whereas this will help them prepare efficiently, it is very much different from EOY paper 1 since you won't know what topics will come out and can't prepare as specifically (have to read up broadly instead).

So at the end of the day, it's really at adjusting one's mentality and maximizing the use of these assessments to identify areas for improvement; strengths and weaknesses and do the necessary follow up.

[sharonkhoo]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2061014\" time=\"1646800229\" user_id=\"43981:

I don't remember we have CAs last time. So if WAs which looks like in every terms then we getting more ..which I think will be good for my kiddos coz they can really relaxed.

You're younger than I am, and CAs began when I was in lower sec. But CAs in those days were more like the WAs now - done as and when the teacher decides, and done in class, in between other lessons. They carried some weight, and some people took them very seriously, but most of us just treated them like normal tests (which were unweighted previously). Somewhere along the way, long after I left school, CAs became like SAs - all done together, no other lessons happening, etc.

[sharonkhoo]

MyPillow\" post_id=\"2061001\" time=\"1646798591\" user_id=\"70594:

but final exam are full papers & range abt 1.5 to 2 hours per paper , with less exposure - some kids may lack stamina and rigour , having difficulties to focus n concentrate for long hours in exam hall - my ds was one of such case previously :roll:

I expect some practice with timed tests (weighted or unweighted) will be done in school. If not, parents should get kids should do one or 2 in preparation.

[ChiefKiasu]

I don't really remember my experience, as it was eons ago. But I think it was before \"CA\"s were invented

We only had a midterm and then a final exam. It was quite free and easy. If you ask me, that's what is naturally good enough for kids. Didn't do well in midterms? Then there's always the finals to focus on. I think having CAs is actually spoiling the market.

The current implementation is simply removing the concept of a \"midterm\" exam in favour of a \"WA\". There is no reduction in the number of exams. So how is that so different from being tested 4 times a year, instead of the 2 times during my time?

[sharonkhoo]

ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2061036\" time=\"1646808265\" user_id=\"3:

I don't really remember my experience, as it was eons ago. But I think it was before \"CA\"s were invented
We only had a midterm and then a final exam. It was quite free and easy. If you ask me, that's what is naturally good enough for kids. Didn't do well in midterms? Then there's always the finals to focus on. I think having CAs is actually spoiling the market.

The current implementation is simply removing the concept of a \"midterm\" exam in favour of a \"WA\". There is no reduction in the number of exams. So how is that so different from being tested 4 times a year, instead of the 2 times during my time?

I'm sure I'm older than you! But maybe some schools started using the CA system earlier than others. I definitely had weighted CAs in sec school.

I think it works better for some kids than for others. In my family, 3 of us would have preferred fewer exams as we can generally just study when we have to and do reasonably well anyway. But I have one daughter who doesn't cope well with stress, and just doesn't learn as well if the quantity of material is large. In the US-system school she was in for many years, the WA system worked well for her as the frequent bite-sized assessments reinforced the material better without stressing her out. We found that she learned and retained the material better that way.

[sushi88]

The idea is tests would become part of the kids’ DNA… get used to it and no more resistance and hence reduced stress.