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

[doodbug]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2061846\" time=\"1647497484\" user_id=\"2358:

Poly is after all an institution that imparts hands-on skills .... so yeah technical course sounds like a good idea to go Poly. However for non-stem, I still find the A level-uni grad analytical skills much better than poly-grad. Maybe its the GP or whatever...that forces you to read abd think broadly

I get what you mean. A lot of our impression stems from our experience in the workforce, i.e. those who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s. I would concede the huge gulf in the past.

I would say, things have changed a bit in recent years. For those of us who have kids at NUS/NTU/SMU (I ext proportionately have that many A level students) clude the other AUs because those don, do hear them out as to whether they think there is a big difference in the capabilities and performance of A lvl vs Poly students. All students get many chances to interact with a large swathe of students nowadays through group projects and residential living and learning, and to hear if they feel A level students are superior academically and professionally.

This is a broad generalisation, but I do believe it still holds true that the brightest A level kids, are intellectually stronger than the top poly kids. However, things are not so clearcut if we are talking about the average A level candidate.

[floppy]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2061846\" time=\"1647497484\" user_id=\"2358:

Poly is after all an institution that imparts hands-on skills .... so yeah technical course sounds like a good idea to go Poly. However for non-stem, I still find the A level-uni grad analytical skills much better than poly-grad. Maybe its the GP or whatever...that forces you to read abd think broadly

You are generally not wrong.

It's not just the GP, it's their abilities (read: better results, especially in language and STEM subjects - aka 3 out of 6 compulsory subjects that make up the L1R5) that tends to make JC students seem better in their analytical skills.

Our 'analytical skills' aka critical thinking skills stem from a school known as \"Socratic Questioning\". Socrates \"established the importance of seeking evidence, closely examining reasoning and assumptions, analysing basic concepts, and tracing out implications not only of what is said but of what is done as well\". In short, the importance of connecting language, Math and Science.

Poly grads, mostly, fare poorly in one or more of those 3 components. Hence, the perception that they are not as strong in analytical skills as JC grads. However, things are definitely changing. Many poly students have better results than the average A Level student, and many poly courses have better COP than the average JC 12-14 COP (when standardising them on a 5 subject basis).

[floppy]

doodbug\" post_id=\"2061848\" time=\"1647497643\" user_id=\"13281:

At NUS, if I am not wrong, Arts and Social Sciences and Business, polytechnic students are given 20MCs exemptions, which translates to one semester.

Yes, but \"most other courses won't grant you up to a year's worth of credit exemptions.\"
A semester isn't a year, so my statement isn't wrong :rotflmao:

[Imp75]

floppy\" post_id=\"2061853\" time=\"1647498332\" user_id=\"97579:

You are generally not wrong.

It's not just the GP, it's their abilities (read: better results, especially in language and STEM subjects - aka 3 out of 6 compulsory subjects that make up the L1R5) that tends to make JC students seem better in their analytical skills.

Our 'analytical skills' aka critical thinking skills stem from a school known as \"Socratic Questioning\". Socrates \"established the importance of seeking evidence, closely examining reasoning and assumptions, analysing basic concepts, and tracing out implications not only of what is said but of what is done as well\". In short, the importance of connecting language, Math and Science.

Poly grads, mostly, fare poorly in one or more of those 3 components. Hence, the perception that they are not as strong in analytical skills as JC grads. However, things are definitely changing. Many poly students have better results than the average A Level student, and many poly courses have better COP than the average JC 12-14 COP (when standardising them on a 5 subject basis).

Call me old school but when I hire staff (ie <10y exp), I usually look at what sec sch they came from and which uni they went.....usually won't go wrong w such criteria.....my hubby also hires a lot of finance staff too..... in his many years of working experience, a poly-unisim/acca grad really cannot be compared to NTU grad.....

[MyPillow]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2061841\" time=\"1647494442\" user_id=\"17023:

Good point. So stress comes from where exactly? Mid-year exams or the ultimate PSLE / O-level results that are needed to further sort the children into the different schools?

After studying hard for mid-year exams, children are awarded with one month June holidays. Very fair.

I can tell you for parents who don’t care which sec school the child goes to, even if there’s no reform of the system, these parents also will not feel stress! So it’s not mid-yr exams, it’s parents’ mindset?

agree its Mindset of parents and students (stress cascade down fr parents ,peers) - be it having mid yr exam, WAs, check points, bite teste etc whatever sch term them...
BUT moe din mention about syllabus, are our pri kids learning too much just for psle? some topics can be taught in sec level. How abt O level curriculum too - Hist, Geography, Math etc
i think not much issues/complain for A level students as by the time to choose A level course is purely students' choice to dive in (hopfully not by parents' voice already Though our A level curriculum is very rigourous n tough as well ,it can prep many Sg kids to enter estab uni lcoally and internationally - quite a number of clever frens ds know of scored perfect score & have applied/offered oxford / cambridge

I agree with imp75 on analytical and critical thinking skills that are polished out from A level syllabus, the gruelling GP,Econs , project work ,Sci subjects .. ithe depth & demand of the syllabus train their minds on analytical & critical thinking skills set which are life long.

[Imp75]

Talking about project work, I am really impressed about the quality of the work done by my daughter and classmates because I have never seen or heard her spend time on it but yet when my hubs and I were asked to act like the panel of judges as a trial-run before the real thing, I was really impressed at the kind of output they could produce and deliver for contents that are nor even taught. I doubted my FYP at uni back then was as good as their PW now…they could articulate so smoothly in their presentation and I came to realise how far on education has progressed beyond my time Hahaha…

[Liew Nga Wing]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2061732\" time=\"1647409535\" user_id=\"17023:

All parents wish that their children do better than them. If ITE is the ultimate aim, then no need to come to KSP forum.

I can agree with you going to ITE is not the end of the world. I can also counsel my friend with success stories should his/her kid go to ITE. But don’t mind me being frank, will I send my own daughters to ITE?

The reason why I wrote the post on 16 Mar 22 midnight to Mum \"Nasi Lemak\" was because from her posts, I found that she was beginning to anxious and worry whether her kids would still can achieve good results for PSLE after the scrap of mid year exams. I didn't want her to be stress and hope she can think more positively, so I brought out my colleague ITE Story.

Whether you are willing to accept your kids to study in Poly/ITE or not, is your own topic not mine and therefore I don' know.

[phtthp]

Frankly speaking,

with the world getting so fluid now,

whether one graduated from first-class university or graduated from other less attractive, less glittering institution of higher learning, and with AI so aggressively entering the market place, making once-upon-a-time lucrative jobs disappear, redundant, jobs have become a big question mark. Your colleagues can be … robots.
So, even if don’t do well at PSLE, O level or A level, dont be so up tight.

Just like those good old days under LKY era time were gone forever, can never come back anymore, likewise going forward, the future of jobs are … ?

So what, if u do well in (Psle / O-level / A-level ) ?

[phtthp]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2061858\" time=\"1647500047\" user_id=\"2358:

Call me old school but when I hire staff (ie <10y exp), I usually look at what sec sch they came from and which uni they went.....usually won't go wrong w such criteria.....my hubby also hires a lot of finance staff too..... in his many years of working experience, a poly-unisim/acca grad really cannot be compared to NTU grad.....

If u are refering to NTU Accountancy graduates working as Finance professional today, who knows, maybe even Accountancy financial.positions (jobs), will also disappear one day, become redundant when AI take over. So, when u said that u are a Fincance professional, those good old days in The past, when u worked in the finance industry and earned high pay, may not repeat itself anymore, going forward into the future. Every batch or generation of people born in different era, faced different set of challenges, in a dynamic fluid changing world

Why ?

Because last time, decades ago, u were living in the pre-covid era !
But now, what happen ?
Your children are going to graduate, in the post covid era. Very different setting (environment ) !


Look ! Even some medical surgery jobs, are also taken over by robot (machine).

[Imp75]

phtthp\" post_id=\"2061907\" time=\"1647583399\" user_id=\"35251:

If u are refering to NTU Accountancy graduates working as Finance professional today, who knows, maybe even Accountancy financial.positions (jobs), will also disappear one day, become redundant when AI take over. So, when u said that u are a Fincance professional, those good old days in The past, when u worked in the finance industry and earned high pay, may not repeat itself anymore, going forward into the future. Every batch or generation of people born in different era, faced different set of challenges, in a dynamic fluid changing world

Why ?

Because last time, decades ago, u were living in the pre-covid era !
But now, what happen ?
Your children are going to graduate, in the post covid era. Very different setting (environment ) !


Look ! Even some medical surgery jobs, are also taken over by robot (machine).

I am not in the accounting line/accountant. From what you say, low level data crunching or processing jobs no need wait for AI, right now already outsourced to low cost countries. There are some things like interpretation and application of accounting standards which AI cannot do ba. That's why accountants are professionals just like lawyers.....also you need a human to feed or specify the parameters for AI to work.