2022 PSLE Discussions & Strategies (born in 2010)

[SG_KP1]

floppy\" post_id=\"2074942\" time=\"1658057017\" user_id=\"97579:

Point to note.

It’s not wise and neither is it correct to co-relate affiliate t-score and affiliate AL score. The affiliate scores are determined by the school’s management and not by any fixed formula. Thus, a school who’s COP is t-score 220 may (and can) choose AL score 15, 16, or 18 as it’s COP as long as it deems fit.

I don't disagree with your statement. And we both know there is no fixed translation between the two systems.

But even if the affiliate scores are determined by the school's management (and not fixed by any formula, which we both agree), you can look at all of the prior affiliate t-score COPs and what AMR they came up with. Ordinally, they all lined up (school by school). So I would believe there is some logic similar to what I mentioned above as to how the affiliate AL scores were selected.

If they wanted to admit more or fewer people, they could have changed the affiliate t-scores any of the years leading up to 2021, no (some were changed; I believe SNGS, MGS, and SCGS all became more demanding over the years)?

[cocacoco]

floppy\" post_id=\"2074942\" time=\"1658057017\" user_id=\"97579:

Point to note.

It’s not wise and neither is it correct to co-relate affiliate t-score and affiliate AL score. The affiliate scores are determined by the school’s management and not by any fixed formula. Thus, a school who’s COP is t-score 220 may (and can) choose AL score 15, 16, or 18 as it’s COP as long as it deems fit.

It was to gauge roughly the percentage, using tscore. Does not mean that single tscore translate to a single AL. We all know it is a range.

[SG_KP1]

SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2074943\" time=\"1658057452\" user_id=\"188234:

I don't disagree with your statement. And we both know there is no fixed translation between the two systems.

But even if the affiliate scores are determined by the school's management (and not fixed by any formula, which we both agree), you can look at all of the prior affiliate t-score COPs and what AMR they came up with. Ordinally, they all lined up (school by school). So I would believe there is some logic similar to what I mentioned above as to how the affiliate AL scores were selected.

If they wanted to admit more or fewer people, they could have changed the affiliate t-scores any of the years leading up to 2021, no (some were changed; I believe SNGS, MGS, and SCGS all became more demanding over the years)?

For clarity, the reason I listed the data points in the following post was in response to the question of whether AL16 = t-score 200
https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=92233&p=2074911#p2074911
https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=92233&p=2074903#p2074903

As mentioned by floppy, I don't believe one can definitively tie AL and t-score together. Further, the school management can change the affiliate AL score if they deem fit.

But for reference, here is a list of some schools that I follow and their 2020 affiliated t-score COP / 2021-2022 affiliate AL Score:

NYGH 250 / AL8
CHS 240 / AL12
SJI 238 / AL 12
ACS(I) 235 / AL13
SNGS 230 / AL14
MSHS 226 / AL16
MGS/SCGS 220 / AL17
Various CHIJ 200 / AL20

MOE has equated ~250 / AL8 and 200 / AL20. I do believe a) there is evidence that AL16 is not close to t-score 200 as it relates to the % cohort (the original question/response), and b) it doesn't look like any schools made a big change in their relative standard between 2020 t-score affiliate COP and current affiliate AL Score. If anything, the corresponding AL scores are probably slightly easier to hit, assuming same cohort ability, paper difficulty, etc. That's neither good nor bad, probably just the way it is.

Anyways, a lot of this is in the past. If you are at a school with affiliation benefits, just try to hit the affiliate AL Score. If you are targeting any other school, just try to hit last year's COP for a chance to ballot or ideally AL X-1 to get in for sure (assuming scores across the cohort are stable). Good luck!

[zac's mum]

While we are on the topic of last year’s AL COPs…any idea when the schools will start distributing the “Choosing Your Secondary Schools” hardcopy booklet to our P6s?


After prelims? On PSLE results day?

[sembgal]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2074951\" time=\"1658062542\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2074951 time=1658062542 user_id=53606]
While we are on the topic of last year’s AL COPs…any idea when the schools will start distributing the “Choosing Your Secondary Schools” hardcopy booklet to our P6s?

After prelims? On PSLE results day?[/quote]

The book has been distributed.

[zac's mum]

sembgal\" post_id=\"2074953\" time=\"1658064521\" user_id=\"5559:

The book has been distributed.

Not at my son’s school…

[sembgal]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2074956\" time=\"1658065606\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2074956 time=1658065606 user_id=53606]
Not at my son’s school…[/quote]

https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/secondary/2021/2021-s1-information-booklet-low-res.ashx?la=en&hash=B0A68698C3EBECF934C3A6DE1AB6C4D969841BA9

Sorry, I got confused with another book. No, it has not been distributed. You may want to refer to the previous version first.

[putien]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2074951\" time=\"1658062542\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2074951 time=1658062542 user_id=53606]
While we are on the topic of last year’s AL COPs…any idea when the schools will start distributing the “Choosing Your Secondary Schools” hardcopy booklet to our P6s?

After prelims? On PSLE results day?[/quote]

\"With the availability and easy access to online information about the S1 posting process and secondary schools, we will not be printing the information booklet on secondary schools from 2022.\" from https://www.moe.gov.sg/secondary/s1-posting

[zac's mum]

putien\" post_id=\"2074960\" time=\"1658066687\" user_id=\"29927:

\"With the availability and easy access to online information about the S1 posting process and secondary schools, we will not be printing the information booklet on secondary schools from 2022.\" from https://www.moe.gov.sg/secondary/s1-posting

Thanks for alerting me so I don’t wait in vain.

Will print out the non-girls schools for DS to look at after prelims. He needs a tangible hard copy to flip thru, make notes on, rank the potential 6 choices etc.

[SG_KP1]

Technospaz\" post_id=\"2074937\" time=\"1658054881\" user_id=\"135989:

.....
The fact that MOE can confidently say that the highest AL score for entry into the Express stream is 20 implies that there's some algorithm which they've used to ensure that XX% of students get into Express and this may only be possible if there's some bell curve action going on (?)

Admittedly, I have little (or no) experience with AL scoring and MOE thinking so please take my comments with a bucket of salt. Just thinking aloud and wondering whether there really is no bell curve as claimed.

I am not inside MOE, so of course I don't know for sure. But I think this is what's going on.

The distribution of students' raw marks just doesn't change a lot year-to-year. While MOE released simulated AL COPs based on the 2020 cohort's PSLE raw marks, I'd guess that they looked at many years of data when deciding where to set AL1, AL2, etc or each subject, and as a result they had a good idea of how the distribution of Total AL scores changes (or doesn't change) from year to year.

Hence, every year there is a somewhat normal distribution of scores that creates a distribution that resembles a bell curve. As you mention, it's possible that in any one year RI/RGS ballot at AL10 whereas in another year all of IP ballots at AL4, but this just isn't likely. Still, based on all of MOE's comments I don't believe there is a \"forced distribution\" where only a certain number of students can get AL4, AL5, AL6, etc.

HMT and Third Language previously floated at Top 10%. Some years this was 250, other years 252. MOE has now set this at a fixed AL8. In any year, the % that qualifies could be slightly more or slightly less than 10% [Edit: replaced AL8 with 10%]. I don't think they really care that much if it shifts a bit. They can always change the threshold if scores are persistently higher or lower, and they feel it is necessary.

In 2020 PSLE 66.3% qualified for Express while in 2021 PSLE 68.4% qualified for Express. There was some discussion last year, but I think based on the way the AL bands for each subject work, it was not surprising to see a slightly larger % qualify for Express (neither good nor bad in itself). Similarly to HMT and Third Language, MOE has just decided AL20 is the Express Level (AL22 for Express/NA Option). Because they deem the papers of consistent difficulty year over year, I don't think they expect this figure to move much.

Personally, I think there is some possibility for the distribution of Total AL Scores to shift \"a bit\" over the next few years as compared to what all of the historical data shows (say 2010-2020). This is because students are now trying to optimize their AL score instead of their t-score. On the margin, there are a few changes one would make, and it is unclear whether this adjustment has run its course already.

If anyone knows otherwise, please share, as the above is only my interpretation of what the situation is.