Networking Group - JCs General

[00skyblue00]

jedamum\" post_id=\"2100290\" time=\"1678105722\" user_id=\"159:

Numerical grades r pointless with no reference to how the peers are performing on same paper.
As a parent w kid who scored 60+ in mid yr in a particular subj in sec4/Y4, there was no stress until the teacher informed me that it was a poor grade n mentioned he might go below 60 in next test if nothing was done to address the poor study/writing techniques. Then with the teacher's systematic Jun revision plan, extra hw, remedial n monitoring by both teacher n parent, with no tuition, my kid got a low A1 grade by eoy.

Was this in recent years? Can PM which sch is this?

[00skyblue00]

Now schs don’t release such info on relative performance anymore. Kids are supposed to try to improve based on own results and targets.

[jedamum]

00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2100294\" time=\"1678107387\" user_id=\"143605:

Was this in recent years? Can PM which sch is this?

Oh? Maybe IP sch n Olevel sch mid yr pp are structured differently? My experience is w IP sch. My apologies. I cannot visualise how a full mid yr paper that tested on topic not taught can be useful.

[jedamum]

00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2100296\" time=\"1678107671\" user_id=\"143605:

Now schs don't release such info on relative performance anymore. Kids are supposed to try to improve based on own results and targets.

Yes, schs don't issue anymore. Until your kid really is at the bottom layer n u get called up for ptm, then can ask teacher where he stand. Otherwise, u can try to write in to ask, but depending on what kind of teachers u get, the feedback can be useful or useless.

[Kimkar]

jedamum\" post_id=\"2100299\" time=\"1678108338\" user_id=\"159:

Yes, schs don't issue anymore. Until your kid really is at the bottom layer n u get called up for ptm, then can ask teacher where he stand. Otherwise, u can try to write in to ask, but depending on what kind of teachers u get, the feedback can be useful or useless.

I am not sure of other JC (but not for sec sch i thk) but my elder DD's JC prepares slides for the whole cohort after every CT and after mid yr n EOY exam. It will indicate each class' mean RP, class ranking, no of students in each class attaining 3H2 & GP passes. At the same time, there are also other slides showing each subjects' performance in % by grades (A, B,...E, S, U). So the students are well informed of their standing after each CT or exam. This is actually very informative for the students to gauge their performance and do whatever is necessary to raise the rank.

[lee_yl]

At least 30% of J1 will get results like E, S, U, for mid-yr exam, especially for H2 Econs and Physics.

Meaning, it is time to wake up and work harder!!!

[phtthp]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2100252\" time=\"1678082301\" user_id=\"17023:

Does the majority of JC students or their parents wish to have mid-yr exam or not? From an earlier online article, seems like JC students prefer mid-yr exam to be kept.

Doing away with mid-yr will penalize students who are more playful. The shock will come later during promo exams. For those who are mature, motivated, ambitious and very hardworking, with or without mid-yr exams, they will still do well. My DD1 told me she was not the only one who got a wake up call after seeing her J1 mid-yr results, all her friends also started to be more focused after seeing their respective exam results. If not for mid-yr, DD1 would probably continue going out with her orientation group friends and classmates. On the other hand, doing away with J1 mid-yr exams may not be a bad thing, with more time on hand now, can go “paktor”, hopefully more couples (and fewer singles) to help increase birth rates next time.

Did MOE mention anything about J1 retention rate under the new system? Will doing away with mid-yr exam lead to more students being retained? :roll:
Or is that MOE’s strategy to filter off those more playful and less mature students vying for the limited places in local universities

If JC(2) students truly prefer receive an earlier wake up call at mid-year,
then

students at aged 18 years old should feedback directly to their class subject 3H2 Teachers, to arrange for one.

Which one, safer ?
To get an early wake up call in mid-year (May) at JC (2) level


OR

To get a frightening late wake up call only at Prelim (August), when u are just about to sit for the actual written A-level papers, very soon ?

[phtthp]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2100304\" time=\"1678111615\" user_id=\"17023:

At least 30% of J1 will get results like E, S, U, for mid-yr exam, especially for H2 Econs and Physics.
Meaning, it is time to wake up and work harder!!!

JC (1) still got time to improve,
but not at JC (2).

[phtthp]

sushi88\" post_id=\"2100255\" time=\"1678083051\" user_id=\"100857:

It's good that your school has homogenous voices on this matter for Sec 4. Just be aware that since MOE has made the announcement of the new way, just ONE voice from anyone on no big-exam mid year before prelims in your school is a VALID voice. This VOICE will drown the homogenous voices since MOE has already spoken. The school just gotta be smart about it to calm all voices.

However, what other schools do, it may be suitable for their students. Also, it is hard to think any secondary school does not conduct WAs at all for Sec 4 when they will do WAs for all other levels. Is it ? :scratchhead: It's good to know how these schools are managing for their Sec 4, maybe they have special supplementary classes with tests included which we may not be aware of? Also, perhaps these schools have different grouping of their students (like banding but this is banding is for exam preparation) and run different programmes for them to run their last lap towards the national exam instead of just using a one big-exam method? Maybe all groups would do the big-exam method practice but at different timings? No school would want to see their students fail and all schools are accountable to MOE at the end of the day.

For the case of Term 1 and Term 2 only 5 passes A-Math in each term for an entire cohort of (?) ? If the cohort is sizable, this sounds like a problem more serious than what an emergency re-medial lesson can solve.. Do you think the teacher would not be called up by the P to answer to why such a situation can occur?

As mentioned earlier,
there are LAZY Secondary schools around.


Don't be so impressed by Principal standing on the stage on O level announcement released results dates,

flashing onto the overhead projector in the school hall in front of students collecting results that day, statistics like what 90+ % passes, for subject X. These data don't mean much.

Why ?

Example

Let's say,
a pupil scored 53 upon 100, for O-level (Elementary Maths).
So, is this considered a Pass or Fail in E-Maths ?

Of course, \"Pass\" lah !
Where got fail Maths ?
But, next question come -
is 53 upon 100, a good score or a poor score ?

Answer : such a weak score !

Never mind about this weak score.
Because

does it still constitute towards the 90%+ Passes, in subject E-Maths ?
Yes, of course !
because 53 upon 100, is still a \"Pass\" mah !
Yet,
how many parents here would want their child to score 53 upon 100, for their E-Maths ?

[phtthp]

00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2100264\" time=\"1678090844\" user_id=\"143605:

Thanks for sharing so much.
Previously, my questions were using sec level mid year exam as an example for discussion but they are also applicable to JC level too.

If the curriculum for one level is one full academic year, what are our expectations of mid year exam? Is mid yr exam half content but full exam length? Or the same format and length as EOY exam. If latter, is it even reasonable to expect students to do well, not alert alarm, when the curriculum has not been completed in class?

My sharing below
refer (apply) to a typical O-level Secondary school, not an IP school.
Because
IP school students bypassed O-level, so structure of their Weighted Assessments, differ.

=======================

1) For Sec 4 level alone,

your kid Secondary school's
exam format will follow O-level style.

Different school, different stroke !
Some schools don't even bother to conduct any mid-year (May) exam, at Sec 4 level for their students.

But,
for those more hardworking schools who do happen to conduct one,
the extent they testing which topics (chapters), also differ.
No fixed rule.

Example


Some schools are hardworking.
So, for Sec 4 level mid-year (May month) exam,


1a) some schools
may test

just only the
Sec 4 topics been taught in both (Term 1 + Term 2)
up to the end of April 20xx,

if let's say we assume that
the mid year exam is held on 3 May,
ie.
held right after Labor's day on 1 May (public holiday)

Because schools should not test what haven't been taught yet, to students.


OR


1b) other Secondary schools may test
the entire Sec 3 syllabus that had already been taught in the previous year

Plus
Test only those Sec 4 Term 2 topics that were also been covered,

but omit out
testing Sec 4 Term 1 topics
because these had already been tested before,
in the earlier Sec 4 Term 1 exam (mid-February).


==========================

1c) when come to Sec 4 Prelim (August month),
then,

schools will
test the entire O-level syllabus, for that subject.

Thus,
Sec 4 students must stay alert, to find out which topic, no need to test.

Example

During pandemic in past recent years, MOE made some announcement changes.

For subject Pure Chem,
that chapter on \"Organic\" Chemistry, was taken out.
No need to test.


=========================


2) for JC (2) level alone,

If the JC happen to conduct a mid-year exam (May),
then
the format will follow closely to actual A-level exam format.

But which H2 subject topics to test, will again differ, for each JC.