Is it fair?

[rosemummy]

cwk:

Hi,


Recently found out that the Pri Sch that my girl is studying is not being fair to all the students. What happen was the school started to stream P1 students and the better ones will make it to the top 3 class in P2. The rest of the classes made up of \"mixed ability\" pupils. And those in the top 3 classes the school is giving them supplementary (not remedial) lessons twice a week after normal school hours for their English and Maths. As for the rest of the classes, they are not given supplementary lessons except for the weaker students whom are required to attend remedial lessons. While I can understand the school's reason to stream students of different learning ability to different classes, I cannot fathom why the school needs to give supplementary lessons to these supposedly better students while little is being done to the rest. It seems like the school is paying more attention to these group of students which is kind of like tyring to \"groom\" them.

My concern is with this kind of system in place, the better students will be better while those in the mixed ability class will fall behind. It's like the income inequality - the rich becomes richer while the poor will stay poor or become poorer. sigh...

My guess is that the school is training them for the GEP selection test in P3. That's why the supplementary lessons are only for English and Maths. Many of the GEP schools do that.

[JonC]

Namely,

GEP Classes
Good Classes
Mixed Ability Classes
Not so good Classes.

There are some freak cases where big part of the whole GEP cohort didn't do that well as expected but still squeeze into IP schools, while good classes, mixed ability classes and few missed out gems from not so good classes did better.

So never rule anyone out until the result is out at PSLE. So tell yourself and your kids, do not be disheartened.

Its always the last laugh is the loudest.

Edited: In BOLD

[Brenda10]

JonC:

Namely,

GEP Classes
Good Classes
Mixed Ability Classes
Not so good Classes.

There are some freak cases where the whole GEP cohort didn't do that well as expected, while good classes, mixed ability classes and few missed out gems from not so good classes did better.

So never rule anyone out until the result is out at PSLE. So tell yourself and your kids, do not be disheartened.

Its always the last laugh is the loudest.

Well said. :salute: 不到最后关头，不知鹿死谁手.

[meinteel]

it is normal for school’s to concentrate on the top 15% and bottom 15%.


Anyway, if you child faces any problems…He/she can always request for additional help from the teachers after school. Teachers won’t reject her.

[jtoh]

JonC:

Namely,

GEP Classes
Good Classes
Mixed Ability Classes
Not so good Classes.

There are some freak cases where the whole GEP cohort didn't do that well as expected, while good classes, mixed ability classes and few missed out gems from not so good classes did better.

So never rule anyone out until the result is out at PSLE. So tell yourself and your kids, do not be disheartened.

Its always the last laugh is the loudest.

Whole GEP cohort? Which school is that?

[JonC]

Don’t get so excited lah. It’s "some" freak cases (reasonably large number compare to previous history) of the whole cohort, not the whole cohort lah. Probably its the way I phrase it is not so correct.


Their don’t do well means didn’t get the expected results, but their results are so much better and could still squeeze to IP school lah.

Do you also know that there is also GEP that are advise to move out of GEP classes and finally they did at Primary 5 or 6.

So what I am trying to get at here is your child get into GEP doesn’t mean you have to be in the ninth cloud, and if your child doesn’t, it’s not the end

[Faun]

JonC:

Namely,

GEP Classes
Good Classes
Mixed Ability Classes
Not so good Classes.

There are some freak cases where big part of the whole GEP cohort didn't do that well as expected but still squeeze into IP schools, while good classes, mixed ability classes and few missed out gems from not so good classes did better.

So never rule anyone out until the result is out at PSLE. So tell yourself and your kids, do not be disheartened.

Its always the last laugh is the loudest.

Edited: In BOLD

Just want to correct the general misunderstanding about the GEP, it is not a program to train you for PSLE. Anyway, PSLE is just PSLE, just an exam that all smart kids can do well through tonnes of drill. The GEP teach the kids HOW TO THINK, not WHAT TO THINK, hence, some of them may not do as well unless they do drills like the rest do.

[JonC]

It supposed to be thinkng. But they cannot escape the school trying to get them to do well in PSLE for KPI seek.


But there are also comment from some parents that GEP also teaches Secondary School stuff in Primary.

[jtoh]

JonC:

Don't get so excited lah. It's \"some\" freak cases (reasonably large number compare to previous history) of the whole cohort, not the whole cohort lah. Probably its the way I phrase it is not so correct.


Their don't do well means didn't get the expected results, but their results are so much better and could still squeeze to IP school lah.

Do you also know that there is also GEP that are advise to move out of GEP classes and finally they did at Primary 5 or 6.

So what I am trying to get at here is your child get into GEP doesn't mean you have to be in the ninth cloud, and if your child doesn't, it's not the end

Your first post a bit misleading lah. That's why I asked because it would be a bit incredulous that the whole cohort doesn't do well. Of course there'll be a few who don't do that well, but for majority to make it to IP schools means that the results were very good.

[briskcross]

I heard a principal emphasize that GEP students are supposed to be very smart, but it doesn’t mean they will all come out tops in PSLE, in fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t, because the focus of GEP classes is not at all PSLE.


Tuition centres should be better at training kids for PSLE, and I personally don’t think you need to be gifted to top PSLE.