Petition to Review the Singapore Education System

[looking4Tutor]

Thousand of apologies, I tot SALL was responding to my post pertaining our educational system retards development of sports talents for the heartlander children because of the cost and time involved.


I shamefully tot that SALL is pointing a fact to me that MOE is sucessfully developing sports talents through the 2 or 3 sessions of CCA. :slapshead:

My sincere apology to SALL. :celebrate:

[Chenonceau]

looking4Tutor:

Thousand of apologies, I tot SALL was responding to my post pertaining our educational system retards development of sports talents for the heartlander children because of the cost and time involved.


I shamefully tot that SALL is pointing a fact to me that MOE is sucessfully developing sports talents through the 2 or 3 sessions of CCA. :slapshead:

My sincere apology to SALL. :celebrate:

[sall]

No problem. Apologies accepted. :celebrate:

[2ppaamm]

Chen, did you see MOE’s facebook page? They say T-score is not based on bell curve. I know for sure it is, unless it was changed in recent years and I have not kept updated. (Which is quite weird because my last child went through PSLE in 2009).


Then, how is T-score calculated? I know the subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results, but T-score is.

[Chenonceau]

2ppaamm:

Chen, did you see MOE's facebook page? They say T-score is not based on bell curve. I know for sure it is, unless it was changed in recent years and I have not kept updated. (Which is quite weird because my last child went through PSLE in 2009).


Then, how is T-score calculated? I know the subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results, but T-score is.

Pam... that was what I thought too. I have some vague recollection of basic PhD coursework but I wasn't very sure since I think I have forgotten much of it. Statistics packages are convenient. They allow me to press buttons and the statistical software does everything.

The MOE communicated that T-score stands for Transformation Score. I did wonder if it was the Box-Cox Transformation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_transform... or something else - http://www.iasri.res.in/ebook/EBADAT/3-Diagnostics%20and%20Remedial%20Measures/1-Diagnostics%20and%20Remedial%20Measures.pdf

I wasn't sure. So I asked the question...
If you plot the nation's t-scores for any one year on a frequency chart, what is the shape of the resultant curve?

Lastly, there is a fair amount of literature about data transformations and it's almost always focused on transforming a non-normal curve into a normal one. If you wanna transform data, it's usually to get a normal distribution curve because the greater majority of statistical tests will only work if the assumption of normal distribution is true.

Otherwise, why bother to transform? Just use the raw scores lor.... Hence, the mere act of transforming raw scores suggests there is an attempt to make a skewed curve, normal. But well... I didn't think I knew enough to comment and was waiting for collective wisdom to kick in. There must be OTHER parents (like you) who know stats well and can share?

[Chenonceau]

We need more signatures for the petition. Trying to get 1000.


Here are the parents' comments...
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?SgEd2011&1

I particularly like the one by Magnum Thia who wrote, \"Please add : Such stressful Education systems will also put off many couple for having more kids. Baby Bonus will have little effect if the Singapore Education Systems is not thoroughly reviewed. \"

This comment speaks personally to me because I decided against Baby #3 last year because I couldn't face another PSLE.

[janet88]

Chenonceau:

We need more signatures for the petition. Trying to get 1000.


I particularly like the one by Magnum Thia who wrote, \"Please add : Such stressful Education systems will also put off many couple for having more kids. Baby Bonus will have little effect if the Singapore Education Systems is not thoroughly reviewed. \"

This comment speaks personally to me because I decided against Baby #3 last year because I couldn't face another PSLE.

The tough education system is a big reason why couples are not having more kids. Baby bonus is no push factor...jabs, diapers, waking up nights is something parents have to go through with newborns...but after that phase, it's the education system that kills for another 10 years at least.

After my son finishes his PSLE in Sep next year, I would have to continue being on 4th gear as daughter faces SA2 (P2) and subsequently Science at P3. As it is, she does not have the luxury to enjoy honeymoon at P1 this year...dread to think of P2.

[coast]

2ppaamm:

Chen, did you see MOE's facebook page? They say T-score is not based on bell curve. I know for sure it is, unless it was changed in recent years and I have not kept updated. (Which is quite weird because my last child went through PSLE in 2009).


Then, how is T-score calculated? I know the subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results, but T-score is.

Hi 2ppaamm,

What do you mean by \"subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results\"? Unless there is an official statement that gives a mark range for A*, A, B, ... etc ... I think it is always \"transformed\" based on peer results. For e.g., say in PSLE 20XX,
1) For Maths, alot of students score 95 and above
2) For Science, only few students score above 90
If your child scores 91 in Maths ... he might just get an A instead of A* that year while a 80++ score could be an A* for Science. So the \"mark range\" for A*, A, B, ... etc fluctuates each year depending on the peer results for each subject.

So while MOE replies that \"SEAB also does not allow the difficulty of examinations to ratchet up every year\" ... if there are alot of students scoring very high marks for a particular subject ... a 91 is not sufficient for an A*, a 80++ could just be a B ... etc. Hence the concern that it is not a level playing field when rich kids could afford expensive enrichment/tuition which teaches what the schools don't, highly educated parents could coach their kids (assuming they have the time and patience), ... etc.

However, if the teachers and textbooks teach everything that is examinable, then at least kids from an average or low-income background would not be significantly disadvantaged. Otherwise, even if the kid does well on his own (say 91 or 80++), the \"transformed\" subject grades and the eventual T-score would not be comparable to his peers. Hence my \"shock\" when I read posts from parents here that their bright kids struggle with their tests as a significant portion is not taught by teachers.

The above is my personal understanding. To me, some parents will always send their kids to enrichment/tuition no matter what is the system. What is important is schools and teachers have to teach ALL students what is examinable in PSLE. This would mean a bright child who is self-motivated has no issues getting into top 10% of the cohort on his own while other kids would also have a chance to make it as they would realise what they know (or don't) in schools. So we need to understand the issues on why certain schools do not practise that and how MOE can help on this (teachers overload due to other tasks? syllabus too difficult to teach? lack of good resources/materials for the teachers? ...). I strongly believe that we have lots of good teachers out there who care about the kids under their guidance.

[Chenonceau]

Coast... I'm not entirely sure but I think Pam meant this (see text in blue below, taken from - http://www.tuitioncentresingapore.com/PSLE-information-psle-guide-about-the-psle.html) -----



Grading System

For the core examinable subjects, the following grading system is adopted.

Mark Range Grade
91 and above A*
75 to 90 A
60 to 74 B
50 to 59 C
35 to 49 D
20 to 34 E
Below 20 F
For the optional subjects, the following grading system is adopted. These grades are not taken into account in computing the overall aggregate score for the pupils. However, the grades would be reflected on the PSLE results slip.

Mark Range Grade
80 and above Distinction
65 to 79 Merit
50 to 64 Pass
Below 50 Ungraded
For the EM3 Stream, another grading system is adopted as the papers that are taken are different. The follow grading system is used in grading these papers.

Mark Range Grade
85 and above G1
70 to 84 G2
50 to 69 G3
30 to 49 G4
Below 30 U
Examinable Subjects of PSLE

The Primary School Leaving Examinations consists of the examination of four main subjects and two optional subjects. The four main subjects include English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science. Optional examinable subjects include Higher Mother Tongue Language and Social Studies.

[Chenonceau]

coast:

To me, some parents will always send their kids to enrichment/tuition no matter what is the system. What is important is schools and teachers have to teach ALL students what is examinable in PSLE. This would mean a bright child who is self-motivated has no issues getting into top 10% of the cohort on his own while other kids would also have a chance to make it as they would realise what they know (or don't) in schools. So we need to understand the issues on why certain schools do not practise that and how MOE can help on this (teachers overload due to other tasks? syllabus too difficult to teach? lack of good resources/materials for the teachers? ...). I strongly believe that we have lots of good teachers out there who care about the kids under their guidance.

:goodpost: Referring to \"resources/materials\"... Not surprising leh... since the really good resource writers can sell their books for $40/= a pop if they LEAVE MOE and start their own thing.

Seriously, compare your official Math textbook with Onsponge... and then with your child's P5 SA1 paper and you will see that Onsponge is much better written and more in line with the exam paper. \"Some schools use Onsponge as the textbook\" said my son's Math Teacher.

Next, compare any of the school-based materials given on Model Drawing (whether to parents during workshops or to children in the form of textbooks and supplementary materials) with Math Heuristics' Model Approach to Problem-Solving: Stack and Split to Solve Challenging Problems Fast, and it is clear that Math Heuristics' $40/= book covers model drawing far more comprehensively and coherently in a SINGLE book than any school-based resource my son has received.