School Examinations Too Difficult

[janet88]

My son is sitting for PSLE this year.

School fees are cheap, but teachers can’t seem to teach a class of 41.

He has Chinese tuition all these years. Hubby refused to accept son needs help for math. After failing CA1 and SA1, he finally gave up. He just couldn’t coach him, even just daily homework was a daily torture.

After he started math tuition, he managed to pass SA2 with a 50.
For science, what was tested for exams was so tough. The MCQ section is tough to score even 54 or 58. There are many more exams to sit for in life. Is it necessary to set such tough exams at such a young age ?

[optimistforum]

Hi Janet_lees88


I hope you are well.

I do think it is good to set tough exams at an early age; children then reaslise about the successes and failures in life - and are suitably prepared for them.

I do hope that you do not go through the dumbing down of education, as we did here in the late 80’s to 2011 (this is now being rapidly addressed to take us back up the PISA rankings - and hopefully to the top). Competition is good and you are ultimately looking to prepare your children to help sustain the spectacular performance of your country - in the future.

We now live in one big global market and a lot of people outside of Singapore venerate the MOE’s superb efforts to educate. Your country is best placed (because of your challenging education system and native values) to competitively trade with Europe, China, Japan and the USA

[Chenonceau]

Wow! I now realise that parents like tianzhu have tried to raise in 2008 the same issue that faces us today in 2012.


2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

5 years ago… and NOTHING has changed. It looks like the government is intent on cramming down our throats an educational system they think is perfectly rational but that has made no sense to parents for at least FIVE years.

Best reason to shut up and suck it up. Feedback is a waste of time. Superior minds don’t believe our pain… and cannot see it. Kids MUST fail for the exam to be a good one? I too learnt this theoretical principle when being trained to write exams. BUT see… I use theory to help me. I don’t allow theory to tyrannise me. Some sort of practical observation of the effects of blindly following theory is in order…

One thing is sure… as batch after batch of parents go through PSLE, more and more people will realize the system is sick… and the numbers will add up despite MOE’s best efforts at rationalising the why and wherefore of today’s system.

No one cares about the why and wherefore… people are only interested in the daily experience of being educated. For 5 years now, that experience has not been good.

[Chenonceau]

optimistforum:

Hi Janet_lees88


I hope you are well.

I do think it is good to set tough exams at an early age; children then reaslise about the successes and failures in life - and are suitably prepared for them.

I do hope that you do not go through the dumbing down of education, as we did here in the late 80's to 2011 (this is now being rapidly addressed to take us back up the PISA rankings - and hopefully to the top). Competition is good and you are ultimately looking to prepare your children to help sustain the spectacular performance of your country - in the future.

We now live in one big global market and a lot of people outside of Singapore venerate the MOE's superb efforts to educate. Your country is best placed (because of your challenging education system and native values) to competitively trade with Europe, China, Japan and the USA

So tough testing is all that makes a good system?

[Chenonceau]

tianzhu... :udaman:

[optimistforum]

Chenonceau. It is both the journey and the destination. Regardless of whether the system is hard or easy, you still need to a have test at the end of it to judge the performance levels.

[Chenonceau]

optimistforum:

Chenonceau. It is both the journey and the destination. Regardless of whether the system is hard or easy, you still need to a have test at the end of it to judge the performance levels.

I am glad you think that. The destination may be worth the while... but the journey there is not up to par. Until schools stop testing what they have not taught, Singaporeans will have to do their learning outside school in order to cope with school exams.

In Singapore too, we get these difficult differentiating exams (instead of formative exams) every quarter from Primary 3 onwards... it is not just at the end that we get differentiating exams where material not taught is tested.

[wiimum]

I fear the situation is going to get worse. I see advertisements in the papers : Prepare your P4 P5 kid for the PSLE. The pressure is mounting from before P6 now.

[happyheart]

Chenonceau:

optimistforum:

Chenonceau. It is both the journey and the destination. Regardless of whether the system is hard or easy, you still need to a have test at the end of it to judge the performance levels.

I am glad you think that. The destination may be worth the while... but the journey there is not up to par. Until schools stop testing what they have not taught, Singaporeans will have to do their learning outside school in order to cope with school exams.

In Singapore too, we get these difficult differentiating exams (instead of formative exams) every quarter from Primary 3 onwards... it is not just at the end that we get differentiating exams where material not taught is tested.

:goodpost:

[kitty2]

Chenonceau:

Wow! I now realise that parents like tianzhu have tried to raise in 2008 the same issue that faces us today in 2012.


2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

5 years ago... and NOTHING has changed. It looks like the government is intent on cramming down our throats an educational system they think is perfectly rational but that has made no sense to parents for at least FIVE years.

Best reason to shut up and suck it up. Feedback is a waste of time. Superior minds don't believe our pain... and cannot see it. Kids MUST fail for the exam to be a good one? I too learnt this theoretical principle when being trained to write exams. BUT see... I use theory to help me. I don't allow theory to tyrannise me. Some sort of practical observation of the effects of blindly following theory is in order...

One thing is sure... as batch after batch of parents go through PSLE, more and more people will realize the system is sick... and the numbers will add up despite MOE's best efforts at rationalising the why and wherefore of today's system.

No one cares about the why and wherefore... people are only interested in the daily experience of being educated. For 5 years now, that experience has not been good.

Something has changed,PSLE getting more difficult each year!!!