MOE to scrap Banding for Secondary Schools

[Daddy D]

Funz:

I think DS's school took LHL ND speech pretty seriously. Especially the part about homework. March term break, DS had quite a fair bit of homework, for June hols also. But this recent Sept term break, not a single piece of homework.

I'm sure some parents will also worry when there's less homework... And give assessment books instead... :siam:

[SAHM_TAN]

Daddy

MOE can change the system n encourage non-academics achievements...

But can the mindsets of educators and parents be changed to embrace these non-academics areas?
I think it will take a few generations...

Then must change PSLE format liao

But then hor if ever a balance bet academic and non-academic then will there be non-academic tuition centres too :rotflmao: :siam:

[MMM]

looking4Tutor:

If all secondary schools are good, do away with cut off point.


At the end of PSLE, it is about academic to get to an IP or better secondary school. At the end of O level it is about academic to get into a good JC.
At the end of A level, it is about academic to get scholarship and a good uni.
At the end of uni, it is about academic to land a good job.

Precisely. It's a chicken and egg story. Unless it's no longer about academic for sec school, JC, uni and even landing a job then people will start to look beyond academic. But in the meantime, if academic is still the main criteria, it's difficult to change that mindset.

[happyheart]

Mychildren:

Kissgurami:

Breaking News


The Education Ministry will scrap the banding of secondary schools in a move to encourage parents to look beyond academic results when picking a school for their child.

This was announced by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat at the ministry's annual workplan seminar this morning, which outlined priorities for the year ahead.

Currently, secondary schools are banded based on O-Level results, with Band 1 being the top band. Some schools, such as IP schools, are not banded. This information is given to parents, some of whom use it as a yardstick when deciding where to enrol their children.

However, the Ministry said it would continue to provide information, such as the value-addedness of schools. This measures the progress of students during their secondary school years.

Mr Heng also announced that some secondary school awards, such as the School Excellence Award, will be scrapped so that schools can focus on the core task of educating students.

The Ministry will also pump in $55 million over the next five years for every school to build its own niche area. These niche areas could range from the visual arts to wushu.

In his speech, he also urged schools to better manage the amount of homework given to students.

Schools should not set exams assuming that students have external tuition, he added. Excessive tuition, he said, can be harmful if students over-learn and become bored in class.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/moe-scrap-banding-secondary-schools-20120912

I like those in blues.

[color=#000080][b]Schools should not set exams assuming that students have external tuition.
To the above statement...how about MOE not setting exams assuming that students have external tuition? :evil:

[SAHM_TAN]

Daddy

Funz:

I think DS's school took LHL ND speech pretty seriously. Especially the part about homework. March term break, DS had quite a fair bit of homework, for June hols also. But this recent Sept term break, not a single piece of homework.

I'm sure some parents will also worry when there's less homework... And give assessment books instead... :siam:

The thing is must know what's the skills and competencies required for the child to know or else assessment bks might not serve its purpose leh.

[Chenonceau]

slmkhoo:

MMM:

[quote=\"looking4Tutor\"]If all secondary schools are good, do away with cut off point.


At the end of PSLE, it is about academic to get to an IP or better secondary school. At the end of O level it is about academic to get into a good JC.
At the end of A level, it is about academic to get scholarship and a good uni.
At the end of uni, it is about academic to land a good job.

Precisely. It's a chicken and egg story. Unless it's no longer about academic for sec school, JC, uni and even landing a job then people will start to look beyond academic. But in the meantime, if academic is still the main criteria, it's difficult to change that mindset.

It's the last statement that needs to change, or perhaps, the perception that this is the case. Employers, and the govt is a big one, need to select employees based on more than just academic qualifications. Actually, if we open our eyes and look, the reality is that a good academic qualification may help in landing the first 'good' job, but doesn't necessarily mean that the person will do well in that job, or that a person who starts out more humbly will not out-strip the early high-achiever in the end. Once this is realised, it should feed into the ealier stages too.[/quote] :goodpost: Where have you been all my life? :please:

[Musings]

MMM:

looking4Tutor:

If all secondary schools are good, do away with cut off point.


At the end of PSLE, it is about academic to get to an IP or better secondary school. At the end of O level it is about academic to get into a good JC.
At the end of A level, it is about academic to get scholarship and a good uni.
At the end of uni, it is about academic to land a good job.

Precisely. It's a chicken and egg story. Unless it's no longer about academic for sec school, JC, uni and even landing a job then people will start to look beyond academic. But in the meantime, if academic is still the main criteria, it's difficult to change that mindset.

It is no longer just about academic results to get into uni or land a job. The emphasis here is not to do away entirely with academic but to place more emphasis on non academic skills or soft skills.

I know for a fact that local Uni admissions had and are increasingly looking beyond the academics and there are many examples of students with less stellar results than the straight As students who were admitted into highly sought after courses in Uni but not the straight As students.

But this is not to say academic results are not a useful indicator of the students' potential success. For uni admissions, it is critical that the student had demonstrated a certain competence in a subject (say through their A level grades) otherwise they will fail the course even if they get admitted.

[MMM]

slmkhoo:

Actually, if we open our eyes and look, the reality is that a good academic qualification may help in landing the first 'good' job, but doesn't necessarily mean that the person will do well in that job, or that a person who starts out more humbly will not out-strip the early high-achiever in the end. Once this is realised, it should feed into the ealier stages too.

I personally felt it is a well known fact that good results will be a stepping stone. However, it doesn't guarantee your continued success in your career life. That's when the EQ and passion needs to come in. Chanced upon a separate thread on school dropouts such as Bill Gate, Micheal Dell, etc... who made it big despite not being top students....

Probably a culture thing. When I look at my US colleagues, most if not all are well articulated and confident. They are ever ready to present their case and keen to do so. But when I look at some of our young local talents, the same cannot be said about them even with the bright ones.... yes i know it's a culture thing but... I thought our education system should encourage more of such behavior (whether you are a a star or c student..) So yes, they are not as obsessed as us over results/ academic performance but they still grow up as confident individuals who can always present themselves well in the business world.

[daisyt]

I have one thing to add. Schools should set tests and school exams according to the national exam level/standards. Don’t over set and make tests/exams that it demoralise students. Educators and system should give encouragement and hope to students and not demoralise them.

[Ontheballmother]

Do u think it works? What happen to primary streaming? Schools still hv their own streaming and stressing the kids. I heard the brief of the news juz now - mentioned moe is concern over parent sending kids for tuition and giving too much hw. Look at the questions set during PSLE. The kids are not taught in school but tested during exam. Teachers start calling parent when kids are not performing. How!!! Poor kids - they are the one who really suffer. No childhood.