PSLE 2012 - Results Discussion
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enoawng:
I'm puzzled too. Could it be 1 or 2 schools producing too many top scorers and thus pulling others down?Coolkidsrock2:
This seems to be true for 5 kids I know, out by at least 1 big figure from expectations.
True for my DD. But what does this mean?
1. Cohort mean score has gone up
2. number students having 260+ t-score have increased significantly. -
slmkhoo:
Nicely said!
It doesn't say that it will endeavour to have every child score the same (top) mark. The assumption of several (many) here seems to be that given the same opportunities, teachers, materials, environment etc, every child can do equally well. I can vouch for the fact that this is not the case - my 2 kids have identical environment, support, teaching etc etc available to them, but one consistently underperforms compared to the other by a large margin, even though she works harder and longer hours. I do support the idea of good provision and support for all, but what is best for any individual child also varies from child to child. If I provided for and coached my 2 kids the same way, either one would be dead bored or the other would be quite lost. So I come down on the side of some separation into ability groups. However, I would like to see these groupings re-assessed from year to year so a particular group is not singled out as 'smart' or 'slow' for the rest of their school lives.cherryc:
MOE states that :
Our goal in education is to provide every child with the opportunity to develop holistically and maximise his or her potential. In creating opportunities for all, MOE will ensure that every school is a good school.[/color]
Probably some will get more opportunities ? Education is a child's basic right . Sports , arts , you have a choice….
Re-assessing year to year... may create more stress for parents who are competitive and strive always to be at the top. -
Sad Person:
I thought that the paper was easy but then my marks was unexpected low... What Happened?? :? :?:
my dd did nt consider it easy but managable, she had the exam jitters too... surprisingly she obtained higher then i expected. Some had all stars but cried to see score below their expectatons. No one is the same . -
moonee:
* does not matter unless it is all *(stars). Only the t-score matters.Sad Person:
I thought that the paper was easy but then my marks was unexpected low... What Happened?? :? :?:
my dd did nt consider it easy but managable, she had the exam jitters too... surprisingly she obtained higher then i expected. Some had all stars but cried to see score below their expectatons. No one is the same .
There can be 10-100 students have the same t-score depending on where you are in the bell curve. -
oldies:
I'm puzzled too. Could it be 1 or 2 schools producing too many top scorers and thus pulling others down?[/quote]Nobody to answer our questions. Don't know where to find the answers.Very stunned n puzzled.enoawng:
[quote=\"Coolkidsrock2\"]This seems to be true for 5 kids I know, out by at least 1 big figure from expectations.
True for my DD. But what does this mean?
1. Cohort mean score has gone up
2. number students having 260+ t-score have increased significantly.
My daughter was in the top 10 range in her school. Now the others who were far behind has overtaken her.
Now I know how the hare, in the tortoise and hare story, felt after the tortoise had won(though we did not fell asleep like the tortoise). -
Seems like there are lots of students who scored extremely well, above 260, followed by another group that scored below expectation ie below 230.
The problem with PSLE is it doesn’t truly measure the child’s aptitude. All the stake is placed in one precarious basket. Anything can go wrong during this period. My friend’s DD had her period just a day before the exams! I hate to believe it’s luck but come to think of it, it might be a factor not to be scoffed at.
The marking and T-score is not transparent. Who knows if the scores are skewed one year towards MT and the next year on Math? -
cherryc:
Those highlighted in blue - how true is it? Even my friend (his DD in GEP) was telling me that they can afford to get 10-15 points less in T-score to compete with mainstreamers for a particular place in TOP school. Very UNFAIR. Infact, I will expect GEP children to get more points to enter TOP schools as they are \"gifted\"To name or not to name? (That is not the question)
Posted on Nov 22, 2012 4:26 PM Updated: Nov 22, 2012 10:26 PM
By Hri Kumar Nair
[email protected]
MOE’s decision not to publish the names of top PSLE students and schools was deemed sufficiently important to warrant mention on the front page of the Strait Times. These days, it seems anything to do with PSLE does.
I must admit that the news did not overwhelm me. The move is obviously intended to downplay the importance PSLE. But will it ease the pressure? I doubt it.
Parents, principals and teachers will still consider the PSLE to be a critical, high stakes exam. That will continue to dictate how they approach it, including the pressure they will place on our children to perform and the steps they will take (tuition) to ensure success.
The MOE has said that it will look at PSLE as part of a holistic review of the education system, and that this will take time. This is reasonable. We should avoid making hasty decisions and not lose sight of the larger picture. The real question is what is in the minds of our planners and what do they perceive the issues to be? Discouraging press reports of top performers gives very little insight on what is on the table.
Yes, every school is a good school - but some schools are better.
It is not about facilities – MOE equips all schools with good facilities. It is about the school culture, tradition, teachers and peers. You will not convince anyone that it does not matter which secondary school a child goes to.
While going to a particular school does not guarantee success, every parent wants to give their child the best opportunities possible. That means sending them to a school with the right environment and culture, which challenges students to work harder and do better. Schools with good track records will always attract more applicants.
So long as PSLE determines which school a child goes to, there will always be stiff competition, and therefore stress. This is unavoidable, and not always a bad thing. Our children should learn that getting what they want does not come easily and sometimes, things do not go according to plan. But if they do well, there is nothing wrong with letting the rest of us know about it. Perhaps others will learn and draw inspiration.
The question should therefore be about substance, not form. If it keeps PSLE, MOE should focus on ensuring a system of proper assessment and fair competition for places. There are some things they can do. For example:
Ensure that teachers teach the syllabus properly and thoroughly, so that students are not forced to look to tuition to fill in the gaps. This unbalances the playing field;
Have a robust system which properly assesses principals and teachers, and remove poor performers without delay;
Look seriously into DPM Tharman’s point about how we draw such fine lines in our PSLE scoring system. I remain unconvinced that T-scores properly measure the ability of a student; and
Get rid of direct school admissions for students in the GEP. If they are truly gifted, they can compete with everyone else at the PSLE.Mr Hri Kumar Nair is an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC -
CayennePepper:
But... the GEP curriculum is not targeted at preparing for PSLE.phtthp:
The GEP kids naturally will score better in PSLE - cos they have special teachers, special care and learn much more than Mainstream pupils.
Exposure to various things really matters. -
I love that letter to MOE. I agreed with DSA process, why GEP students are given different route compared to mainstream students?
Please keep us update with the reply from the authority. -
CKmum:
Why r some parents here getting narrow minded about d GEppers n keep targeting them juz becos their own children r nt?
To be fair for the mainstreamers.
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