MOE to stop publishing names of top students?

[metz]

From MOE's website -


12.What option is there if Returning Singaporeans are unable to keep up with the schools’ academic requirements?

Primary schools must admit Returning Singaporean children to their age-appropriate levels. This is because if the children had stayed in Singapore, they would have progressed to the same levels as their peers residing in Singapore. MOE’s policy intent is to ensure that Returning Singaporeans are not worse off than their peers in Singapore. However, primary schools may, in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level.

11.Do Returning Singaporeans have to sit for school-based entrance tests for admission to primary schools?

Previously, Returning Singaporeans seeking admission to primary schools had to sit for school-based entrance tests. However, under the current enhanced admission framework, Returning Singaporeans no longer have to sit for entrance tests for admission to primary schools. Nevertheless, primary schools may conduct test(s), after admission, to determine Returning Singaporeans’ mastery of content and language. This is to provide information on the children’s current attainment level, so that they receive the appropriate help to settle back into local schools. The schools may, based on such tests and in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level.

[BluryMom]

wonderm:

Can someone enlighten me, is it true that no repeat is allowed by MOE no matter how badly a child performs in primary school?


Since we know that foreign students are allowed to start 1 or even 2 levels lower when joining our primary schools mid-way. How about returning Singaporean, are they given this option too? If so, anyone knows how many of returning Singaporean take up the chance to gain the \"over-age\" advantage?

Based on the extracted info on moe site with regards to plse 2012 result, the kids are allow to repeat psle -
\" Performance of 2012 Primary 6 Cohort
A total of 48,333 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE this year. Among these students, 47,163 students (or 97.6%) are assessed as suitable to proceed to secondary school. In terms of course eligibility, 63.1% are eligible for the Express course, 23.1% for the Normal (Academic) and 11.4% for the Normal (Technical) course.

There are 1,170 students (or 2.4%) who are assessed to be not yet ready for secondary school. Of these, students who have attempted PSLE once and are not overage may, based on the recommendations of their primary school principals, apply to Assumption Pathway School (APS) or NorthLight School (NLS), or spend another year in Primary 6 to consolidate their learning. The remaining students who are unsuccessful after repeated attempts at the PSLE or are overage will be offered a place in APS or NLS.\"

Reference:
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2012/11/release-of-the-2012-psle-results.php

[wonderm]

BluryMom:

wonderm:

Can someone enlighten me, is it true that no repeat is allowed by MOE no matter how badly a child performs in primary school?


Since we know that foreign students are allowed to start 1 or even 2 levels lower when joining our primary schools mid-way. How about returning Singaporean, are they given this option too? If so, anyone knows how many of returning Singaporean take up the chance to gain the \"over-age\" advantage?

Based on the extracted info on moe site with regards to plse 2012 result, the kids are allow to repeat psle -
\" Performance of 2012 Primary 6 Cohort
A total of 48,333 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE this year. Among these students, 47,163 students (or 97.6%) are assessed as suitable to proceed to secondary school. In terms of course eligibility, 63.1% are eligible for the Express course, 23.1% for the Normal (Academic) and 11.4% for the Normal (Technical) course.

There are 1,170 students (or 2.4%) who are assessed to be not yet ready for secondary school. Of these, students who have attempted PSLE once and are not overage may, based on the recommendations of their primary school principals, apply to Assumption Pathway School (APS) or NorthLight School (NLS), or spend another year in Primary 6 to consolidate their learning. The remaining students who are unsuccessful after repeated attempts at the PSLE or are overage will be offered a place in APS or NLS.\"

Reference:
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2012/11/release-of-the-2012-psle-results.php

Thanks for the information.

[wonderm]

metz:

From MOE's website -


12.What option is there if Returning Singaporeans are unable to keep up with the schools’ academic requirements?

Primary schools must admit Returning Singaporean children to their age-appropriate levels. This is because if the children had stayed in Singapore, they would have progressed to the same levels as their peers residing in Singapore. MOE’s policy intent is to ensure that Returning Singaporeans are not worse off than their peers in Singapore. However, primary schools may, in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level.

11.Do Returning Singaporeans have to sit for school-based entrance tests for admission to primary schools?

Previously, Returning Singaporeans seeking admission to primary schools had to sit for school-based entrance tests. However, under the current enhanced admission framework, Returning Singaporeans no longer have to sit for entrance tests for admission to primary schools. Nevertheless, primary schools may conduct test(s), after admission, to determine Returning Singaporeans’ mastery of content and language. This is to provide information on the children’s current attainment level, so that they receive the appropriate help to settle back into local schools. The schools may, based on such tests and in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level.

Thanks for the information.

[cherryc]

By Lee Wei Ling

There has been much debate in recent weeks about the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). It seems to be an extremely stressful examination not just for students but also for their parents.

When I took my PSLE in 1966, it was not in the least stressful. I was sure I would pass the examination, especially since most of the questions were multiple-choice ones. Even if one did not know the answer to the questions, one could, by a process of logical elimination, have a high chance of hitting upon the correct answer.

Indeed, the Primary 6 end-of-year examination at my own school caused me more stress than did the PSLE. As my father was planning to attend my Primary 6 graduation ceremony, I was determined to top my class. By contrast, I did not care if I topped the PSLE - for the good reason that in those days, nobody knew who topped the examination. All we were told was whether or not we had passed the PSLE. I passed; no angst over ranking; end of story.

I cannot remember if my PSLE score determined which secondary school I attended. I wanted to stay on at Nanyang where I had close friends, and it never crossed my mind that I would not qualify for Nanyang Girls’ High School.

At that time, Nanyang Primary and Nanyang Girls’ High were not among the elite schools in Singapore. Their students came from a cross-section of society. My friends included the children of hawkers as well as of millionaires. Differences in wealth never bothered us. That I think is a good thing.

Now Nanyang is considered an elite school. Some parents move house to be within 1km of the school so their children have a better chance of gaining admission to Nanyang, thus raising property prices in the area.

I view Nanyang’s elite status today with some regret. Perhaps my PSLE score would not have qualified me for acceptance to the present Nanyang Girls’ High School. But would that have been such a bad thing?

I may have been posted to a non-elite, neighbourhood school, made friends with people from all walks of life, and I would have been perfectly happy. I knew even as a child that I was materially privileged, but I also knew that I had done nothing to earn that privilege.

That the PSLE now causes so much stress is largely because the results are presented not only as grades for each subject but also as a T-score - an aggregate score derived from comparison with the scores of all the other candidates. The T-score feels like a psychological threat because admission to a school of one’s choice is decided mainly, although not solely, by it.

Another source of stress is that the PSLE now includes questions that require a written response, not just multiple-choice questions. Parents claim too that the examination questions are now much more difficult than when they took the examination.

Problem sums, especially, pose a serious difficulty. Children with a weak command of English struggle both to understand the question and to do the maths.

There are ways to make the differentiation of the results less precise, hence less stressful. Currently, posting to secondary schools is based on the aggregate T-score taken to two decimal places! If we could have a system where candidates are divided into bands (for example, between 130 and 140), with those scoring above a certain range (say 250 or 260) corresponding to the top decile of students, there would be no need to differentiate them further.

For the purpose of posting, all students within the same band would stand an equal chance of getting into particular schools. If there were more applicants than places available in those schools, entry might be based on balloting. Such a procedure would have the advantage of spreading out talented students among a larger group of schools than now.

At present, academically strong students are accepted into a limited number of elite schools. They tend to come from middle-class or upper middle-class homes. As a result, they are unaware that many Singaporean students come from poorer homes, have to do housework and may also have to help out at hawker stalls or do other odd jobs to supplement the family income.

I agree with Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat’s decision not to highlight the top PSLE scorer of the year. Given this move, perhaps the practice of having a few extra difficult questions to determine who are the "best" candidates - but which leaves so many good but not top-class candidates demoralised - might be abolished. The stress of the PSLE will be considerably lessened thus.

Still, I believe the PSLE serves a purpose. First, the T-score is an objective measure to help place students in a variety of schools according to their academic ability. Second, it also helps us channel students into the stream most appropriate for them - Express, Normal (Academic), Normal (Technical) and so on.

Yes, the examination will cause some stress no matter what we do. But a little stress is not a bad thing. After all, we will all encounter some stress some time in our lives. We might as well get used to it while we are young.

Unless we have encountered some hardship and learnt to overcome it, we would find it difficult to cope with the vicissitudes of fate. For all able-bodied Singaporean men, there is national service, a necessity to guarantee Singapore’s security. If a child is overwhelmed by PSLE, can he survive NS?

In sum, I believe the PSLE needs some modification, but it certainly should not be abolished.

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute.

[iRabbit]

Nebbermind:

FQW:

OT a bit.


What do pple here think about overseas kids joining our pri sch midway and dropping 1-2 levels? That's one area I feel puts all 12-yr old kids here [local or otherwise] at a big disadvantage. It'll be useful to know how many such cases are there each year.

Would u retain your kids 1~2years to gain this advantage? :scratchhead:

Whether I would or not is not the point. The point here is if a sizable portion of overseas students are allowed to drop 1-2 level each year, it really does skew the competition. If it's just a small number, then no issue.

[iRabbit]

slmkhoo:

Nebbermind:

[quote=\"FQW\"]OT a bit.


What do pple here think about overseas kids joining our pri sch midway and dropping 1-2 levels? That's one area I feel puts all 12-yr old kids here [local or otherwise] at a big disadvantage. It'll be useful to know how many such cases are there each year.

Would u retain your kids 1~2years to gain this advantage? :scratchhead:

How many non-Singaporeans are there taking PSLE every year? Is it a big fraction of the cohort? If it's small, does it really matter if they have some advantage in age? They have a huge disadvantage in language. If we English-speakers sent our kids to school in China, say, would we expect our kids to join their age peers if they only enter in P3 or P4?[/quote]While they may be disadvantaged in EL, they will have a big advantage in terms of MT, maths and maturity. My post is not an attempt at FT-bashing. I feel not being xenophobic doesn't mean we shouldn't call a spade, a spade. Competing against peers who are 2 yrs younger really have its advantage.

Like you, I've always been curious about how large this group of students is. That's all.

[metz]

FQW:

While they may be disadvantaged in EL, they will have a big advantage in terms of MT, maths and maturity. My post is not an attempt at FT-bashing. I feel not being xenophobic doesn't mean we shouldn't call a spade, a spade. Competing against peers who are 2 yrs younger really have its advantage.

Like you, I've always been curious about how large this group of students is. That's all.

For a rough estimate, try the difference btw no.of babies born in a particular year and no.of students who took PSLE 12 years later.

[BluryMom]

Frankly, If you think your kid is good for DSA then go ahead and compete with the rest of applicants based on the academic to get a CO. The IP sch never stop any child from applying. No point complaining unfair this and that.


Ask yourself the following situation:
- If your mainstream kid got a CO in the IP sch and yet later score lower then the sch COP in PSLE, is he/she going to withdraw and give his/her seat to the kid who meet the COP?

Really endless to this green eyes mindset which got nothing to do with this thread topic.

[sinoboy]

FQW:

slmkhoo:

[quote=\"Nebbermind\"]
Would u retain your kids 1~2years to gain this advantage? :scratchhead:

How many non-Singaporeans are there taking PSLE every year? Is it a big fraction of the cohort? If it's small, does it really matter if they have some advantage in age? They have a huge disadvantage in language. If we English-speakers sent our kids to school in China, say, would we expect our kids to join their age peers if they only enter in P3 or P4?

While they may be disadvantaged in EL, they will have a big advantage in terms of MT, maths and maturity. My post is not an attempt at FT-bashing. I feel not being xenophobic doesn't mean we shouldn't call a spade, a spade. Competing against peers who are 2 yrs younger really have its advantage.

Like you, I've always been curious about how large this group of students is. That's all.[/quote]:grphug:
Embrace them?

Their overall numbers might be small in proportion to the whole cohort but i'm curious what is their composition in top schools like Hwa Chong, NYGS, RI, RGS, GEP programs or successful DSAs either by academic or Chinese instruments. If the proportion in top/IP schools are high then are there enough places for locals to join the top JCs like HCI or RI? Judging from the COP of 3 points from 6 subjects I think not easy.