DSA 2012

[verykiasu2010]

Kitty:

Is it worth the effort to put the kids through the pressure of academic DSA ?


Afterall , if they are good enough for DSA , they should be able to perform as well during psle . May I know what's the advantage of taking DSA ?

Like to have some opinions from other parents here ! Thanks !!

good enough for dsa means continuous & consistent performance

PSLE performance can be affected by the following :

1. traffic condition on exam days (bus/car break down, accidents along the way), flood, etc
2. students falling sick
3. students have injury prior to exam days that affect their ability to write and concentrate

with DSA confirmed offer from a desired school will ease the pressure

if the child is expected to perform at PSLE, then DSA process is no pressure at all

[jtoh]

verykiasu2010:

Kitty:

Is it worth the effort to put the kids through the pressure of academic DSA ?


Afterall , if they are good enough for DSA , they should be able to perform as well during psle . May I know what's the advantage of taking DSA ?

Like to have some opinions from other parents here ! Thanks !!

good enough for dsa means continuous & consistent performance

PSLE performance can be affected by the following :

1. traffic condition on exam days (bus/car break down, accidents along the way), flood, etc
2. students falling sick
3. students have injury prior to exam days that affect their ability to write and concentrate

with DSA confirmed offer from a desired school will ease the pressure

if the child is expected to perform at PSLE, then DSA process is no pressure at all

To add on to what vk2010 has written, I think DSA is good for students who are exceptional in one or more subjects but are particularly weak in one subject which may pull down their overall T-score. For eg., a student may be very strong in Math, Science, English but very weak in Chinese. That being the case, the student runs the risk of not making it to a top school because of one subject.

In primary school, MT makes up 1/4 (25%) of total marks. In secondary school, MT makes up 1/7 (14%) of total marks. So not doing well in one subject at PSLE doesn't mean you won't do well in secondary school. And secondary schools recognize this.

Whether DSA is stressful or not depends on the parent and child. If you choose to go for multiple DSAs, yes it is time consuming and possibly stressful. But if you choose to go for 1-2 DSAs, it shouldn't take up that much time. But be realistic. If you are not outstanding in any particular subject, then give it a miss. The time may be better spent revising and boosting up your T-score.

[phankao]

Kitty:

Afterall , if they are good enough for DSA , they should be able to perform as well during psle . May I know what's the advantage of taking DSA ?

I do wonder about how accurately PSLE tests a student? Certainly not their personality or tenacity, their learning style. I have no PSLE high-scorers among my children. In fact, all of them performed below the PSLE non-affiliated score cut-off points for their secondary school. I still don't know how my no.3 will cope with that sec school, but my no.1 managed it alright. And as for my no.2 who is in an IP school, he has interestingly coped well despite his PSLE score being lower than COP, and his GPA is consistently good and better than the students that scored 260+ at PSLE. He is a rather independent learner, mixes well with his peers and works well on projects. But if not for DSA, he would not ever have had the opportunities he has in his current school. You would know your child best, and if he/she will be suitable or pressured by DSA. And if he/she has the learning style/personality to cope with IP.

[Kitty]

Thanks for all the replies.


Dear jtoh,
do you mean for academic DSA, they will only be tested on a particular subject ? I only know NUSH will test on maths & science…
How abt. sch like NYG or RGS ? Their academic DSA is not on all 4 subjects ?

[jtoh]

Kitty:

Thanks for all the replies.


Dear jtoh,
do you mean for academic DSA, they will only be tested on a particular subject ? I only know NUSH will test on maths & science..
How abt. sch like NYG or RGS ? Their academic DSA is not on all 4 subjects ?

Mainstream students who DSA at RGS and NYGH via the academic domain will first have to sit for a General Ability Test (GAT). If they clear this, they will then be invited to sit for a test on the subject of their specialty, which they would have indicated in their application form. If they clear this subject test, they'll be invited for an interview.

[Funx3]

Kitty:

Thanks for all the replies.


Dear jtoh,
do you mean for academic DSA, they will only be tested on a particular subject ? I only know NUSH will test on maths & science..
How abt. sch like NYG or RGS ? Their academic DSA is not on all 4 subjects ?

My Gal's DSA Academics Classmates in RGS comes from Specific Domain -
DSA Maths, DSA Sc, DSA English (Notice .... No DSA Chinese? )

But I'm Pretty Sure the Sch Will Definitely Look at Overall Academic Performance in P5 to P6.

[Kitty]

Just for my curiosity…


RGS & NYGH will accept all application for their GAT ? Or will they look at P5 & P6 results before deciding whether the child will be given a chance for the GAT ?

[Funx3]

Kitty:

Just for my curiosity...


RGS & NYGH will accept all application for their GAT ? Or will they look at P5 & P6 results before deciding whether the child will be given a chance for the GAT ?

If I Recall Correctly, Fees paid for DSA Submission is inclusive of GAT Test

[Kitty]

Thanks everybody for clarifying my questions !

[Zekezachzoom]

Dear all experienced mums & dad here…


Riding on kitty questions, I too am trying to figure out whether a DSA route is better for my DS. I am not sure to put him through sport or academic DSA. He is very strong is math & science (constantly in the 90+ range) but rather weak in languages (around 80 range). He is in the school track & field team and won medals for his school in team & individual events. He is also a school prefect and a exco member. I am worried that if I put him thru sport DSA, the school will have certain expectation on him to excel in his sport and the academic will be secondary. Since he is not bad in his study, I am thinking of trying academic route instead.

Please give me some advice if you have similar experiences with your DC. Thanks.