GEP 2012 - Screening & Selection

[shine]

tayv:

Well, I am not trying to start a words war here.


The key point I am trying to bring out is \"You Will Never Know The Outcome Until You Have Tried\".

Let's say the situation whereby a parent kept receiving both positive and negative comments from the forum, is he/she still able to draw a conclusive decision based on all the comments?

Amongst receiving negative comments about the GEP programme, would I still let my kid accept the offer when selected? My answer is a straight \"Yes\". What did not work out for others does not mean will fail on me and what fails on me does not mean it is not good for others.

Just like a job interview, you will never know whether the company is one which you are going to be happy working in just by talking to the HR person who interviewed you.

As individual, we have to make choices all the time in our life. So go with our heart and make them.

I guess anxieties will flow starting next Thursday and parents will start asking their kids to watch out for the mysterious coloured envelope. Some of them would even hunt for the prized envelope themselves by calling the school teachers and even principals asking for the catch. What will come will definitely arrive. *PEACE*

Lets just stay cool as this is just one of the many evaluations which our kids will face along the education journey.

I’m sorry but I think you still didn’t “get it”. If you belong to the norm with a typical child and parent with typical kiasu thinking, then I would say yes, what you’ve described above should and would be the typical response. You might like to read ALL the posts, especially those in the past few days (starting pg 72), to understand the context of the questions and answers, instead of making assumptions.

Why take GEP tests? First of all, it’s FREE! Secondly, it’s good experience and exposure for the kid. Best of all, NO NEED to prepare! :rahrah: Some parents just let their child take the tests without knowing exactly what GEP entails.

Every child is different. There were parents who actually gave up GEP for the child’s sake (they believed that would be the best for their child's development), or because they have other more important priorities in life.

[FireflyMom]

tayv:

The key point I am trying to bring out is \"You Will Never Know The Outcome Until You Have Tried\".

Let's say the situation whereby a parent kept receiving both positive and negative comments from the forum, is he/she still able to draw a conclusive decision based on all the comments?

Exactly! But the question is : do you even try? That's why some parents here prefer to ask the questions first before the results are out so that they can make informed decisions. They are not trying to say their child will certainly get in. You weigh the pros and cons then decide what's best for your child. So, by your logic, do PSLE parents go to open houses in May or wait for the results in Nov then decide? If you even go to the open houses of RGS/RI or Nanyang/HCI to find out more about the schools, are you then trying to say you are CERTAIN your child will get into one of these?

tayv:

Amongst receiving negative comments about the GEP programme, would I still let my kid accept the offer when selected? My answer is a straight \"Yes\". What did not work out for others does not mean will fail on me and what fails on me does not mean it is not good for others.

That's you. Not others. If I'm not wrong, every year about 20-30 kids will reject the offer. Nothing surprising. You have a straight \"Yes\" answer but some parents do not.

I think the fundamental purpose of this forum is to ask questions when in doubt. No? :?

[tayv]

Rest my case*****

[Kiasucy]

Perhaps this can be a good guage: if the kid has been getting High distinction in all his ICAS, it is more likely that he/she be selected for GEP.

[jtoh]

Kiasucy:

Perhaps this can be a good guage: if the kid has been getting High distinction in all his ICAS, it is more likely that he/she be selected for GEP.

Not necessarily. The questions asked in ICAS are rather straightforward. I would say that many GEP students would score High Distinction in ICAS, but scoring HD in ICAS may not necessarily mean you have what it takes to be selected for GEP.

[gogoahead]

Nebbermind:

gogoahead:

my ds SA2 score is so poor and i cannot understand how come he can pass the GEP screening test....

What do u mean by 'so poor'?
I've seen kids who didn't even get band 1 for math n science For p3( ok, maybe high band 2) n got into gep, No prep, no tuition, while the one with 90ish consistently didn't even get past 1st rd. There will be some :scared: on the day of the gep selection result.

eh, 60% only, never expect band1....

[shine]

chamonix:

shine:

[quote=\"chamonix\"]

Is it possible for parents in GEP to be totally hands-off (and no enrichments/tuitions) if their children are enjoying the process but not scoring well like 70% and above? Won't the teachers have a word with the parents in such a scenario?

This is what I fear, got to be involved in their work and then no more ME time liao!

Hi Shine,

If that's what you are worrying about, then take it that certain amount of parental involvement is required by the program. From friends' experiences, this is very true.

This is the first time my son is taking school exams in Singapore. So, it is a learning experience for me. Now, I do understand why most parents still send their kids for enrichments/tuitions (or are involved in their studies) even though their kids are at the top...[/quote]Thanks chamonix for your views. Yes, I think it’s not easy to adapt to school life here if the child is used to the \"western\" education system. A friend who stayed in the States came back and the son (mid primary) could not really adapt well. The son was actually very smart (think was top student, forgot whether identified as gifted) and creative, but his creativity was not very well received here. He couldn’t adapt/conform to the rigidity of the education system here due to differing requirements.

Friend said concepts are taught differently and teachers over there are more engaging. Even his teachers here acknowledged that he would probably excel in the US, as he would feel stifled here due to the overall school environment and expectations.

Hang in there. It’ll take some time to adjust, and I’m sure your son will, with your guidance. By then, you could probably let go. :boogie:

[shine]

sleepy:

From what she relayed to me about her daily interaction with classmates, I don't find the kids in her class extremely competitive with one another. It's probably more of a 'on the same boat, if sink will sink together' kind of kinship :rotflmao:

More importantly to me, she made new friends, fostered some close friendship & enjoyed her lessons in gep immensely.

Hi sleepy, many thanks for sharing your experience, really appreciate it. You mentioned your DD has “kinship” kind of friendship. Just wondering, are her classmates majority girls?

[Puzz.06109.06109.06109zzle]

This thread suddenly so quiet. Stress....sss till i got my sinus! Since SA exam...SA results...now waiting for the selection result ! how soon? tmr? :xedfingers:

[gogoahead]

Puzz...zzle:

This thread suddenly so quiet. Stress....sss till i got my sinus! Since SA exam...SA results...now waiting for the selection result ! how soon? tmr? :xedfingers:

i thought next Monday? Anyway, i never expect my son can join GEP, he can pass the screen test already surprised us.