<![CDATA[About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.)]]>

rascal@work\" post_id=\"1945962\" time=\"1573536419\" user_id=\"5123:

hi my son in p5 this year and was asked to take foundation Chinese and math for p6 next year. My question is it possible to enter NA course with 2 standard and 2 foundation courses ?
Allocation to NA or NT course will depend on his PSLE aggregate T score.

But according to this year’s MOE’s Choosing Your Secondary Schools ebooklet (https://beta.moe.gov.sg/uploads/s1-posting-english-2019.pdf), NT students who scored at least a C in a PSLE standard subject, or scored 1 in a PSLE foundation subject, can take that subject at NA level in secondary school.

https://postimg.cc/QH1ZWgbY

From the way it is phrased, if he scores 1 for Foundation Chinese and/or Foundation Maths, only then will they allow him to take these subjects at NA level. Likewise for Standard English and Standard Science. He should aim for at least a C in these subjects to be banded in the NA class.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/68559/about-foundation-subjects-normal-acad-amp-normal-techRSS for NodeMon, 11 May 2026 17:46:14 GMTTue, 12 Nov 2019 06:59:46 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Tue, 12 Nov 2019 06:48:10 GMT]]>

rascal@work\" post_id=\"1945962\" time=\"1573536419\" user_id=\"5123:

hi my son in p5 this year and was asked to take foundation Chinese and math for p6 next year. My question is it possible to enter NA course with 2 standard and 2 foundation courses ?
Yes possible. Have to do reasonably well in all 4 subjects (2 standard, 2 foundation).

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945974https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945974Tue, 12 Nov 2019 06:48:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:26:59 GMT]]>hi my son in p5 this year and was asked to take foundation Chinese and math for p6 next year. My question is it possible to enter NA course with 2 standard and 2 foundation courses ?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945962https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945962Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:26:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:26:45 GMT]]>hi my son in p5 this year and was asked to take foundation Chinese and math for p6 next year. My question is it possible to enter NA course with 2 standard and 2 foundation courses ?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945961https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1945961Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:26:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:04:35 GMT]]>Hi


I have a son who is ADD. I fought for him to take Add Math. He could have studied, made it to Higher Nitec.. but he didn't. So with very good scores for 4 N levels, he made it to Fitness at Nitec at ITE Central. Within 2 weeks, he was up on his own and waking me up instead. He had two Edusave awards, EAGLES and Improved Results, and made it to JEAE into Higher Nitec...except that he missed the deadline to accept it. Haha -- adolescent ADDs don't listen well to mom's nags to check results of application.

The best thing is if he gets into second year throughtrain, he will be on par with his friends who went thru' O levels. He may even go straight into Poly but we both agreed at least a year of Higher Nitec would do him good. In fact, a few days into his internship, his supervisor already offered him a place at work.

I am an educator myself... got baptised in fire for not getting him to repeat N levels. Now I get the last laugh. Especially when he knows as much as and probably more than a PE trained teacher whom he calls mum.

Let's be honest - do we remember all that we studied at tertiary level? Do we need so many JCs when more prefer to go to ITE or Poly instead and are better in their work than a uni grad?

So know your sister and her likes. Let her make the final best choice. And trust that she will make a better choice than anyone ... and live with it. 😄

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1802900https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1802900Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:04:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:04:31 GMT]]>Hi


I have a son who is ADD. I fought for him to take Add Math. He could have studied, made it to Higher Nitec… but he didn’t. So with very good scores for 4 N levels, he made it to Fitness at Nitec at ITE Central. Within 2 weeks, he was up on his own and waking me up instead. He had two Edusave awards, EAGLES and Improved Results, and made it to JEAE into Higher Nitec…except because he missed the deadline to accept it. Haha – adolescent ADDs don’t listen well to mom’s nags to check results of application.

The best thing is if he gets into second year throughtrain, he will be on par with his friends who went thru’ O levels. He may even go straight into Poly but we both agreed at least a year of Higher Nitec would do him good. In fact, a few days into his internship, his supervisor already offered him a place at work.

I am an educator myself… got baptised in fire for not getting him to repeat N levels. Now I get the last laugh.

Let’s be honest - do we remember all that we studied at tertiary level? Do we need so many JCs when more prefer to go to ITE or Poly instead?

So know your sister and her likes. Let her make the final best choice. And trust that she will make a better choice… andlive with it.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1802899https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1802899Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:04:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Fri, 28 Aug 2015 02:26:45 GMT]]>chanced upon this thread. I have a child in PSLE this year too. Similarly she has been doing badly for maths (always U grade) but was still channelled to Standard Maths. I am getting worry now is she might not be able to clear his PSLE, if she gets U grade again in PSLE. He is also not strong in his Science (30-ish) and English (40-ish or jus pass). Is having U grade, the child will not be able to proceed to secondary?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1567715https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1567715Fri, 28 Aug 2015 02:26:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:04:23 GMT]]>my friend asked :


if her son taking Foundation subjects in both Maths & Science, does it mean most likely end up in Normal stream (Secondary school) ?

how do schools compute T-score, for Foundation subjects ?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1484681https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1484681Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:04:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:23:19 GMT]]>yes the breath is shorter but the depth is almost the same for each topic

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1260058https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1260058Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:23:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 02:05:44 GMT]]>

kitty2:
beanbear:

If grade for a subject could put your sister in the NT stream.


Well said but getting an U grade for Maths & English need to retain!I have a friend's son scoring As for other subjects but got an U for Maths,he needed to repeat his P6!

This is key to take note, The system is unforgiving. F Maths is not much simpler compared to Maths. The standard for Paper 1 is rather similar. They just cover less topics.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1233739https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1233739Sun, 09 Mar 2014 02:05:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 01:45:01 GMT]]>I know of a few youngsters who have taken the "N" level -> ITE -> Poly -> Uni route. One of them is currently in NUS now. So I believe, NT -> ITE will also stand a chance at poly and university.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1207210https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1207210Thu, 06 Feb 2014 01:45:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sun, 02 Feb 2014 01:40:08 GMT]]>

beanbear:
If your sister is getting 20+ marks for Math, it may be worth considering taking it at Foundation level and taking other subjects at standard level. If she is already failling all subjects, it may be an indication that she is not ready for \"express\" stream.


My DD, also was borderline/failling in Maths and borderline for Science and English, did well to go to NA. She is now very happy in her school as she is doing well so far in the tests and feel that the pacing is better for her.

Some of my dd's friends who took Fdn level did very well and could go to express stream with 190+ PSLE score. On the other, some kids who took all standard subjects but were already struggling ended up in NT as they really could not cope with the standard level of testing.

This is a strategic move that your parents need to consider carefully. A \"U\" grade for a subject could put your sister in the NT stream.
Well said but getting an U grade for Maths & English need to retain!I have a friend's son scoring As for other subjects but got an U for Maths,he needed to repeat his P6!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204561https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204561Sun, 02 Feb 2014 01:40:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sat, 01 Feb 2014 02:52:27 GMT]]>If your sister is getting 20+ marks for Math, it may be worth considering taking it at Foundation level and taking other subjects at standard level. If she is already failling all subjects, it may be an indication that she is not ready for "express" stream.


My DD, also was borderline/failling in Maths and borderline for Science and English, did well to go to NA. She is now very happy in her school as she is doing well so far in the tests and feel that the pacing is better for her.

Some of my dd’s friends who took Fdn level did very well and could go to express stream with 190+ PSLE score. On the other, some kids who took all standard subjects but were already struggling ended up in NT as they really could not cope with the standard level of testing.

This is a strategic move that your parents need to consider carefully. A "U" grade for a subject could put your sister in the NT stream.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204255https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204255Sat, 01 Feb 2014 02:52:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sat, 01 Feb 2014 01:17:33 GMT]]>There are pupils who took foundation subjects and were offered Express.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204226https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204226Sat, 01 Feb 2014 01:17:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Sat, 01 Feb 2014 00:43:17 GMT]]>

guaigirl24:
sigh... that's the way our education system is..I don't understand why they must make the streams so rigid.

I know of friends on primary school who were in the \"worse\" class and took foundation subjects, yet did Higher Chinese too. They went into Normal stream and did well academically. It is unfair that they have to stay in secondary school for an extra year. In fact, I don't see the rationale behind using a national exam as a \"funnel\" to determine whether a student is \"good enough\" to... sit for another national exam! :scratchhead:
I think you should re-examine some of your premises. I have a daughter who is weak academically, and so maybe I have a lightly different take on things. I also have a daughter in a highly-rated IP school, so I think I can see things from both ends of the spectrum.

Points to ponder:
Why should it be 'unfair' to take an extra year in school? Your friends did well academically in the end, and maybe that extra year helped? I am intentionally building extra time into my daughter's schooling as I feel that will help her cope better. And financially, it means another year of educational subsidy from the government.

Why do you object to 'funnelling'? Although I am not in favour of streaming in pr school, I do support streaming at higher levels for the benefit of the various groups of students. Students who are very advanced can be bored and demotivated if held back, and students who are struggling can be lost and demotivated if pushed too fast. Either case is bad. I don't like separating the streams as much as they are in our current system, and I would like to see more flexible lateral movements to handle kids who 'wake up' or want to slow down later, but that's another issue.

For your sister, take a good look at her strengths and maturity. Maybe the extra time is what she needs if she is a later maturer. Maybe the slower pace is what she needs if she is slower to grasp new concepts. A concern is the perceived lack of motivation of peers if she is easily-influenced. My daughter isn't easily-influenced, so that is not one of my worries. Being pushed to keep up can be very stressful and demoralising even if she doesn't show it (yet). All these factors need to be weighed when helping your sister make decisions about her educational future. But taking the slower, less-prestigious path is not necessarily the worse choice.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204220https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204220Sat, 01 Feb 2014 00:43:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:38:09 GMT]]>sigh... that's the way our education system is..I don't understand why they must make the streams so rigid.

I know of friends on primary school who were in the \"worse\" class and took foundation subjects, yet did Higher Chinese too. They went into Normal stream and did well academically. It is unfair that they have to stay in secondary school for an extra year. In fact, I don't see the rationale behind using a national exam as a \"funnel\" to determine whether a student is \"good enough\" to... sit for another national exam! :scratchhead:

Do you mind sharing, did you go to JC, Poly or ITE after your O-Levels?

We would like to know more about the N(T) programme and the pathways after finishing secondary school.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204175https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204175Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:38:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:30:57 GMT]]>TheWriter, thank you for your response and sharing! :udaman:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204174https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1204174Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:30:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Fri, 24 Jan 2014 11:53:48 GMT]]>Hello guaigirl24


The education landscape has changed tremendously since I last sat for my N and O levels.

Should your sister take Foundation subjects

Hopefully not, but this is my personal opinion. The school is right, in that offering foundational level subjects in a way dooms the child to the Normal stream and is an insidious replacement for what used to be EM1, EM2 and EM3 streaming at Primary 4.

Maths, Science and even English (which I teach) at the PSLE level can be reduced to a set of rules and strategies to apply conscientiously. You may not develop a love for the subject, but you will do decently well. My hunch is that the school is hoping to instil these rules and strategies, but whether or not these will be picked up by your sister depends very much on her emotional maturity. There isn't a definitive answer in this case.

2 national examinations?
Your summary of N(A) students taking N, then O-levels/PFP is correct. However, the standards for N-levels is a lot easier. The rationale for having two national examinations for N(A) is that the N-level exam is a filter. Those who did badly even at N-levels, or borderline cases (\"I didn't die at N levels but the scores tell me I probably will die at Os\") will head to ITE. Those who then remain will mug harder and try to do well enough to qualify for poly. N(T)s in my time didn't have this option; they were destined for ITE the minute they got into that stream. If I am not wrong, they are still not given the option to proceed to Polytechnic. I had a friend who did O levels as a private candidate during his first year of ITE just so he could enter a polytechnic the following year.

ITE vs Poly

Polytechnic, at its root, is still a vocational college. It was founded to meet demands for skilled workers. It is only in the new millennia that it went through a facelift, rebranding itself as a viable alternative to the Junior College route by offering specialised diplomas that are arguably more academic than vocational, such as Chinese studies or Biomedical Science. However, the stigma associated with the place has not gone, even as young students embrace it as a vibrant, hip school. This would be its main difference from ITE in my opinion, but I may be mistaken.

Final words
I have tried to address all your questions to the best of my ability. In summary,

1) Despite revamps to the education system, it is still very much a funnel. Old systems of sorting students (that our generation railed against) have only given way to new ones under the guise of \"Foundational\" level subjects and PFP.

2) Whether or not your sister should opt for N(A) is not easy to answer. You will have to bear in mind that being in N(A) means she will be in an environment of (mostly) unmotivated students, and teachers who will consciously or unconsciously pre-judge and set lower expectations of them. It is hard to do well when you live in a system where your friends don't care, your teacher sets a low bar and the system tells you you are so dumb you need to stay in secondary school an additional year.

TheWriter

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1200172https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1200172Fri, 24 Jan 2014 11:53:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to About Foundation subjects, Normal (Acad.) &amp; Normal (Tech.) on Fri, 24 Jan 2014 10:06:55 GMT]]>My mum feels that it will be better for her to go to the Normal stream. She has seen us (my sister's 3 older siblings) gone through secondary school and she feels that my sister will not be able to take the stress/pressure/academic rigour.


Well, actually it is quite the opposite. She is not at all stressed or very much bothered/concerned about her studies...

However, all 3 of us older kids have gone through Express stream, so we do not know much about the Normal stream.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I know,

N(A) is similar to Express, just that after 4 years, take N-Levels, then the following year (Sec 5) either take O-Levels, or go to Poly under PFP.
I find this quite a silly idea. Take 2 national exams in consecutive years, and both are about the same standard??

N(T) is supposed to be a more hands-on and vocational approach (???) but from one person whom I know, is it also the same, study, go for tuition etc., then they take N(T)-Levels after 4 years and then go to ITE.

What is the difference between ITE and Poly education?
Can N(T) students go to Poly directly after secondary school? From the education progression chart thingy from MOE, N(T) students have to go ITE, the Poly... why?

http://www.cutoffpoint.sg/images/sg-edu ... dscape.jpg

Your advice is greatly appreciated! 😄

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1200125https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1200125Fri, 24 Jan 2014 10:06:55 GMT