Hi everyone!

I’m attending RGS next year as a year 1 and I’d like to know more about the timetable of an RGS student. Is there enough time to study if one is in RSP, and has a sports CCA and a merit CCA? I’m probably joining FPSP too. What do you think I should drop?

ProudOfMyKids:

ProudOfMyKids:

This year Cedar have only 3 IP classes compared to SNGS 6 IP classes.
SNGS have twice the number of IP classes but COP is still much higher[quote]

Firstly, to save myself any bombardment, this is not a post against any school, in particular Cedar which is the case study I am using, but a general rant against the deficiency of the PSLE posting system which I think parents should be fighting against.

Is it confirmed that Cedar has only 3 IP classes this year?

If it is really true, then this answers my argument that while the intake number is not the only factor that affects the COP, it is easily almost singularly the main culprit!

The who have attended the Cedar Open House or enquired at the school would have been told that the intake this year is likely to remain unchanged from last year.

Correct me if I am wrong but last year, IP intake at Cedar was 160 students, +/-10, the equivalent of 30/32 in a class. If the IP intake at Cedar this year is only 3 classes, then this works out to only 90/96 students, a CUT of -40% in intake???

I have repeatedly stressed that the number of places available is the black box in the equation and why the MOE is reluctant to disclose this number.

We have a cohort which is 10/11% less than last year's Dragon cohort and the lowest in the recent 5-6 years. The expectation is for the COP for schools to fall especially that the scores this year appeared to be lower even if there is a bunching up of the middle bulge. Yet, other than the COPs at a few of the highest tier schools, COPs generally rose across the board. The ONLY logical explanation for this is that the number of places have been cut more drastically than the decrease in the cohort size! In Cedar's case, an astounding 40%???

If one were to be hoping to make an informed choice e.g. about Cedar, wouldn't you have also hoped that the school had been able to tell you that there has been a drastic cut in the intake? I am making the assumption here that the confirmed IP intake at Cedar was only 3 classes but it tells you that up to the point when one is making a critical decision on choosing the 'best' school for his/her child, one is basically choosing blind! You have no idea! The schools also have no idea! Only the MOE........

SUPPLY of PLACES! The COP is meaningless when the MOE has decided what the ballpark COP at each school should be and is working backwards using the intake number to achieve the objective!

Lets not fight Cedar vs SNGS vs MGS vs SCGS. Don't fight the wrong battle!

This is parents vs the MOE!

This could be a duplicate posting coz i appeared to have failed the previous submission.

Well, I decided to call Cedar. The school is reluctant to disclose numbers. It is not able to provide the number of students that have been posted to the school. Really meh.....? Students already reported to the school this morning leh...... and and still don't know the total number? Why so hush hush?

So out of curiosity, I also called Crescent Girls. This year's intake has been reduced by 1 classes from 7 classes, effectively a reduction of 16%! At least when the S1 posting was in place, this wasn't the message given out, it was that the intake is likely to remain the same!

And to reiterate, the reduction in total cohort is only 10%.

For parents, it is really difficult to make an informed choice when one has no idea on what basis one could be basing the decision on. Worst, the MOE seems intent on ballparking COPs for the schools and working backwards to achieve the objective.

Isn't the answer very obvious? I suspect if one really tries to make the effort to call all the schools, it is likely that there has been reduction in intake, and particularly so at the middle bracket schools. Of course, it is a tedious exercise and the MOE might be betting that you wouldn't make the effort......[/quote]Are you generalizing?

jheng:

Honestly I have overheard the GEP class moms in my DC's school discussing how to split their DC's project workload among themselves......Hence, I seriously wonder how many GEPper actually do all the projects themselves.......

I can safely tell u that all my friends and I did our projects ourselves. My teachers were very strict when it came to doing our projects ourselves and if anyone were to be found inviting his or her parent to do the project, the punishment would have been severe.

I think with all this...talk about the unfairness of it all, everyone seems to have forgotten the requirements for the GEPers to receive the scholarship. Any GEPer, be it me or anyone else, has to write two portfolios every year, including the year when one takes PSLE. My other fellow GEPers and I only completed our two portfolios in the month of June to July, and then we had to gear up for our SS prelims in mid August by analyzing our textbooks and worksheets and understanding the ASEAN cultures etc. In order to meet the promotion criteria, we need a 70% pass in SS. My point? We have to study 5 subjects.

And
Please, this is a Results Discussion Forum.

Let us discontinue our digressing from the main purpose of this forum.

Thanks for reading this!

Reversi:

yusim_lim:

I remember some wrote about the experience of struggling through p4 and began to thrive in P5.

In fact is is uncommon for P4 students to immediately adapt to the new system and start producing top results. Majority of the 'newbies' have test scores bordering on the baseline - 70s, and even then, this is considered quite an achievement. It is only in P5 that most Geppers start to make remarkable improvement in leaps and bounds. I think this may be due to the maturity that comes with age and experience. My 'theory' is that the GEP projects/tests require a more matured mind to view certain topics at different angle thus it will take time for students to start 'emerging from the chrysalis'.

But of course, this is purely my own thoughts...Not justified in any way.

I totally agree with what has been said in the paragraph I quoted. As a GEP student (I'm P6 this year, sec 1 the next), I went through p4 and 5 with marked differences. In p4, I struggled, with marks barely above 70 for every subject for I could not grasp the concepts quickly enough. But in p5, after I had adapted to the programme, I blossomed, my average 87.0 for the year end exams. Most of our projects, especially SS require maturity and in depth thinking, like when we are asked to link our chosen topic for the portfolio assessments to a social studies concept.
Hope this helps!

:thankyou:

I think it was my fault that I didn't clarify properly.
Within the SBGE classes, is the distribution random? :scratchhead:

Hi everyone!

I am a P6 GEP student who has already DSA-ed into RGS, so I would just like to ask if RGS sorts students according to their PSLE scores.
TIA!

Talk about potential when the child is 12.

As others have stated earlier,the child’s academic performance had been enhanced by tuition, hence leading to his being able to be admitted to a top school. In my opinion, HCI hasn’t failed. I share the same opinion as someone in the chat, that those who are complaining and lamenting the ‘failures’ of HCI have children who are coping poorly or underperforming, but of corse this doesn’t apply to everyone. What is the point of forcing a child to undergo 6-years of hardship which could be psychologically tormenting just to stay in a prestigious school? If you were to argue that this is because any parent would want his/her child to be in IP, then I have to point out that there are many IP schools now. If you seek the strong emphasis on Chinese, Dunman High does too.
Is it the prestige?
This is but a thought so please do not take umbrage.
But everyone is entitled to his/her opinion so…

I am in staunch opposition of what you say. It had always been a better known fact that HCI has the O level track for students who may not be performing well and not just a one-day old fact. But definitely, this is but a weak point to support my views. I think that your views are...a bit narrow. What is wrong with the O levels? It is not just about an express road to Hwa Chong Junior College. Think about the student. If one were to be underperforming in HCI, let's say last few in class but is yet forced to go through the 6-year programme. In the end, his A level results could be lackluster since he is may be unable to cope well during the course of the programme. Worse yet, he may be discouraged for his peers may be doing much better than he. But if he were to take the O level programme and was put in an environment where he can learn better, then what is the harm? He could produce stellar results in the O levels and be more encouraged and psychologically healthy.

Think of the student. :hi5:

I think that it is important to understand the underlying and fundamental purpose of GEP to address our doubts. Firstly, being a GEP student, I can confidently tell you that the GEPers who finish the 3 years of the Programme comprise almost entirely of those who passed the test on their own merit. Many who hothouses dropped out in my school, unable to cope with the rigorous programme. If you are worried about social problems, I must assure you that the students there are mostly similar in the fact that most are eccentric. Haha, including me. The teachers are very encouraging and they’ll try their utmost to integrate each child into the student community. To the parents who are indecisive about allowing your child to enter or attempt the test, do not worry. Let them try, don’t worry if their results are not extraordinary. Frankly speaking, my results from P1-3 were merely above average; not top, not even top 3 in my class for I didn’t see the need to study. However, after entering GEP, I was pitted against others who posessed great potential. Next to them, I realised with a sudden pang that I wasn’t half as good, but thanks to the teachers, I had really fabulous friends and I honestly felt that I was a ‘part’ of the programme. Hence, if you feel are worried that your child will be ‘left out’, fret not. The GEP community is a vibrant, caring one and I love this place more than anything. You may be guessing my age now, but yes, I’m still in primary school