Education getting softer in Singapore and the GEP

[Lala81]

3 hours ago, Kopites said:

Officially there are no exam in p1 and p2 according to MOE. Unofficially there were testa conducted in class to gauge the students progress. 

Evidences from the p3 class reallocation and end of year awards ceremony. Check your child p3 classmates. More or less you can guauge from there.

 

Yeah I know how my kids pri school sorts its students.

My girl was not in the top class. Then they sorta randomly distribute the academically better students to half of the classes. My girl changed classes after p3 and p4. Now p5. 

[Kopites]

17 minutes ago, Lala81 said:

Yeah I know how my kids pri school sorts its students.

My girl was not in the top class. Then they sorta randomly distribute the academically better students to half of the classes. My girl changed classes after p3 and p4. Now p5. 

My P3 boy form teacher teaches MTL Chinese in his school.    

My boy and a few others from his class were assigned to another class with another teacher for his MTL lesson.  I was puzzled when wifey told me the few transferred out together with him received the annual school awards in their P1 and P2. So to speak school generally mix weak and strong in one class. Than reassign again to different class for different lesson.

Resemblance academic streaming imo. 🤔 Just discreetly. 

Also there were tests conducted in P1 and P2. Results not known to parents. My boy told me after various tests teachers would assign those not doing well to attend after school remedial classes. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Kopites

[Wind30]

40 minutes ago, Tianmo said:

This thing about not showing the high-low-median scores started many years ago. I don't know why you are only facing it now. 

I said YOU call and ask for it, not ask your daughter to ask for it, there is a different you know? You need to know how schools react differently to the same requests from students and parents.  

Why need to wait for PTC? I already mentioned there is no need to wait for PTC, if it is so important to you, call the teacher tomorrow and get it from the horses mouth. There is a simple thing call take action. 

Well, I do it every year for not for the same child. And yes it was important for me in the beginning,  but not after I realised it is actually not very useful. 

You have no control over the high-low-median scores, hell you might not even be able to control how well your daughter place herself there. That median changes, and many factors can lead to that change, which you have no control over. Are you going to keep chasing after  that median score? 

If you focus on setting your target at a certain score, which is anywhere above 70%, and keep that score constant,  you will most of the time be above the median, however that median move.  How often do you get a median above 65?, yes there will be, but how often? 

If you leave her alone when she is above median, then if she comes back consistently around the targeted score, you leave her alone. Simple right?

Passing is 50, if she comes back sub 50, obviously she is weak in that subject. Even if the paper is tougher than it has to be, she won't do better than 55 on her good days, still consider weak. If she comes back 80, she is quite safe, unlikely lower than 70 on a tougher paper. 

So instead of focusing on things you can manage, you are making noise on things you cannot control.

Why need to make simple things difficult? 

OK lah, I simple mind talk simple also.

 

I agree with mostly what u write. Without it, we will have to guess what the median is, it will make the assessment less accurate. There are two ways out, 

1) throttle way of continuous self improvement, no benchmark is needed

2) using a fixed benchmark like u suggested, which is what my civil service friend say MOE is pushing for. However, this way require the benchmark to be fairly consistent across different subjects/years/schools. Funny u ask me how often u get a median score above 65? It seems your median scores are mostly below 65?? The median scores I have from 2021, sec1 has an average of 76 across 7 subjects with all of them above 65. That is my point, the median is not well controlled. 

The point of my thread though is not specifically on the removal of median scores though but this relentless trend of making assessments less accurate and sort of nerfing education. Less exams, less accurate assessments, less work, less school, more holidays, 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Wind30

[Jamesc]

13 hours ago, mersaylee said:

I thot it was Lay's...up by a dollah from 3+ to almost 5...when ah wong said 7 going 8...😁

And here is the stats to prove it.

https://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/99089-state-of-the-industry-2022-chips-continue-to-reign-supreme#:~:text=At Frito-Lay%2C its Lay's,13.2%) followed close behind.

[Tianmo]

14 minutes ago, Lala81 said:

Yeah I know how my kids pri school sorts its students.

My girl was not in the top class. Then they sorta randomly distribute the academically better students to half of the classes. My girl changed classes after p3 and p4. Now p5. 

This thing about not having a top and last class started something like 15 years ago, when my eldest daughter was in pri sch.  I think her batch was the first to go through this format, because I remember speaking to her teacher about the challenge parents and teachers will face. Not sure if it is still practice now. 

During my son's primary sch days, the sch mix top students into 3 classes and gave every class a name. These top 3 classes were hide inside the rest of the classes, but after a while we all know which are the classes. 

When he went to sec, the sch really mix them up, he had 250 and 205 classmates. But by sec 3, you can tell the top class, the biotech class.

 

[Benarsenal]

Honestly, what is learning?

True, in some aspects of life, there is benchmarking, but that doesn't apply to all. To me, so long as you develop skills to be a useful contributor to society, it really doesn't matter where you rank against your peers. Some people can be Govt scholar but completely useless, others are not good at studies but make great contributions (like our late Mr Sim Wong Hoo).

But that's just me lah.

[Kopites]

What do yours reckon the benchmark for school annual performance appraisal for teachers and staffs by Moe.

Teacher attendance or academic performance?

Surely students results speak volume when come to those annual bonus/increment breakdown. No way  Ah Seng primary school's teacher received the same as those at Raffles. 😁

 

[Jamesc]

Its not school getting softer its the parents.

Extra classes lah, tutors lah

Just give them the cane sure all As one!

jamesc MIL school of paranting.

jamesc does not approve this message.

We all learn at different speeds, every child is different.

[Jamesc]

Give them the cane sure learn at faster speed. jamesc MIL

jamesc does not approve this massage.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Jamesc

[Ody_2004]

3 minutes ago, Jamesc said:

Give them the cane sure learn at faster speed. jamesc MIL

jamesc does not approve this massage.

message or massage?? 

Need to consult you for a f**kable index liao.. the s** was shiok but i not sure i pass or not.. as i dunno where i stand.. whahahahahhaha..

[Lala81]

1 hour ago, Tianmo said:

This thing about not having a top and last class started something like 15 years ago, when my eldest daughter was in pri sch.  I think her batch was the first to go through this format, because I remember speaking to her teacher about the challenge parents and teachers will face. Not sure if it is still practice now. 

During my son's primary sch days, the sch mix top students into 3 classes and gave every class a name. These top 3 classes were hide inside the rest of the classes, but after a while we all know which are the classes. 

When he went to sec, the sch really mix them up, he had 250 and 205 classmates. But by sec 3, you can tell the top class, the biotech class.

 

The school still has a top class. My girl got the edusave award for p3 and p4. So she's somewhere around the 15-20th percentile of the school lor. 

[mersaylee]

1 hour ago, Jamesc said:

And here is the stats to prove it.

https://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/99089-state-of-the-industry-2022-chips-continue-to-reign-supreme#:~:text=At Frito-Lay%2C its Lay's,13.2%) followed close behind.

I tink it's time to get educated by the branded with softer sale to be any WISEr...😁

[Jamesc]

13 minutes ago, Ody_2004 said:

as i dunno where i stand.. whahahahahhaha..

The harder the better.

We talking about lessons and education right?

[Jamesc]

6 minutes ago, mersaylee said:

I tink it's time to get educated by the branded with softer sale to be any WISEr...😁

Be smart! Why pay more?

[Ingenius]

In institutes of higher learning, they also don't display the median score. Just stating the facts. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Ingenius

[Mkl22]

1 hour ago, Kopites said:

What do yours reckon the benchmark for school annual performance appraisal for teachers and staffs by Moe.

Teacher attendance or academic performance?

Surely students results speak volume when come to those annual bonus/increment breakdown. No way  Ah Seng primary school's teacher received the same as those at Raffles. 😁

 

During my time elite school teachers are the most idle. Students are smart so just go thru the motion to teach. It is the 2nd tier schools where the teacher put in more efforts. 
similar to those tuition centers who select good student and the later boast that their student achieve top scores. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Mkl22

[Kopites]

9 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

During my time elite school teachers are the most idle. Students are smart so just go thru the motion to teach. It is the 2nd tier schools where the teacher put in more efforts. 
similar to those tuition centers who select good student and the later boast that their student achieve top scores. 

I disagree with you. A raise of hands. Who here say teacher gave them too little homework.

I concluded my teachers were too hardworking back then. Endless homeworks. Every subject trying to outdo each other in term of homework.

I dislike them all. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Kopites

[RadX]

22 minutes ago, Ingenius said:

In institutes of higher learning, they also don't display the median score. Just stating the facts. 

Haha the median score is “created” though😂😂