2021 PSLE Discussions and Strategies (Children born in 2009)

[laughingcat]

My very first time to post a new topic.

Children born in 2009 will be having PSLE in 2021.
The very first batch to experience new PSLE scoring system.
The very first batch to possibly having no SA1 at P5.

WOW! so much excitement. Let's us share the strategies and support one another along the way.

For the spirit of kiasuism, let's start the ball roling.

[LKY1967]

Maybe good not to have SA1. A child committed suicide after SA1 a year or so back after getting their results. The schools set more difficult exams for SA1 than SA2 (so that the children don't become cocky and switch off). This is not right. Unheard of in higher education at the best universities in the world. So why inflict it on primary school kids in Singapore? My youngest daughter is in the 2009 cohort.

I would get rid of PSLE altogether. A pointless exercise designed to foster social exclusion and elitism. Some secondary schools are effectively racially segregated (i.e. the good ones). I want my kids to grow up surrounded by kids from all racial communities. Eugenics out; racial integration in!

[Veyron]

Maybe good not to have SA1. A child committed suicide after SA1 a year or so back after getting their results. The schools set more difficult exams for SA1 than SA2 (so that the children don't become cocky and switch off). This is not right. Unheard of in higher education at the best universities in the world. So why inflict it on primary school kids in Singapore? My youngest daughter is in the 2009 cohort.

I would get rid of PSLE altogether. A pointless exercise designed to foster social exclusion and elitism. Some secondary schools are effectively racially segregated (i.e. the good ones). I want my kids to grow up surrounded by kids from all racial communities. Eugenics out; racial integration in!

When it comes to racial integration, what is taught at home is more important than in schools.
e,g if parents are racially integrated to the society, I am sure their kids will naturally grow up to be multi racial.

I am sure if MOE abolish PSLE, the same people who speak loudly about exclusion and elitism will be the first inline to register their own kids to the elite sec.

[FantasyLandDreams]

My very time to post a new topic.

Children born in 2009 will be having PSLE in 2021.
The very first batch to experience new PSLE scoring system.
The very first batch to possibly having no SA1 at P5.

WOW! so much excitement. Let's us share the strategies and support one another along the way.

For the spirit of kiasuism, let's start the ball roling.

Hmmn... maybe further DSA changes in the pipeline too, since no more P5 SA1........

[laughingcat]

FLD, I am so frustrated to hear the P5 SA1 to be removed, even my DC thinks this is a silly moves. DC reacted worse than me.

Anyway, I have already set my heart for any changes along the way liao. Sian liao

[chenlaoshi]

I hope they have planned for measures to address potential issues involving lack of practices (frequency in attempting certain components/sections esp. CL oral examination) and exam-related experiences (time management in exam situation - such as full set of paper and compo writing).

Imagine not being in 'battle-ready' mode for 9 months and then having to fight 2 'enemies' within the space of 3 months. Requires quite a lot of self discipline and monitoring.

[Veyron]

I am sure tests will still be conducted by schools, its just that it will not be weighted and reflected in report book.

From the way MOE structure the exams it does seem like Primary school will be split into 3 phases of 24 months.
P1/2 (foundation phase)
P3/4 (streaming phase)
P5/6 (PSLE phase)

[phtthp]

FLD, I am so frustrated to hear the P5 SA1 to be removed, even my DC thinks this is a silly moves.

DC reacted worse than me.

Anyway, I have already set my heart for any changes along the way liao. Sian liao

heard that ...

new changes came about, ie. removed mid-year exam for SA1 (Primary 3 / Primary 5 / Sec 1 / Sec 3) across odd level is, because :-

more and more, increasingly cases of Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are being reported, and teenagers' self-harm cases on the rise, particularly at Upper primary & Secondary level at National level, due to academic stress imposed by parents, at home, and also by subject Teachers in school, particularly those Teachers teaching in Top few Upper primary school classes . Many students hate study after Psle, after
enter Secondary school
(Parents, beware )

Teachers, if you are a school Teacher, teaching subjects in those Top few classes, after students get streamed at end of P4, into P5 classes, also beware.

Why say that ?

real life example

In one of the popular primary schools, there is this Teacher teaching Science to P5 students, in the Top P5 class, told her students who did poorly in P5 CA1 that, "Do not embarass me. Buck up in your Science !"

above :-
is a real life example illustrated, from the high expectation of school Teachers, teaching "Top class" students.

So, if you are a school Teacher, happen to be teaching in those Top one or two classes in school, kindly refrain from making such hurtful remarks to P5 students, like "Do not embarass me !", in front of them, although we know that your year-end Teaching Appraisal performance (both, in terms of promotion prospect, plus salary increment) in school are tied somewhat, to the performance (results) of those classes of P5 students, that you are teaching in, particularly if you are a Science HOD or an Assistant Science HOD, teaching those Top few classes from the schools, just because u need to maintain reputation of certain HOD or Assistant HOD status.


Hence, for the sake of children mental health :
get rid of all these SA1 (mid-year) exam, across the board !
Cut down the Total number of exams per year, that children (students) need to sit for. So as to reduce academic stress, for young children & teenagers, let them have a healthy growing-up memorable childhood, instead. Not every Semester, every Term, keep hearing : time to prepare SA1 / SA2, exam, exam, exam !

Not long ago, it was reported in press that after P5 SA1, one student from a SAP primary school committed suicide, because his mother expected him to get certain minimum marks, and the pitiful, poor boy failed to meet her expectations. In some Independent Secondary schools, similar cases also arose, although kept hush-hush, Principal tried to sweep under the carpet, ignored.

With this realization, now we could understand the rationale behind : why MOE finally cutting down one exam (SA1) is good, for the sake of healthy mental state of mind for young, primary & teenaged students, in a highly competitive rat race society (Singapore).

[00skyblue00]

To be fair, not all stress come only from parents. School and teachers, tuition centres, society, as long as kids are labelled solely by their academic results, kids will be able to feel it.
For example, school has kid A, B, C.
Kid A, top in cohort academic results. Kid B top 10. Kid C only top 10%. By right, all 3 are great students. Marks are only few apart.
But if all opportunities first go to kid A, even though kid C has one outstanding talent e.g. speech. What message are we sending to kid C and the rest of the cohort?
Kid C thinks she is not as good as kid A for everything now as a fact.

[00skyblue00]

In P1, when there was no exam results, kid C was chosen for this talent to rep the whole level. After p1 n p2 exam, kid C now has none. Is a fact. But parents, don't turn this towards the kid, do not "Force more marks" out of kids like kid C.

Instead, do otherwise, support this talent outside the school, what i did.