Children, be worried. Parents, be even more worried.
Come 2021, the current PSLE T-scores will be making way for Achievement Levels (ALs).
Students’ scores will be the sum of ALs of their four PSLE subjects. This also means that being better than your peers at one subject – say getting a 100 in English – no longer helps to pull up your overall score. Bummer.
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Here’s what MOE has to say:
While there may not be any difference between a student who scores 65 and another who scores 66 in a subject, there is a difference between one who scores 65 and another who scores 75.
If there are too few ALs, there will be more students with the same PSLE score, which will lead to more balloting in Secondary 1 posting. This would cause more anxiety for parents and students.
The proposed scheme stoked the ire of many parents, with some even calling for the PSLE to be scrapped in its entirety. But before we get to that, here is a nifty summary of everything you need to know about the new scoring system.
1. There will be no more bell curve.
Students’ scores will not be weighted against their peers. This means if someone scores 90 in a particular subject, he or she will receive an AL1 grade automatically.
2. Choice will matter when it comes to secondary school admissions.
This is no different from the current T-score scheme. Students are given a choice of six schools, and have to rank these choices in order of reference.
If two students with the same PSLE score have chosen the same school, the one who indicated it as a first choice will get priority over the one who listed it as a second choice.
3. Singapore citizens will have an advantage over non-Singaporeans.
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This is as straightforward as it gets. If a Singaporean and a foreign student apply for the same school, the Singaporean will have priority in admission.
4. Balloting will be used as a tie-breaker.
This will only take place if there are two students with the same PSLE score and citizenship status, competing to be admitted into a school which they have both listed in the same choice order. Which sucks for the kid that’s balloted out, if you ask me.
5. Students who score AL8 for English and/or Maths have to retake the PSLE.
That means students have to get a minimum of 20 marks (AL7) for both English and Maths to join the Normal (Technical) stream. They can also choose to join the NorthLight and Assumption Pathway specialised schools.
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Now that you know all there is to know about the new scheme, here’s what Singaporeans have to say about it.
Some feel that no matter what MOE does, it doesn’t make a difference; the problem lies with over-achieving parents.
While others find it unreasonable to band two scores that are almost 20 marks apart together. #meritocracy
In the words of this Facebook user, we’re “still using grade[s] to judge students”. And he asks the million dollar question: “what is the change?”
What indeed.
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