PSLE Students Exempted From Mother-Tongue To Be Given Lowest 3 Grades

Okay, let’s all be honest – many of us now are “potatoes”.

I don’t mean couch potato.

I’m referring to the Chinese Singaporeans who can’t speak Mandarin.

YES, YOU ARE THE POTATOES!

I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in Mandarin, but I think I’m not doing too bad either – many of my friends would definitely be shaking their heads now while reading this.

But hey! Don’t be ashamed if you’re not doing well for your Mother Tongue Language (MTL); everyone’s good at different things.

And also, this might be good news for you.

Exemption From Mother Tongue Language

If you don’t already know, which you should, students are allowed to apply for exemptions for MTL in Primary School.

Approval on exemptions, however, is not guaranteed and is based on a case-by-case- basis.

Key criteria include students with Special Education Needs (SEN) such as Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Students who have joined the education system midway without prior learning of MTL may also be exempted.

New Achievement Levels Scoring System

If you have forgotten about it – back in 2016, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has announced that the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) grading system will be changed to Achievement Levels (ALs) instead of T-score.

The reason? MOE wants to move away from an over-emphasis on academic results as T-score reflects each candidate’s performance against the rest of the cohort while the AL system allows students to focus on their individual performance.

In the new grading system, candidates will be given a score ranging from 1 – 8, depending on their individual subject marks. The score will then be totalled up to determine the stream that the student will be going for in Secondary School.

Petition To Postpone The New Scoring System

The new AL system is to be implemented in 2021.

However, a member of the public started an online petition, urging MOE to postpone and revise the new scoring system as it is unfair for MTL-exempted students as they will be given the lowest 3 level grades, AL 6 – 8, which she said will affect their PSLE score by 6 – 7 scores.

She had STRONGLY urged MOE to reconsider the policy, as seen in the snapshot.

The petition has since gotten 9154 signatures.

Second Minister Of Education Replies

Ms Indranee Rajah, the Second Minister of Education, has since spoken up about the issue.

She said that the AL system will have a similar outcome as the T-score system.

She had explained that the simulation has shown that the proportion of students entering Express stream under the AL system is similar to that of the T-score system and that the scoring system was decided on after considering the majority of the students who are taking MTL in either standard or foundation level.

Ms Indranee has also emphasized that MOE recognizes the effort that SEN students have put into their learning, and has increased different measures to help these students.

• Increase resources to help students with SEN
• Providing SEN students in mainstream schools with learning support programs and allied educators for learning and behavioural support
• Working with schools to provide help to existing MTL-exempted students who will be affected by the new scoring system.

Many changes have been made to the education system as of late, and hopefully for the better.