Briefing for P4 Parents 16 September 2019

UPDATES ON PSLE SCORING & S1 POSTING FROM 2021And

SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN MAKING SUBJECT CHOICES

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT GROUP, 2019

2019 BRIEFING FOR P4 PARENTS16 SEPTEMBER 2019

OVERVIEWRE-CAP FROM 2016§How PSLE Scoring Works§How S1 Posting Works

[New] 2019SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN MAKING SUBJECT CHOICES§ Eligibility for Secondary School Higher Mother Tongue Language

(HMTL) § Scoring for Foundation Subjects§ Scoring for MTL-Exempt and students studying an Asian Language

(AsL) / Foreign Language (FL) in lieu of an MTL§ Presentation of results in Achievement Levels (ALs)§ Indicative AL Cut-Off Points (COPs) 3

Over the years, we have been fine-tuning the educationsystem to help our students discover and develop theirstrengths and interests, while moving away from an over-emphasis on academic results.

Our PSLE scoring changes aim to:

§ Reduce fine differentiation at a young age

§ Recognise students’ level of achievement, regardless ofhow their peers have done

THE PSLE CHANGES ARE PART OF A BIGGER STORY

4

HOW PSLE SCORING WORKS

Recap from 2016

FROM T-SCORE TO WIDER SCORING BANDS

(a)Reduces fine differentiation ofstudents

§ Students with similar scores in eachsubject will be grouped into wider bandsmeasured in 8 ALs.

(b) Reflects a student’s individual levelof achievement

§ Unlike the current T-score, the students’AL for each subject will reflect their levelof achievement, rather than how theyhave performed relative to their peers.

AL RAW MARK RANGE

1 ≥ 90 2 85 – 89

3 80 – 84

4 75 – 79

5 65 – 74

6 45 – 64

7 20 – 44

8 < 206

Recap from 2016

§ The PSLE Score replaces the T-score aggregate.§ The PSLE Score ranges from 4 to 32, with 4 being the best.§ Students will be placed in secondary school courses based

on their PSLE score – Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical).

4 SUBJECT ALs WILL BE ADDED TO FORM THE PSLE SCORE

ENGLISH

MOTHER TONGUE

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

AL3

AL2

AL1

AL2

PSLE SCORE: 8

Recap from 2016

7

PLACEMENT OUTCOME PSLE SCORE

EXPRESS 4 – 20 EXPRESS /

N(A) OPTION 21 – 22

N(A) 23 – 24 N(A) / N(T) option 25

N(T) 26-30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA

ENGLISH

MOTHER TONGUE

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

AL3

AL2

AL1

AL2

PSLE SCORE: 8

8

PLACEMENT OUTCOME PSLE SCORE

EXPRESS 4 – 20 EXPRESS /

N(A) OPTION 21 – 22

N(A) 23 – 24

N(A) / N(T) option 25

N(T) 26-30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA

AL RAW MARK RANGE

1 ≥ 90

2 85 – 89

3 80 – 84

4 75 – 79

5 65 – 74

6 45 – 64

7 20 – 44

8 < 20

HOW S1 POSTING WORKS

Recap from 2016

CHOICE ORDER OF SCHOOLS WILL MATTER MORE

§ Academic merit, i.e. the PSLE Score, remains the first criterion for secondary school posting.

§ If two students with the same PSLE Score vie for a place in a school, the following tie-breakers will be used:

1. CITIZENSHIP 2. CHOICE ORDER OF SCHOOLS

3. COMPUTERISED BALLOTING

(NEW)

Recap from 2016

10

CHOOSING SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Recap from 2016

§ Parents and students should consider the student’s strengths and interests and make school choices based on the school’s unique culture, ethos and programmes

§ Parents and students can find out more about secondary schools’ distinctive programmes through MOE’s SchoolFinder tool, secondary schools’ websites and open houses.

MOE SchoolFinder Tool

11https://www.myskillsfuture.sg/content/student/en/primary/education-guide/explore-school/school-advance-search.html

SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMMES

• 4-year programme leading to the GEC O-Level ExaminationExpress Course

• Normal (Academic) [N(A)] or Normal (Technical) [N(T)] curriculum

• 4-year programme leading to the GCE N-Level examination.• A 5th year leading to the GCE O-Level examination N(A) students

who do well in their GCE N-Levels may take the GCE O-Level exam in the 5th year.

Normal Course

• 6-year Sec and JC education for academically-strong students• aims to stretch students’ potential in non-academic aspects that

are beyond the academic curriculum.• culminates in the GCE A-Level qualification, International

Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or NUS High School Diploma

Integrated Programme

(IP)

TYPES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS

• Autonomous schools• Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools

Government & Government-Aided

Schools

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Hwa Chong Institution• Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary). Nanyang Girls’ High School• Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary), Raffles Institution• Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, St Joseph’s Institution

Independent Schools

• NUS High School of Mathematics and Science• School of Science and Technology• School of the Arts• Singapore Sports School

Specialised Independent schools

• Crest Secondary School (for N(T) eligible students)• Spectra Secondary School (for N(T) eligible students)• Northlight School• Assumption Pathway School

Specialised Schools

USE OF HIGHER CHINESE LANGUAGE

(HCL) FOR ADMISSION INTO SAP SCHOOLS

14

STUDENTS’ HCL GRADES GIVE POSTING ADVANTAGE FOR SAP

SCHOOLS

Currently, for admission to SAP schools, students are awarded bonus T-score points based on their HCL grade:§ 3 points for Distinction § 2 points for Merit § 1 point for Pass

Recap from 2016

15

§ Students will be ranked taking into account their performance in HCL.

§ Their HCL performance will be indicated in their PSLE Score.

§ This posting advantage applies before the tie-breakers for S1 posting.

THIS HCL POSTING ADVANTAGE FOR ENTRY TO SAP SCHOOLS WILL

CONTINUE

8 DISTINCTION

8 MERIT

8 PASS

8 NO HCL

9 DISTINCTION

7 NO HCL1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Recap from 2016

16

PSLE Score

7

8D

8M

8P

8

9D

SAP SCHOOLS WITH POSTING ADVANTAGE ENTRY

Anglican High SchoolCatholic High SchoolCHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ SchoolChung Cheng High School (Main)Dunman High SchoolHwa Chong InstitutionMaris Stella High SchoolNan Chiau High SchoolNan Hua High SchoolNanyang Girls’ High SchoolRiver Valley High School

2019 UPDATES:SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND PARENTS

IN MAKING SUBJECT CHOICES

SUBJECT-BASED BANDING (PRIMARY)

OFFERING DIFFERENT SUBJECT COMBINATIONS

SUBJECT-BASED BANDING (PRIMARY)

Subject-based Banding (Primary) provides greaterflexibility for students by offering them the option ofStandard and Foundation Subjects, depending on theirstrengths. This will allow students to focus on and stretchtheir potential in the subjects they are strong in whilebuilding up the fundamentals in the subject they needmore support in.

The new PSLE scoring system will not change theconsiderations for deciding on a student’s subjectcombination.

19

SUBJECT-BASED BANDING (PRIMARY)

19

Schools will continue to recommend based on the following:o Student’s aptitude, motivation and performance in each

subject;o Student’s ability to cope with a particular subject

combination; ando Whether the subject combination focuses sufficiently on

literacy and numeracy, and facilitates the student’sarticulation to secondary school and beyond.

Offering subjects at Foundation level is not a disadvantage tothe students. It enables them to focus on building up strongfundamentals in these subjects and better prepares them forprogression to secondary school.

SUBJECT COMBINATION AT PRIMARY 5

Scores Band 1 for 4 subjects

4 Standard subjects +

Higher mother tongue

language (HMTL)

Passes 3 or more subjects

4 Standard subjects

Passes 2 subjects or less

3 Standard subjects + 1 foundation subject

OR2 standard subjects + 2 foundation subjects

OR4 foundation subjects

School recommends a P5 subject combination based on P4 overall examination results. Parents select preferred combination.

At the end of P4, if your child

Your child will be recommended to take this combination for Primary 5

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MTL AND HMTL

Mother Tongue Language (MTL)

Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL)

Exam: MTL Oral, Listening Comprehension, Papers 1 and 2

Exam: MTL Oral, Listening Comprehension, Papers 1 and 2, and HMTL Papers 1 and 2

9 MTL periods per week 11 HMTL periods per week(9 periods plus 2 periods after school)

Use MTL textbooks only Use HMTL textbooks only

Remedial support for students who are unable to cope with MTL

No remedial support as eligibility criteria for HMTL is intended for students who can cope with higher academic load

Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL)

Format Marks Format Marks

Oral 50 Paper1(Composition)

40

ListeningComprehension

20 Paper 2 60

Paper 1 (Composition) 40

Paper 2 90

MTL AND HMTL EXAM FORMATS

MTL Paper 2 Questions HMTL Paper 2 Questions

Language Use Language Use

Vocabulary (contextual clues) Vocabulary (contextual clues)

Comparison Rephrasing

Direct questions (factual, quoting) Inferential

Open-ended Open-ended

Summarisation (Use 15 words to summarise a paragraph) (for HCL)

Higher Order Thinking Skills

MTL AND HMTL EXAM SKILLS REQUIREMENT

FAMILIARISING STUDENTS AND PARENTS WITH THE NEW SYSTEM AND GUIDING THEM IN MAKING SUBJECT CHOICES

26

2020Primary 5

2021Primary 6

2019Primary 4

Scoring for Foundation level subjects – to guide students and parents on whether to take Foundation level subjects at PSLE

Release of Indicative AL COPs – to guide students and parents in making school choices

School Results in Achievement Levels (ALs) –to familiarize students and parents to the new system

Eligibility for Secondary School HMTL – to guide students and parents on whether to take HMTL at PSLE

ELIGIBILITY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

HIGHER MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGE (HMTL)

ELIGIBILITY FOR HMTL IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

§ For students who do not meet the above criteria, secondary schools will continue to have the flexibility to offer HMTL to students, if they are assessed to have high ability and interest in MTL and are able to take HMTL without affecting their performance in other subjects.

ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL HMTL

(i) PSLE Score of 8 or better OR(ii) PSLE Score of 9 to 14 inclusive; and attain

§ AL1 / AL2 in MTL or§ Distinction / Merit in HMTL

§ The eligibility criteria for taking HMTL is intended to ensure that students can cope with the higher academic load, and takes reference from the current criteria.

28

AL RAW MARK RANGE

1 ≥ 90

2 85 – 89

3 80 – 84

4 75 – 79

5 65 – 74

6 45 – 64

7 20 – 44

8 < 2029

ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL HMTL

(i) PSLE Score of 8 or better OR(ii) PSLE Score of 9 to 14 inclusive; and attain

§ AL1 / AL2 in MTL or§ Distinction / Merit in HMTL

SCORING FOR FOUNDATION LEVEL

SUBJECTS

§ Under the current PSLE grading system, Foundation subjects are graded in 5 scoring bands from Grade 1 to U.

FOUNDATION SUBJECTS GRADED IN 5 BANDS TODAY

31

Current System

GradeRaw Mark

Range

1 85 – 100

2 70 – 84

3 50 – 69

4 30 – 49

U < 30

§ Under the new AL system, to reduce fine differentiation among students, Foundation subject grades will be graded in 3 scoring bands from AL A to C.

FOUNDATION LEVEL SUBJECT GRADES TO BE LESS FINELY DIFFERENTIATED

Foundation Level AL Reflected on

Result Slip

Foundation Raw Mark Range

A 75 – 100

B 30 – 74

C < 30

32

§ Like Standard subject ALs, the Foundation subject ALs will reflect a student’s level of achievement, rather than how they have performed relative to their peers.

§ For the purpose of S1 posting, Foundation level AL A toAL C will be mapped to AL 6 to AL 8 of Standard levelsubjects respectively, to derive a student’s overall PSLEScore.

§ Similar to the current PSLE scoring system, this mappingis based on the learning and assessment load of thesubjects, and informs students of their readiness toaccess the curriculum at the secondary level.

FOUNDATION LEVEL SUBJECT GRADES

Foundation Level AL Reflected on

Result Slip

Foundation Raw Mark Range

Equivalent Standard

Subject AL

Standard Raw Mark Range

A 75 – 100 6 45-64

B 30 – 74 7 20-44

C < 30 8 <2033

§ A student’s PSLE Score is the sum of the four AL scoresacross his/her Standard and Foundation subjects.

§ Students taking Foundation subjects are eligible for theExpress Course, as long as they meet the course placementcriteria.

SCORING OF FOUNDATION SUBJECTS FOR S1 POSTING

ENGLISH

FOUNDATION MOTHER TONGUE

FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

AL3

ALB

ALB

AL5

PSLE SCORE: 22

PLACEMENT OUTCOME

PSLE SCORE

EXPRESS 4 – 20

EXPRESS / N(A) option 21 – 22

N(A) 23 – 24

N(A) / N(T) option 25

N(T)26 – 30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA 34

SCORING OF FOUNDATION SUBJECTS FOR S1 POSTING

ENGLISH

FOUNDATION MOTHER TONGUE

FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

AL3

ALB

ALB

AL5

PSLE SCORE: 22

PLACEMENT OUTCOME

PSLE SCORE

EXPRESS 4 – 20

EXPRESS / N(A) option 21 – 22

N(A) 23 – 24

N(A) / N(T) option 25

N(T)26 – 30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA 35

§ With Full Subject-based Banding in secondary schools,students may also take subjects at a higher level for thosethat they are strong in.

SCORING FOR MTL-EXEMPT AND STUDENTS STUDYING AN ASIAN

LANGUAGE (AsL) / FOREIGN LANGUAGE (FL) IN LIEU OF AN

MTL

• For students who are exempted from MTL or take an AsL/FLin lieu of an official MTL, their PSLE result slip will onlyreflect the three subjects they have taken.

• However, for the purposes of Secondary 1 posting, thesestudents will need an assigned MTL score so that they havea PSLE score comprising four subjects

• To determine the assigned MTL score, reference ismade to MTL scores of other students who haveachieved similar scores in English, Mathematics, andScience.

• This is the same approach taken in today’s T-scoresystem.

SCORING FOR MTL-EXEMPT AND AsL/FL STUDENTS

37

• In reviewing the score assignment for these students underthe new PSLE scoring system, we needed to strike abalance between:

• Acknowledging that students have valid reasons forseeking MTL exemption or taking an AsL/FL, and

• Ensuring some parity between scoring for exemption,Foundation and Standard MTL.

38

SCORING FOR MTL-EXEMPT AND AsL/FL STUDENTS

• Under the new scoring system, the assigned MTL score will:

• Take reference from peers with similar scores forEnglish, Mathematics and Science;

• While maintaining parity of treatment with students whotake Foundation MTL (who will score between AL 6 to 8).

• Hence, students will receive an assigned MTL scorebetween AL 6 to 8 in PSLE.

39

SCORING FOR MTL-EXEMPT AND AsL/FL STUDENTS

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS IN

ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS IN ALs§ Starting from the 2020 P5 cohort, schools will present school-based

examination results of P5 and P6 students in ALs.

o 2020 P6 students will not be affected, nor will P1 to P4 students.

§ This will help familiarise students and parents with the new AL scoring system.

Update from “Grade” to “AL”

New Field to compute “Total AL Score”

41

INDICATIVE AL CUT-OFF POINTS (COPs)

§ To support parents and students in making informed secondary school choices, MOE will provide information on each school’s indicative COP in AL terms in the first half of 2021.

§ These AL COPs will be derived from the PSLE scores and choice patterns of the 2020 S1 posting exercise.

§ This is sufficient time for the 2021 PSLE cohort to make their secondary school choices and choose to apply for DSA (Sec) if they wish.

INDICATIVE COPs

43

FAMILIARISING STUDENTS AND PARENTS WITH THE NEW SYSTEM AND GUIDING THEM IN MAKING SUBJECT CHOICES

44

In summary

2020Primary 5

2021Primary 6

2019Primary 4

Scoring for Foundation level subjects – to guide students and parents on whether to take Foundation level subjects at PSLE

Release of Indicative AL COPs – to guide students and parents in making school choices

School Results in Achievement Levels (ALs) –to familiarize students and parents to the new system

Eligibility for Secondary School HMTL – to guide students and parents on whether to take HMTL at PSLE

APPLICATION FOR 2020 P5 OVERSEAS

CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMME

Cultural Experiences @ Suzhou Science & Technology Town

Foreign Language School

OBJECTIVES OF P5 CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMME TO SUZHOU AND XI’AN

• Develop in our students the 21st Century Competencies of Global Awareness and Cross-cultural skills and sensitivities.

• Enable our students to better understand the Chinese culture.

• Expose our students to different Chinese traditions and practices.

• Deepen students’ commitment and rootedness to Singapore.

Destination Suzhou Xi’an

EligibilityOpen to all Primary 5 students

(except BiCEP students )

Group Size 40 students 40 students

Estimated CostEstimated $1400 to $1500 (based on 2019’s cost)

The school subsidizes 50% of the total cost (applicable to Singapore citizens only).

2020 P5 CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMME

6D5N trip between 26 May – 7 June 2020 (Dates to be confirmed based on availability of tickets)

Dates Application Requirements

Monday16 Sept 2019

toWednesday6 Nov 2019

Preparation

Student is to prepare a video (not exceeding 3 min) introducing:a) Himself / Herselfb) Why he / she should be selected to go on this tripc) What he / she would tell the students in China about

Singapore

Students who are taking Chinese as their Mother Tongue Language are to record their videos in Mandarin.

All other students to record their videos in English.Last

submissionThursday

7 Nov 2019

SubmissionThe video is to be saved in mp4 format in a thumb drive labelled with the student’s name and class, and submitted to the form teacher.

2020 P5 CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMMEApplication with video submission

Dates Selection Process

Friday8 Nov 2019

toFriday

3 Jan 2020

Selection

Students will be shortlisted based on their submitted videos. The videos will be assessed based on these criteria:

a) Contentb) Presentation skills – Fluency and expression of ideas

The following will also be taken into consideration in selecting students:

1) Exemplary in conduct2) Have a positive learning attitude3) Teachers’ recommendation

Students may be called for an interview if a follow-up is required after assessment of their videos.

2020 P5 CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMMESelection criteria

Dates Selection Process

End of Jan 2020

Notification of shortlisted students

Shortlisted students will be informed by their teachers and parents will be notified through Parent Gateway.

2020 P5 CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAMMEApplication outcome

CONTACT PERSONS FOR ENQUIRIES

P5 Cultural Awareness ProgrammeMs Yvonne LohLoh_cheng_ngee@schools.gov.sg

Mother Tongue related mattersMr Darren LimLim_kiang_shiang@schools.gov.sg

General EnquiriesMr Tan Swee MengTan_swee_meng@schools.gov.sg

THANK YOU!