P4 Subject-Based

Banding Briefing

for parents19 January 2018

Overview of Programme

Time Activity By

4.30pm – 5.30pm P4 Subject-Based Briefing

@ School Hall

Vice

Principal

5.30pm – 6.30pm Parent-Teacher Meeting

@ respective P4

classrooms on class

expectations & highlights

of P4 level programmes

Form teacher

Dr Josephine Kim from the Harvard Graduate School of Education was one of the speakers at the parent seminar “Helping Children Flourish – Growth in Resilience, Empathy and Hope”, organised by the Ministry of Education

Why introduce Subject-Based Banding ?

“We recognise different abilities…and

help each student to proceed at a pace

he can manage”

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Minister for Education (2006)

What Subject-based Banding

means for your child

Every child will be encouraged to do the subjects

at the levels that best meet his/her abilities.

Catering to your child’s abilities

Why introduce Subject-Based Banding ?

To provide greater flexibility to pupils with

strengths and abilities that vary across subjects

To encourage greater interaction among pupils

with different strengths

Assessment Weightage & Achievements Bands

Achievement

Bands

Mark Range Brief Description

Band 1 85 & above Is very good in the subject

Band 2 70 - 84 Is good in the subject

Band 3 50 – 69 Has adequate grasp of the

subject

Band 4 Below 50 Has not met minimum

requirements for the subject

P4 Assessment Weightage Total

SA1 40% 100%

SA2 60%

How does Subject-Based Banding work?

School recommends a subject combination based on pupil’s Primary 4 school-based examination results. Parents fill up an option form indicating the preferred combination.

Pupil takes subject combination chosen by parents.

Pupil takes subject combination decided by his/her school and sits for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) at the end of Primary 6.

P4

P5

P6

Based on P4 Exam Results…

4S + 1HMTL

4S

3S + 1FMTL

3F + 1S(EL)

3F + 1S(MA)

3F + 1S(MTL)

4F

S: Standard

H: Higher

F: Foundation

EL: English

MA : Mathematics

MTL: Mother Tongue Language

What is the difference between a

Standard subject and the corresponding

Foundation subject?

Foundation subjects put focus on the mastery of

core content and skills, from which higher skills

are built upon at Secondary School.

These are pitched at a lower level as compared

to the corresponding Standard Subject.

Subject Combinations offered at PPS

If you child

(at the end of P4)

Option Your child may be

recommended to take

Good passes in all *4

subjects + performs

very well in MTL

1 4 Standard Subjects + High

Mother Tongue Language

(MTL)

Passes all 4 subjects 2 4 Standard Subjects

Passes 3 subjects but

fails MTL

3 3 Standard Subjects +

Foundation MTL

Passes 1 subject 4-6 1 Standard (EL/MA/MTL) +

3 Foundation Subjects

Fails all subjects 7 4 Foundation Subjects

* English/Mathematics/Science/Mother Tongue Language

Considerations for Higher Mother

Tongue Language

Does my child have an

interest and flair for the

Mother Tongue

Language?

Is my child coping well in

the Standard subjects –

English, Maths, Science

& Mother Tongue

Language?

Should he be spending more

time in the Standard subjects,

rather than on an additional

subject (HMTL) and pursue

other interests

Requirement for

Higher Mother Tongue Language

Pupils who take HMTL at P5 will be allowed to

drop the subject ONLY at the end of the year.

To continue with HMTL at P6, pupils must score

at least a Band 2 in Standard MTL and a pass in

HMTL.

Operationalising SBB at Primary 5

At the end of P5, pupil takes a subject combination determined

by the school based on P5 overall results (SA1 & SA2)

Pupils who do

very well

Upgrade or continue

with the same subject

combination

At beginning of P6, pupil takes subject combination decided by the school

At end of P6, pupils sits for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)

Pupils who do not

meet expectations

Switch some

subjects to

foundation level

Continue with the

same subject

combination

All other pupils

SBB, PSLE and Secondary School Admission

Progression to Secondary level depends on your child’s

PSLE Score which takes into account the

Content and demand of each subject

Number of subjects taken

Offering weaker subjects at foundation level is not a

disadvantage

It will enable your child to focus on building up strong

fundamentals in these subjects and better prepares

him/her for progression to Secondary School.

How will PSLE scores be calculated?

The PSLE scoring system remains unchanged

The raw mark for each subject is converted to a

transformed score (T-score)

The T-score reflects the pupils’ standing relative to

other pupils on a common scale

The Aggregate Score is the sum of the T-score in all

subjects (not inclusive of HMTL)

Each subject carries equal weighting

Determines the course and Secondary School for the

child

Progression Paths for Primary School Pupils

PSLE

P6Standard

PSLE

P6Foundation

P6 different subject

combinations

Normal (Academic)

Normal (Technical)

Express

Normal (Academic)

Normal (Technical)

Based on Aggregate Score of the child

Course Brief Description

Express • 4 year course

• GCE ‘O’ level

Normal (A) • 4 year course – GCE ‘N’ level

• Proceed either to GCE ‘O’ at 5th

year

Normal (T) • 4 year course

• Geared towards technical

vocational education at ITE

Courses in Secondary School

Bonus Point for Higher Chinese

Pupils in the top 30% of the PSLE cohort who take Higher

Chinese at PSLE will be given bonus points for admission

to *Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools according to the

following table:

Higher Chinese Grade Bonus Point

Distinction 3

Merit 2

Pass 1

* nurture pupils to be proficient in both EL & CL, and to have a good understanding and

appreciation of Chinese culture

Higher Mother Tongue Language

Pupils may opt to take HMTL (Higher Chinese/Higher

Malay/Higher Tamil) from Secondary 1 onwards if they

have taken MTL or HMTL at PSLE and are in the

Top 10% of the PSLE cohort or

Top 11-30% of the PSLE cohort with A* in MTL or at

least a merit in HMTL

Education for the Future

Extracted from 2014 Budget Debate by DPM

and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman

Shanmugaratnam, 5 March 2014

Focus on Holistic Education

“…the focus of our education system should go beyond

test scores…students also get opportunities to develop

and apply leadership, initiative and collaboration through

Values-in –Action and Co-curricular activities (CCAs).”

Extracted from 2016 Committee of

Supply Debate speech by Acting

Minister for Education (Schools), Mr

Ng Chee Meng

Direct School Admission-Secondary (DSA-SEC)

Allows pupils to seek admission to a Secondary School

on the basis of talents and achievements other than

PSLE results

Enable pupils to enter academic and non-academic

programmes in Secondary Schools that can develop the

pupils in these areas (eg sports and games, leadership

and uniform groups etc)

For more information, please visit the website

https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/direct-

admissions/dsa-sec

Home-School PartnershipSupporting your child in his/her learning

C

H

Challenge yourselfHave a constant drive to be better than what you are now

A

M

AmbitionAspire to achieve defined goals

P Positive ThinkingHave faith in yourself and be confident that you CAN succeed

I

O

N

ConvictionPick yourself up from failures and persevere

“Each child can achieve his dream, just love and

support him, When they are confident that

mummy and daddy are behind them, kids will

just move forward.”

Extracted from May

Schooling on how to

raise a great athlete

Role of Parents in Education

Parents with a Champion Mindset

‘PRAISE’ Participate in School Events – Briefings, PTM/PTC

Active involvement in child’s learning – whole family approach (including planning of holidays)

Inculcate and nurture good habits – management of time,completion of homework, consistent work, packing of bagdaily, coming to school regularly and punctually

Supervise learning at home and monitor child’s activities afterschool – balance and manage tuition homework

Encourage, have confidence in your child and trust the school– Affirm small progress, use the power of ‘Yet’ and workclosely with teachers

Multiple Pathway to Success

Student-Centric, Values-Driven Education

Thank You