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SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday (Nov 6) released indicative cut-off entry scores for three different types of schools: government and government-assisted, autonomous and independent schools.
This year’s 5th grade cohort will be graded next year using a new PSLE scoring system, first announced in 2016, that assesses them based on their individual performance in subjects, regardless of the performance of their peers.
Students will receive achievement levels (AL) 1 through 8 for each subject, rather than grades such as A * to E. A student’s total PSLE score will be the sum of the AL for each of the four subjects.
In a briefing on Friday, the Ministry of Education said it generated ranges of indicative AL cutoff points for different types of schools, based on PSLE results and the school choice patterns of 6th graders. last year’s primary.
The Ministry of Education provided answers to some frequently asked questions.
1. How were the AL indicative cut-off ranges obtained for school types?
Ranks for different types of schools were derived based on PSLE results and 2019 6th grade cohort school choices.
First, the ministry simulated each student’s individual subject score in AL terms, based on their raw subject scores.
He then added the AL scores for each PSLE subject to form a student’s total PSLE score.
Using these simulated PSLE scores and the students’ school choices, the MOE simulated their posting results based on Secondary 1’s new posting system and tie-breaking criteria such as citizenship, order of school elections, and computerized voting.
The indicative AL cut-off point for each school was then determined by the PSLE score of the last admitted student.
Finally, based on the score of the last admitted student, the Ministry of Education took the lowest and highest indicative LA cut-off points of the schools within each type of school (governmental and government-assisted, autonomous and independent). to get the range of points.
The Ministry of Education said that the simulation is purely indicative and that the actual AL cut-off point for a school is likely to vary from year to year, depending on the PSLE results and each school’s choice patterns. 6th grade cohort.
2. Why is the Ministry of Education publishing ranges of indicative AL cutoffs by school type now, and indicative AL cutoffs for all high schools only next year?
The Ministry of Education is providing information in phases to better support and familiarize the first group of students and their parents with the new scoring system as they progress on their way to primary school, leading to the publication of PSLE And Secondary 1.
In 2016, the ministry set the overall score and posting changes.
In 2019, it published score information for the basic level subjects to help students and parents choose Primary 5 and Primary 6 subjects. Basic subjects are taken by academically weaker students.
The first group of students under the new system will soon receive Elementary 5 end-of-year test results in the AL format. The ministry said publishing indicative AL cutoff ranges by school type would provide a broad sense of high schools and where they possibly are to “contextualize student outcomes.”
AL indicative cutoff points for individual high schools will be published in the first half of 2021. Cutoff points are determined by PSLE results and school choice patterns for the Secondary 1 publication exercise of this year. Therefore, this year’s PSLE cohort will provide the 6th Primary batch next year with the latest information to refer to.
3. How can parents make use of the indicative AL cutoff ranges by school type to familiarize themselves with the new Secondary 1 posting system?
The information released Friday is intended to help parents and students get a broad picture of potential high school cutoff points based on the AL scoring system, in order to put their test results in context. end of the year of Primary 5.
In addition to the AL cutoff points, parents are encouraged to consider factors such as the high school’s distinctive programs, location, ethics, and culture in choosing the school that best meets their child’s educational needs. .
4. Will several schools have the same AL cutoffs? How do parents make school decisions when the indicative AL cutoff points for many schools are the same?
AL bands, in general, have been deliberately designed to be wider, therefore more schools are likely to have the same AL cut-off point, the MOE said.
Parents and students are encouraged to look beyond school cutoffs when choosing a high school, the MOE said, and choose schools that are best suited to the overall student.
They should consider the student’s learning needs, interests, strengths, and aspirations, and how the school’s culture, environment, ethics, and programs can support the student’s development.
Parents are also encouraged to find out more about the schools’ distinctive programs, co-curricular activities, culture, and proximity to home when making school choices. For more information, parents can check the school websites or the MOE portal.
The Education Ministry added that parents and students should choose their selected schools bearing in mind that the order of choosing schools will be a deciding factor from 2021.
They should also think carefully about the options they indicate on the Secondary Option Form 1 and choose schools with a variety of cutoff points that can best meet the child’s learning needs, the ministry said.
Schools will continue to strengthen educational and career guidance efforts to guide parents and students in making informed school decisions.
5. How did you come up with the MOE with the subject-based bands eligibility criteria (secondary)?
The criteria aims to identify students who are stronger in specific subjects and who are likely to benefit from taking these subjects at a more challenging level so that they can further develop their strengths.
The AL 5 or higher eligibility requirement for students to take a subject at the Express level is consistent with the course placement criteria under the new grading system and indicates that it is likely that a student will be able to tackle the subject at a more demanding level. .
A student achieving a PSLE score of 20 – an average of AL 5 for each subject – would qualify for the Express course, where the student would take all subjects at the Express level by default. Therefore, AL 5 is used as a grading grade to assess whether students in other courses are ready to take the course at the Express level.
The same principle applies to the AL 6 eligibility requirement for a student placed in the Normal (Technical) course to take subjects at the Normal (Academic) level.
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