Learning is not a competition
Singapore is introducing several changes in an effort to reduce the emphasis on academic scores, from having fewer examinations to dropping certain information from report cards.
MID-YEAR examinations for Primary 3 and 5 and Secondary 1 and 3 students in Singapore will be scrapped over the next three years, to move away from the narrow focus on grades and help students discover the joy of learning.
Currently, there are no examinations for Primary 1 and just finalyear examinations for Primary 2.
From 2019, all graded assessments and examinations at Primary 2 will also be removed to give young pupils two test-free years.
Teachers will use qualitative descriptors to report on their pupils’ learning.
And to stress the message that learning is not a competition, report books will no longer state the class and level ranking of a student at both primary and secondary levels.
Marks for each subject will be rounded off and presented as whole numbers, without decimal points, to reduce the excessive focus on marks.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) will also adjust the academic criteria for awarding Edusave awards in Primary 1 and 2, focusing more on pupils’ attitudes towards learning.
These changes, announced by the MOE last Friday were described by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung as a step forward in improving the balance between the joy of learning and the rigour of education.
“We are at a strong position of rigour, and can afford to unwind a bit without undermining the performance outcomes,” he said.
The changes will also encourage teachers to explore different ways of teaching.
He said: “On the ground, teachers are on a high-speed train... rushing, assessments, and preparing the students for exams... I think it’s time to take a pause.”
MOE said cutting the mid-year examinations will provide students with more time to adjust during the “key transition” years, where they have to study new subjects and deal with higher content rigour. It will free up about three weeks of curriculum time every two years.
In a speech to school heads when he briefed them on the changes, Ong urged educators to use the time well to use applied and inquiry-based learning.
For example, to calculate area, the child can be given a formula. Alternatively, they can be asked to brainstorm how they can find out the size of their school field and even taken down to the school field to measure it for themselves.
He said that the moves instituted over the last few years, from not naming the top Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scorers, changing the PSLE scoring system and now cutting down on school examinations are all part of a new phase of change in Singapore’s education system here - one he termed “Learn for Life”.
“Learn for Life is a value, an attitude and a skill that our students need to possess, and it is fundamental in ensuring that education remains an uplifting force in society. It is what underpins the SkillsFuture movement. It also has to be a principal consideration in our school system,” he said.
He added that it may be hard to predict the jobs of tomorrow but looking at the changes, educators know that students need to be resilient, adaptable and global in their outlook.
“They must leave the education system still feeling curious and eager to learn, for the rest of their lives. These traits are not just adjectives that we tick off, one by one. It is a fundamental shift in our mindset.”
No class ranking
Whether a child finishes first or last will no longer be indicated in primary and secondary school report books from next year - a move which Ong hopes will show students that “learning is not a competition”.
Report books will not just stop showing a student’s position in relation to class or cohort. The information to be dropped includes class and level mean; minimum and maximum marks, underlining and/or colouring of failing marks; pass/fail for end-ofyear result; mean subject grades; and overall total marks.
The ministry said that the change is to allow each student to focus on his or her learning progress and discourage them from being overly concerned about comparisons.
From next year all examina- tions for Primary 1 and 2 pupils will also be removed, and whatever forms of assessment they have will not count towards an overall grade.
The MOE said that teachers will continue to gather information about pupils’ learning through discussions, homework and quizzes.
Schools will use other ways like “qualitative descriptors”, in place of marks and grades, to evaluate pupils’ progress at these two levels.
For older students in primary schools and secondary schools, marks for each subject will be rounded off and presented as a whole number, without decimal points - to reduce the focus on academic scores.
Parents will continue to receive information about their child’s progress in school during parent-teacher meetings.
In an address to some 1,700 school leaders Ong said: “I know that ‘coming in first or second’, in class or level, has traditionally been a proud recognition of a student’s achievement.”
“But removing these indicators is for a good reason, so that the child understands from young that learning is not a competition, but a self-discipline they need to master for life.
“Notwithstanding, the report book should still contain some form of yardstick and information to allow students to judge their relative performance, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.” — The Straits Times/Asia News Network