Agenda
• Why introduce Subject-Based Banding (SBB)?
• How does SBB work?
• Secondary One Posting
• Eligibility for HMTL in Secondary Schools
• Home-School Partnership
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…andhelp each student to proceed at a pacehe can manage”
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Minister for Education (2006)
What Subject-based Banding means for your child
Catering to your child’s abilities
• Provides greater flexibility for students by offering
them the option of Standard and Foundation Subjects,
depending on their strengths.
• Allows students to focus on and stretch their potential
in the subjects they are strong in while building up the
fundamentals in the subjects they need more support
in.
How does Subject-Based Banding work?
School recommends a subject combination based on student’s Primary 4 school-based examination results. Parents fill up an option form indicating the preferred combination.
Student takes subject combination chosen by parents.
Student takes subject combination decided by the school and sits for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) at the end of Primary 6.
P4
P5
P6
Assessment Weightage & Achievement 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 30% 100%
SA2 70%
Based on P4 Exam Results…
S: Standard
H: Higher
F: Foundation MTL: Mother Tongue Language
4S + 1HMTL
4S
3S + 1FMTL
3F + 1S
4F
What is the difference between a Standard subject and the corresponding
Foundation subject?
Foundation subjects put focus on the mastery of core content andskills, from which higher skills are built upon at Secondary School.
These are pitched at a lower level as compared to thecorresponding Standard Subject.
Offering subjects at Foundation level is not a disadvantage to thestudents. It enables them to focus on building up strongfundamentals in these subjects and better prepares them forprogression to secondary school.
Subject Combinations offered at PPS
If your child
(at the end of P4)
Your child may be recommended
to take
Good passes in all *4 subjects +
performs very well in MTL
4S + Higher Mother Tongue
Language (HMTL)
*Guidelines for offering HMTLHMTL is offered to students who scored at least 80 marks for each subject
Passes 4 or 3 subjects 4S
Passes 3 subjects but fails MTL 3S + 1F(FMTL)
Subject Combinations offered at PPS
If your child
(at the end of P4)
Your child may be
recommended to take
Passes 2 subjects 4S
3S + 1F (FMT)
3F + 1S
4F
Passes 1 subject or fails 4 subjects 4F
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
on the Standard subjects, rather
than on an additional subject
(HMTL) and pursue other
interests?
Requirement for Higher Mother Tongue Language
Students who take HMTL at P5 will be allowed to dropthe subject ONLY at the end of the year.
To continue with HMTL at P6, pupils must score at leastAL5 (65 marks and above) in ALL subjects and a pass inHMTL.
SBB at Primary 5
At the end of P5, student takes a subject combination determined
by the school based on P5 overall results
Students who do well
Continue with the same
subject combination
At beginning of P6, student takes subject
combination decided by the school
Students who do not meet
expectations
Switch some subjects to
foundation level
How will PSLE scores be calculated?
From 2021 onwards, the PSLE T-score will be replaced by widerscoring bands.
Each subject will be scored using 8bands known as Achievement Levels(AL), with AL1 being the best scoreand AL8 being the lowest score.
The ALs reflect the student’s level ofachievement for the subject and itmeasures individual performanceand not his performance relative tohis peers.
The student’s total PSLE score willbe the sum of the four subject scores,ranging from 4(best) to 32.
ALRAW MARK
RANGE
1 ≥ 90
2 85 – 89
3 80 – 84
4 75 – 79
5 65 – 74
6 45 – 64
7 20 – 44
8 < 20
Streaming Criteria for Secondary School Admission
Students will continue to be assigned to Express, Normal(Academic)and Normal(Technical) course based on the total PSLE score.
Streaming enables schools to better customise their teaching to supportthe needs of the children, so they can learn at a pace comfortable tothem and make good progress.
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
Foundation Level
AL Reflected on Result Slip
Foundation Raw
Mark Range
A 75 – 100
B 30 – 74
C < 30
20
Each foundation subject will be scored using 3 bands known as
Achievement Levels (AL).
Foundation Level Subject Grades
For the purpose of S1 posting, Foundation level AL A to AL C willbe mapped to AL 6 to AL 8 of Standard level subjects respectively,to derive a student’s overall PSLE Score.
This mapping is based on the learning and assessment load of thesubjects, and informs students of their readiness to access thecurriculum at the secondary level.
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 <20
21
Foundation Level Subject Grades
A student’s PSLE Score is the sum of the four AL scores acrosshis/her Standard and Foundation subjects.
Students taking Foundation subjects are eligible for the ExpressCourse, as long as they meet the course placement criteria.
ENGLISH
FOUNDATION
MOTHER TONGUE
MATHEMATICS
FOUNDATION
SCIENCE
AL3
ALB
AL5
ALB
PSLE SCORE: 22
PLACEMENT
OUTCOMEPSLE SCORE
EXPRESS 4 – 20
EXPRESS /
N(A) option21 – 22
N(A) 23 – 24
N(A) / N(T)
option25
N(T)
26 – 30, with AL7
or better in both
EL and MA
22
Scoring of Foundation Subjects for
Sec 1 Posting
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.
HCL POSTING ADVANTAGE FOR ENTRY TO SAP SCHOOLS
8 DISTINCTION
8 MERIT
8 PASS
8 NO HCL
9 DISTINCTION
7 NO HCL1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
23
PSLE
Score
7
8D
8M
8P
8
9D
Direct School Admission-Secondary (DSA-SEC)
Allows students to seek admission to a Secondary School on thebasis of talents and achievements other than PSLE results
Enable students to enter academic and non-academic programmesin Secondary Schools that can develop the pupils in these areas (egsports and games, leadership and uniform groups etc)
For more information, please visit the websitehttps://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/direct-admissions/dsa-sec
Progression Paths for Primary School Students
PSLE
P6
4 Standard
PSLE
P6
4 Foundation
P6 different
subject
combinations
Normal (Academic)
Normal (Technical)
Express
Normal (Academic)
Normal (Technical)
Based on PSLE Score of the child
Course Brief Description
Express • 6-year Integrated Programme (IP)
Eg. St Nicholas’ Girls, Catholic High, Dunman High,
Raffles Institution, etc.
• 6-year International Baccalaureate
Eg. ACS(I)
• 4-year course – GCE ‘O’ level
Normal (A) • 4-year course – GCE ‘N’ level
• Proceed either to GCE ‘O’ level at 5th year or
• Polytechnic (Foundation Programme) or
• ITE
Normal (T) • 4-year course
• Geared towards technical
vocational education at ITE
Courses in Secondary School
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
28
Eligibility for HMTL in Secondary Schools
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
Go Study
Education for the Future
Extracted from 2014 Budget Debate by DPM
and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman
Shanmugaratnam, 5 March 2014
Focus on Lifelong Learning
“As technology continues to disrupt industries and jobs,Singapore must recognize that lifelong learning hasbecome necessary. Continuous pursuit of knowledge isthe way for the young to prepare for their future.”
Economic Society of Singapore
Annual Dinner, July 2018. Speech
by Minister for Education, Mr Ong
Ye Kung
Role of Parents in Education
The family is the most powerful and
pervasive influence, and the constant in a
young child’s life.
Raising Children in Singapore:
A Pediatrician's Perspective
by Prof Ho Lai Yun (2013)
“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 Growth Mindset‘PRAISE’
PaRticipate in School Events – Briefings, PTM/PCTC
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 bag daily, coming toschool regularly and punctually
Supervise learning at home and monitor child’sactivities after school – balance and managetuition homework
Encourage, have confidence in your child andtrust the school – Affirm small progress, use thepower of ‘Yet’ and work closely with teachers