Disadvantages of the new PSLE scoring system for children with special needs |
Disadvantages of the new PSLE scoring system for children with special needs |
I would like to highlight with case scenarios on how the new PSLE scoring system puts children with special needs (SN) at a great disadvantage in comparison to the old PSLE scoring system. The new system greatly undermines the good work and effort of Pathlight School (PL) and the mainstream education. Students in PL are exempted from Mother Tongue Language (MTL) not only because of issues with languages but also because their MTL lesson time has been replaced with subjects such as Daily Living Skills (DLS) which teaches necessary skills that children who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need as much as their academic subjects. Having Special Needs (SN) such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Hyperactive Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) or even Global Developmental Delays (GDD) already puts the child at a disadvantage in terms of their learning in comparison to their peers. Children with SN spend hours attending numerous but necessary therapy sessions outside of curriculum hours at various hospitals or privately managed therapy centres. Children with Dyslexia attend after school intervention lesson at Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS). These children with professionally diagnosed learning difficulties put in extra hours at the various therapy sessions while neurotypical children would not have to undergo, just so that they would be able to access the mainstream curriculum and ultimately be a useful citizen of Singapore. The various hospitals would have records of the number of hours that children with SN conditions spend at the various hospitals undergoing numerous therapy sessions and these do not include the hours of follow up remediation by their parents or other caregivers at home. These extra hours that they put in outside of curriculum time would be more than if not comparable to students who take the MTL. Hence the implementation of the new scoring system not only undermines the efforts of the children who are already disadvantaged in terms of their special needs but it punishes them for having that disability which impairs their learning by not focusing on their abilities in other subject areas in which they can manage and might even do better than their peers in mainstream education. ‘The Ministry of Education (MOE) has acknowledged that a pupil's stronger subjects will have less of an impact in bringing up his or her final score under the new system. Under the current system, pupils exempted from mother tongue will take three subjects at PSLE. But their result is still adjusted into a four-subject score. This is done by referring to how their peers with similar scores in English, maths and science performed. ‘In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOE said the same approach will continue under the new scoring system. A pupil exempted from mother tongue will be assigned a grade for the subject based on how peers of comparable calibre perform in it. The PSLE score will be the sum of ALs for his three subjects plus the assigned mother-tongue score.’ Straits Times. Jul 25, 2016, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/is-grading-system-forexempted-pupils-unfair According to information given in MOE’s website, ‘students will be assigned an MTL score between AL 6 and 8, similar to the equivalent AL scores for Foundation level subjects. This acknowledges that this group of students has valid reasons for seeking MTL-exemption or taking an AsL/FL, while recognising that the majority of students do take an official MTL at the Standard or Foundation level and therefore bear heavier learning and assessment load’. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/FAQs/special-cases.html I would like to highlight the inconsistencies of the Ministry’s decision on the assigned scores based on the above highlighted points. The following simulated case scenarios further illustrates how children might be disadvantaged under the new PSLE scoring system. Under the current system students taking MTL have no advantage to their overall PSLE scores and students taking HMTL have an advantage to their secondary school posting through score discounts but this current system do not penalise students who are exempted from MTL because they are ‘assigned a grade for the subject based on how peers of comparable calibre perform in it’. Straits Times. Jul 25, 2016, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/is-grading-system-forexempted-pupils-unfair However, the under the new PSLE scoring system students exempted from MTL will be accorded with AL 6 to 8, equivalent to a low pass which penalises children with SN because the Ministry has to ‘recognise that the majority of students do take an official MTL at the Standard or Foundation level and therefore bear a heavier learning and assessment load’ Straits Times. Jul 25, 2016, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/is-grading-system-forexempted-pupils-unfair Let me further illustrate the above mentioned in the following case scenarios referencing to the current and new system. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from
https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/FAQs/scoring-changes.html Simulated Case 1 Under the current system if AL was used as a scoring base for child exempted from MTL. English AL 5 Mathematics AL 5 Science AL 7 Imputed MTL AL 5 PSLE Score AL 22 Simulated Case 2 Under the new system if AL was used as a scoring base for child exempted from MTL and child will only be assigned a score of between AL 6 to 8 English AL 5 Mathematics AL 5 Science AL 7 Imputed MTL AL 6 (best possible score under the new system or might even be 7 or 8 if child is marked down based on banding of scores) PSLE Score AL 23 Ministry of Education. Retrieved from
https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/FAQs/scoring-changes.html Referring to the table from MOE attached above, referencing to simulated case 1, the child would have been able to make it to the express stream or be able to take subjects at G3 level, the express equivalent under the current system. Child will also have no advantage over peers with similar scores but is not penalised for MTL exemption. Case 2 simulates inputting a child with MTL exemption a score of AL 6 to 8 under the new system regardless of how similar his AL levels of the other 3 subject is to his peers taking MTL. Under the current system, this child could have achieve a score of 22, thus making it to the express stream but under the new scoring system which only accords them AL 6 to 8 regardless of comparable peers’ performance, the exempted child will only achieve a best score of 23 and only be able to make it to the normal academic stream or take subjects at G2 level. Under the new system, the child is then penalised for MTL exemption by having to do subjects at G2 level or normal academic level when child should have been able to do subjects at G3 level or the express equivalent given the aptitude demonstrated in the PSLE examination. Based on the above simulated examples, there would also be children who could have made it to the normal academic stream being placed in the normal technical stream or be made to read subjects at G1 levels when the child should have been reading subjects at G2 level based on their examination results. The new system also disadvantages the more academically abled children with SN as highlighted in Case 3. Simulated Case 3 (Current System – No advantage nor disadvantage) English AL 1 Mathematics AL 1 Science AL 1 Imputed MTL AL 1 PSLE Score AL 4 Simulated Case 4 (New System – Disadvantage) English AL 1 Mathematics AL 1 Science AL 1 Imputed MTL AL 6 PSLE Score AL 9 Based on current system, exempted children have no advantage over peers with similar scores but is not penalised and has scored well enough to get to schools with the right cut-off points that matches the ability of the child. However, based on the new system as illustrated in Case 4 the child will only be able to achieve a best score of AL 9. This will have implications on the choice of schools that correctly matches the child’s ability in the various subjects. In addition, the child should be reading subjects at the correct level pegged to their ability and understanding of the various subject when the child has demonstrated subject mastery by scoring well for that subject and not be penalised for being exempted from MTL due to valid medical reasons that has been professionally diagnosed and having received intensive intervention sessions at the various hospitals or therapy centres by having invested numerous hours outside of curriculum time which their peers would spend equivalent or lesser hours reading MTL. When a child is wrongly matched to read subjects at the incorrect level due to the disadvantage that the new scoring system places upon them, they will be intellectually under stimulated or under challenged when learning the subject for the next four years of their secondary education. This would have implications on the child’s behaviour and attitude towards the subject. One of the core beliefs of the Singapore Curriculum Philosophy is having 'every student at the heart of our educational decisions, guide the design and implementation of our curriculum'. SINGAPORE CURRICULUM PHILOSOPHY. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sg/about/singapore-teaching-practice/singaporecurriculum- philosophy While the new scoring system has merits, I hope the Ministry have rigorously considered the impact on children with SN and have placed them at the heart of their educational design and policy implementation regardless of how negligible a percentage that children with SN doing mainstream curriculum may comprise and not let this abled group of academically disadvantaged children fall through the cracks of any policy implementation. With relentless support from Pathlight School, teachers from mainstream schools, parents of SN children are putting in their very best every single day despite their many struggles with the various SN conditions that neurotypical children will not face yet have the tenacity to support their child in every way possible. In conclusion I would like to ask MOE and our Ministers the following questions. Are the new changes inclusive to children with SN when the national is encouraging inclusivity? Has the new scoring system been thoroughly examined to cover all the children who are taking the high stakes national examination to ensure that none fall through the cracks of this implementation? Aren’t children with SN also our stakeholders in the business of education? Could they positively contribute to the society if given the right support by not being penalised at the first major examination that they undertake despite the various challenges thrown at them from birth? If possible, we would like the various policy makers to engage us in discussion based on the above points mentioned. Thank you for taking time to read my email. |
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