Briefing on Tscore Calculation, Direct School Admission

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Briefing on T-score Calculation, Direct School
Admission Sec One Posting 8 April 2009
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PROGRAMME / AGENDA

• PSLE Aggregate Score Explained (T-score)
• Direct School Admission (DSA)
• Secondary One Posting (S1 Posting)
• Q A Session

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PSLEAGGREGATE SCORE EXPLAINED
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I can calculate the T-score of my child by added
all the marks of 4 subjects, divide by 4 and
multiply by 3.
T-score is out of 300.
English and Mother Tongue are more important than
Mathematics and Science.
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PSLE A Placement Examination

• Need to reflect the relative achievement level of
  pupils within their peers.
• Places pupils into different courses according to
  their academic ability.
• Enables posting to secondary schools by merit and
  as far as possible into a school of their choice.

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What is PSLE Aggregate Score?

• It is a sum of the T-score of the 4 subjects.
• It allows pupils to be ranked fairly.

What are these scores?
Are they raw scores?
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Raw Scores Are Not Usedbecause.

• Different subjects have different levels of
  difficulty
• Different subjects have different spread of marks
  from the average mark (i.e. different standard
  deviation)

Hmmm Science is more difficult than Mathematics.
Well, I feel that Mathematics is more difficult
than Science.
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( Sallys score )
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Therefore there is a need for standardisation of
the raw scores

• Transformed Score
• or T-Score

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WHAT IS T-SCORE?

• It is not the mark a pupil obtains in the
  examination.
• It gives the relative position of a pupils
  performance as compared to the performance of all
  the other pupils in that subject.
• For example, a pupil who scored 70 in Science
  would not have performed as well if most other
  pupils scored higher than 70.

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How is T-score calculatedfor each subject?
All pupils? Thats around 50 thousand.

• where
• X pupils mark for the subject
• Y average mark (mean) scored by all pupils
• Z spread of marks around the average mark
  
• (standard deviation)

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Example

• Pupils mark (X) in exam
  80
• Average mark (Y) scored by all pupils
  68
• Spread of marks (Z) around the average mark 14

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How is the Aggregate Score calculated?

• By adding the T-scores of the 4 subjects.

Every subject is equally important!
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T-score is used instead of the raw marks obtained
because

• Use of marks obtained in the examination can lead
  to a wrong ranking of pupils.
• To ensure that subjects are accorded equal
  weighting.
• Helps to place pupils in the Secondary Schools
  and the Secondary School Course more fairly.

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SECONDARY EDUCATIONINFORMATION
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Secondary Education

• Pupils undergo four to five years of secondary
  education with different curricular emphasis,
  depending on the course they are in.
• Apart from the formal school curriculum, pupils
  should also participate in Co-curricular
  Activities (CCAs). These include a variety of
  sports and games such as track and field,
  basketball or cultural activities such as drama.

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Courses Offered

• Pupils taking the PSLE will be placed in one of
  the following three secondary courses based on
  their results
• Express Course,
• Normal (Academic) Course and
• Normal (Technical) Course.
• These courses are designed to match their
  learning abilities and interests.

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Express Course

• The Express Course is a four-year secondary
  course. Pupils will sit for the Singapore -
  Cambridge General Certificate of Education
  Ordinary (GCE O) Level Examination at the end
  of the fourth year.
• They will study English Language, Chinese / Malay
  / Tamil and a range of subjects.
• Pupils in the top 30 band of PSLE cohort may
  study Higher Chinese, Higher Malay or Higher
  Tamil.
• For pupils in the 11 - 30 band of PSLE cohort,
  they may study Higher Chinese, Higher Malay or
  Higher Tamil if they obtain
• an A grade in the Mother Tongue Language
• or at least a Merit in the Higher Mother Tongue
  Language

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Normal (Academic) Course

• The Normal (Academic) Course is a four to
  five-year secondary course. Pupils will study
  English Language, Chinese / Malay / Tamil and a
  range of other subjects.
• They will sit for the Singapore - Cambridge
  General Certificate of Education Normal (GCE N)
  Level Examination at the end of the fourth year.
• Those who do well in this examination will
  proceed to a fifth year of secondary education
  and sit for the GCE O Level Examination.
• Those who do not qualify to enter the fifth year
  may take up technical-vocational education and
  training at Institute of Technical Education
  (ITE).

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Normal (Technical) Course

• The Normal (Technical) Course is a four-year
  secondary course.
• Pupils will study English Language and Basic
  Chinese / Basic Malay / Basic Tamil Language and
  a range of subjects.
• They will sit for the GCE N Level Examination
  at the end of the fourth year.
• This course prepares pupils for a
  technical-vocational education at the Institute
  of Technical Education (ITE).

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Integrated Programmes (IP)

• While the O Levels serve as a valuable
  intermediate benchmark for the majority of our
  students, those who are clearly university-bound
  can benefit from spending the last 4 years of
  their upper secondary/ junior college education
  from Sec 3 to JC 2 engaging in broader learning
  experiences.
• The Integrated Programmes (IP) will provide an
  integrated upper secondary and JC education where
  secondary school students can proceed to JC
  without taking the O Level Examinations.
• Schools offering IP will optimise the time freed
  up from preparing for the O Levels to stretch
  students and provide greater breadth in the
  academic and non-academic curriculum. However,
  these schools will continue to have school-based
  assessments to measure students progress.

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Integrated Programmes (IP)

• IP is offered at the following secondary schools
  leading to their respective pre-university
  qualifications. In addition to Secondary 1,
  schools offering IP may take in students at other
  entry points, e.g. Secondary 3.
• School Programme Offered
• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) ? 6-year IP
  leading to the International Baccalaureate
  Diploma.
• Dunman High School /Hwa Chong Institution /
  Nanyang Girls High School / Hwa Chong
  Institution National Junior College Raffles
  Girls Secondary School / Raffles Institution
  Raffles Institution River Valley High School ?
  6-year IP leading to the A levels
• NUS High School of Mathematics and Science ?
  6-year IP leading to NUS High School Diploma
• Temasek Junior College and Victoria Junior
  College also offer the IP. The IP of these junior
  colleges take on the form of a four-year High
  School and will take in pupils at Secondary Three
  in addition to its mainstream JC programme.
• School Programme Offered
• Temasek Junior College Victoria Junior College
  ? 4-year IP leading to the A levels
• More details about the IP at the respective
  schools are available on the schools websites.

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DIRECT SCHOOL ADMISSION (DSA)
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DSA-Sec Exercise

• Rationale
• Promote holistic education by giving
  participating secondary schools greater
  flexibility in selecting students for admission
  outside the centralised S1 Posting Exercise
• Who can apply?
• Students with diverse academic and non-academic
  achievements and talents.

http//www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/dsa-sec
/participating-schools/
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DSA-Sec Exercise

• How to apply?
• Obtain information on the DSA schools
• check their websites
• call the schools
• visit the schools (attend parents talk / open
  houses)
• The application deadline for each DSA secondary
  school may differ
• Updated information for this year
• May 2009

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Selection Stage

• During the Selection Stage, the participating
  secondary schools will conduct selection
  exercises, which might include trials, interviews
  or tests, to assess applicants. By the end of
  this period, schools will inform their applicants
  as to whether they
• have been given Confirmed Offer or
• have been put on a Waiting List by the school or
  
• have not been successful in their application.

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Exercise School Preference Stage

• In late October, all students with Confirmed
  Offers or who have been put on the Waiting List
  of a school will receive a School Preference Form
  from their respective primary schools. The School
  Preference Form will clearly list down
• all schools which have given the applicant
  Confirmed Offers and
• all schools which have placed the applicant on
  their Waiting Lists.
• During the Exercise School Preference Stage,
  students with School Preference Forms will be
  able to indicate their preferences for up to 3
  schools.
• A student who indicates his preference for a
  school which had given him a Confirmed Offer will
  be guaranteed a place in the school, provided
  that he is eligible for a course (e.g. Express)
  which is offered by the school.

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Results Release Stage (late November)

• The results of the DSA-Sec Exercise will be
  released in late November, together with the PSLE
  results.
• Successful DSA applicants will be informed of the
  school they have been admitted to through their
  primary schools. Since these applicants already
  have a place reserved for them in a Secondary
  school, they will not be allowed to opt for a
  school in the Secondary One Posting Exercise.
  However, they may still indicate their interest
  in a foreign language programme or specify the
  academic course they would like to pursue where
  applicable.
• Unsuccessful DSA applicants will also be notified
  through their primary schools. During the
  Secondary One Posting Exercise, these students
  may still opt for the schools that had not been
  able to offer them a place under the DSA-Sec
  Exercise. Other than IP schools, 80-95 of places
  in DSA participating schools will continue to be
  available to students under the Secondary One
  Posting Exercise.

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SCHOOL of Science and Technology (SST)
NEW

• Part of the FutureSchools_at_Singapore Programme
• First intake in 2010
• Small class size of 20 to 25 students
• Admitting its first batch of students through the
  Direct School Admission (DSA).
• SST is a specialised independent school that
  gives students an early start to Applied
  Learning. Their 4-year programme prepares
  students for the GCE O level examinations,
  giving them the flexibility to choose the JC or
  Polytechnic route to university.
• Please log onto www.sst.edu.sg for more
  information.

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School of the Arts (SOTA)

• The primary criterion for admission to SOTA is
  artistic talent.  Students who wish to study at
  SOTA must attend the Talent Academy (TA). The TA
  is a selection platform which includes live
  auditions, personal interviews and portfolio
  reviews with a panel of highly regarded and
  experienced educators and arts specialists from
  SOTA faculty as well as resource persons from
  Singapore and overseas.During the audition, a
  student's potential is taken into account as well
  as his or her artistic talent.  The TA is
  usually held during the March and June school
  holidays and is open to all Primary 6 students. 
  Students may audition in the following art
  forms at the TA 
• Dance (Ballet or Non-Ballet)  
• Music (Instrumental or Voice)  
• Theatre  
• Visual Arts 
• All TA participants are also required to undergo
  a creative writing exercise.
• Please log onto www.sota.edu.sg for more
  information

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Singapore Sports School

• All PSLE pupils who have represented their
  schools in inter-primary schools sports
  competitions or have talent or physical
  attributes to succeed in the sports offered by
  the Singapore Sports School are invited to apply
  for a place in the Singapore Sports School.
  Applications for enrolment into the Singapore
  Sports School have to be made directly to the
  school.
• Please logon to www.sportsschool.edu.sg for more
  information

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Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

• Invitation to Parents of Primary 6 boys to
  Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) School
  Presentation on Thursday, 30 April 2009 at
  Auditorium 2 Parents of Primary 6 boys are
  invited to their School Presentation on Thursday,
  30 April 2009 at ACS (Independent), Auditorium 2.
  Presentation to Feeder Schools Parents
      4.30pm to 6.30pm Presentation to Non
  Feeder Schools Parents    7.00pm to 9.00pm The
  purpose is for parents to know more about their
  school programmes and perhaps include ACS
  (Independent) as your preferred choice for your
  son's secondary education.  Boys who achieved
  excellence in Sports and Games will have a
  decided advantage when they are considered for
  admission in their school.

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Number of BPPS students admitted through DSA
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SECONDARY ONE POSTING
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Timeline S1 Posting Exercise (Tentative)
August to October
Info Booklet Part One and Two
DEC
SEP
OCT
NOV
AUG
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Understanding the Posting Process

• Posting is by MERIT, THEN CHOICE.
• Students are first ranked by their T Score.
• The top pupil will be considered for his choices
  first before the next pupil, and then next, and
  so on.

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S1 Posting Method
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Understanding the Posting Process

• A pupil with a better PSLE T score who chooses a
  secondary school as his later choice e.g. 5th or
  6th choices will NOT be put at a disadvantage as
  compared to another pupil who chose the same
  school as his earlier choice e.g. 1st choice.
• The pupil who has the better PSLE score will
  considered for posting to each of his choices
  first.

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Understanding the Posting Process

• The PSLE score range for secondary school are not
  pre-determined before posting.
• The previous years cut-off-point for each
  school is the PSLE score of the last PSLE pupil
  who was posted to the school.
• Depends on the popularity of the school.

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S1 Option form Aggregate Eligibilities Letter

• Together with the S1 Option form, pupils may
  receive a letter to inform whether the child is
  eligible for Special Assistance Plan Schools
• Bonus points are available for entry into these
  schools if the child has taken Higher Chinese in
  primary school
• Pupils who are interested are advised to select
  SAP schools among the six school choices

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Release of Posting Results

• Modes for checking of posting results
• Online (with Internet Access)
• - Access S1 Posting website for posting results
• Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)
• SMS via applicants mobile number (if provided by
  applicants during submission of school choices)
• Going to the childs primary school.

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Factors to consider when choosing a secondary
school

• Last year posting aggregate ranges of the school
• Shows us which schools are popular
• Varies from year to year
• Ensure your 6 choices in your S1 option cover a
  spread of PSLE scores
• Distance

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Factors to consider when choosing a secondary
school

• Consider the programmes offered by the school of
  your choice
• Integrated Programmes
• Independent schools
• Autonomous schools
• Special Assistance Plans School
• Niche schools
• Specialised Schools
• NUS High
• School of the Arts
• Sports School
• School of Science and Technology SST
• Art Elective Programme
• Music Elective Programme
• Language Elective Programme
• For more Info
• http//www.moe.gov.sg/esp/schadm/sec1/programmes.h
  tm

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Factors to consider when choosing a secondary
school

• Consider the awards the school has received from
  the Ministry of Education
• School Excellence Award
• School Distinction Award
• Best Practice Awards in Teaching and Learning /
  Student All Round Development
• Character Development Awards
• Sustained Achievement Award in Academic
  Value-Addedness.

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Exercising Secondary School Options

• The following groups of PSLE pupils who are
  promoted to secondary level are eligible to
  participate in the S1 Posting Exercise
• Pupils who did not participate in the DSA-Sec
  Exercise to opt for sec schools and Third
  Languages / Course Option eligibilities (if
  any).
• Pupils who are unsuccessful in the DSA-Sec
  Exercise to opt for sec schools and Third
  Languages / Course Option eligibilities (if
  any).
• Pupils who are successful in the DSA-Sec Exercise
  with eligibility to opt for Third Languages /
  Course Option eligibilities.

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Exercising Secondary School Options

• Programmes
• Higher Mother Tongue Languages (HMT)
• Third Languages
• Art / Music Elective Programmes (AEP / MEP)
• Elective Programme in Malay Language for
  Secondary Schools (EMAS)
• Regional Studies Programme (RSP)
• Gifted Education Programme

• Eligibilities
• Edusave Entrance Scholarships for IS (EESIS)
• Special Assistance Plan (SAP)
• Course Option

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Exercising Secondary School Options

• Edusave Entrance Scholarships for IS (EESIS)
• Awarded to Singaporeans who have performed well
  in their PSLE and posted to Independent Schools.
• Eligible pupils will receive a letter informing
  them that they are offered EESIS
• Eligible pupils who are interested in the
  scholarship should opt for Independent Schools
  among their six school choices.
• EESIS will be awarded to an eligible pupil if
  he/she is admitted to an Independent School
  either through DSA-Sec or S1 Posting Exercise.

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Popular Secondary schools among Students and
Parents in BPPS
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Popular IP/SAP Schools among students and
parents in BPPS
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Question Answer
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Thank you