EDUCATION

Standardized testing – obsolete?

Standardised Test  Constructed by specialist and experts  Based on standardised norms and principles  Administered and scored in a consistent, predetermined manner

Standardised Test In Singapore:  PSLE – Primary 6  ‘O’ Levels – Secondary 4  ‘A’ Levels – JC 2

Pros

Practicality  Less time for preparation of test  Easy administration  Smooth grading  Empirical documentation

Objectivity  Non-standardised test based on individual teacher’s opinion of student’s performance  May lead to biasness

Instigator of Change  Pattern emerges after a school / region conducts many of such tests  Problems identified quickly  Change can brought about

Accountability  Benchmark is set  Students can work towards goals of common standards  Leads to achievement gains  Test is taken seriously

Standardization  Students are exposed to the same basic material  Regardless of demographics of schools  Improve social mobility

Cons

Only when standardized tests and testing are overused, misused and over-emphasied

Dishonesty  High-stake tests  Stress: for students, teachers and schools  Results have to be improved by hook or by crook  Dishonesty

Teaching to the Test  Students who are well-versed with examination- formatted questions do better  Teachers spend more time to prepare students on examination structure  Topics may be overlooked due to time constraint  "Standardized tests can't measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, effort, irony, judgment, commitment, nuance, good will, ethical reflection, or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes. What they can measure and count are isolated skills, specific facts and function, content knowledge, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning." — Bill AyersBill Ayers

Biasness  Against certain students  Standardised tests do not take into account diversity

Impact on Students  Doing poorly results in:  Depression  Teacher’s morale lowered – negative attitude towards student  Punishment instead of encouragement  Unhealthy competition levels

Elitism  Elite schools tend to do better  Students attributed with having families of higher social status and wealth  Standardised test is a tool to show off

S’pore’s education – breed elitism?

Elitism  people with intellect, wealth, specialized training, or other distinctive attributesintellect wealth  to be taken the most seriously or carry the most weight; whose views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society  Mindset  Attitude

YES Why?

 GEP  DSA  EESIS  IP  SMP  MPP

Examples?  Wee Shu Min  “get out of my elite uncaring face”  A 12-year-old girl

Examples? “It is not enough to succeed, others must fail” Gore Vidal

Rise of IP schools  Give rise to elitism?  Assumption  Utopian  Criticism

Bilingualism in multicultural society –problem unique to S’pore?

Canada  Migrants  Officially Bilingualism  Asymmetrical application of edu rights in Canada -Quebec’s English-education  Problems -English speakers’ children forced to speak French

India  Almost no immigrants  Hindi-official union language  English-official work language  22 recognized regional language  National language: not defined

India  Taught 3 languages from 1 st grade  Problems: -Communication obstacle -A country that divided into north (Hindi) and south (Dravidian) -why China is progressing more rapidly than India

Bilingual education  Another way of thinking  Overseas study chances  Business opportunities  Positive effects on economy