1. Achieving academic excellence
Sec 4 & 5 parents seminar
18 February 2017

2. Agenda Introduction Achieving academic excellence
Post-secondary options
MF programmes
Tips for parents

3. What are the various Post-Secondary School options available?
Talking points:
Help our students understand that no matter what situation they are currently in, there are many options available for them.
As educators, our role is to help our students realize that there are multiple bridges and ladders at any given point of their life which can help them move closer towards achieving their goals.
Hence, before going into the specific details of what the various PSEI tracks entail, let’s take a few minutes to recall some of the options available to our pupils.
Do remember that each option caters to the aptitudes and needs of different types of learners. Remind your student to consider which environment will help them optimize their potential
Note:
The use of ‘our students’ can be replaced with ‘your child’ when addressing parents.

4. Based on a student’s O-Level exam he/she could…
Post O-level Options
Based on a student’s O-Level exam he/she could…
enrol in ITE (Higher Nitec). Possibility of entering Poly if he/she does well enough
enrol in a Junior College or Millennia Institute (A-Level)
enrol in a Polytechnic (diploma)
enrol in NAFA or LaSalle (unique arts programmes)

5. Junior Colleges (JCs)
&
Millennia Institute

6. Junior Colleges (JCs) & Millennia Institute
Prepares students for ‘A’ levels and tertiary education
Length of study:
JCs – 2 years
MI – 3 years
JCs and MI primarily prepare students for a tertiary education. JC students are equipped with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for the A- level examinations in 2 years, while MI students 3 years. These skills and knowledge will also prepare students for an university education which is the main aim of an A-level education .

7. What does one study at the A-Level?
Select subjects from three levels of study: H1 H2 H3
Half of H2 in terms of curriculum time
Equivalent to ‘A’ level subjects prior to 2006.
Subjects with opportunity for in-depth study (e.g. advanced content, research paper, university module).
Question: What do students normally offer for the A levels?
Ans: They usually take 3 H2s and 1 H1 subject. The H1 subject is referred to as a contrasting subject i.e. a content-based subject taken outside a student’s main area of specialisation.
For example, students doing three H2 Maths/Science subjects could offer H1 Literature as a contrasting subject. This is for the purpose of broadening the students’ experience. Contrasting subjects could be offered at H1 or H2 level. The new subject, Knowledge and Inquiry, will be considered a contrasting subject for both Humanities & the Arts, and Mathematics & Science, as it requires students to read widely from the different disciplines. Another example, H1 Mathematics will provide an Arts student a grounding in Statistics useful in social science studies at tertiary level.
Typical Subject Combination
Sub Combi 1 (Science stream): H2 Math, H2 Chemistry, H2 Biology and H1 Economics
Sub Combi 2 (Arts stream): H2 History, H2 Economics, H2 Literature and H1 Mathematics
Usual subject combination: 3H2s + 1H1

8. O-Level results meet the school’s cut-off point
Entry into JC or MI
2 possible ways
O-Level results meet the school’s cut-off point
Direct School Admission (DSA-JC) - JCs recognise special talents and aptitudes through discretionary admission
To enter a JC:
L1R5 must be <= 20
To enter MI:
L1R4 must be <= 20
Website for DSA(JC) -
Please remind parents and teachers, especially the former, that the JAE booklet provided to all students each year will have the most up-to-date cut off point figures. This will help students set more targeted goals which will help them move closer to their aspirations.

9. Admission Criteria for Junior College
Aggregate of English & 5 Relevant subjects (L1R5) ≤ 20 points
L1R5 for top 5 JCs  10 points L1 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 A1  C6
Humanities
Math or Science
Humanities or Math or Science
Best other subject

10. Student A L1R5? 12 points L1 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Subject O-level grade
English Language A2
Biology A1
Mathematics B3
Chemistry C5
Additional Mathematics
Combined Humanities (SS/Geog)
Chinese Language
CCA
L1R5?
12 points L1 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 A1  C6
Humanities
Math or Science
Humanities or Math or Science
Best other subject

11. MI Admission Requirements
3-Year Course (Millenia Institute)
L1R4 aggregate
English Language/ Higher Mother Tongue
Mother Tongue Language
(CL/ ML/ TL)
Mathematics/ Additional Mathematics
Points/ Grade
5 to 20 points
A1 to C6
A1 to D7
Typical L1R4 calculation =
English + 2 (Combined Humanities/Science/Math ) + 2 Best subjects including CCA
Your CCA grade could be considered if you are enrolling into Millenia Institute.

12. Sources of Bonus Points to offset L1R5 or L1R4
CCA Grades
Affiliation to the school
Pass in English and Higher Mother Tongue
Pass in a 3rd Language
CLEP – Chinese Language Elective Program
MLEP – Malay Language Elective Program
Students who apply for and are accepted into CLEP and MLEP

14. Polytechnics

15. Polytechnics Courses are market driven and career oriented
Students graduate with a Diploma
Ready to enter the workforce
Courses offered by the Polytechnics involve applied and practice-training
Students who perform well are eligible to apply for a place at the local universities

16. 2 possible ways Entry into Poly
Using O-Level results – Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE)
Through the Early Admission Exercise (EAE)
Please remind parents and teachers, especially the former, that the JAE booklet provided to all students each year will have the most up-to-date cut off point figures. This will help students set more targeted goals which will help them move closer to their aspirations.

17. ELR2B2 is used for admissions into the Polytechnics.
Entry into Poly
Using O-Level results – Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE)
ELR2B2 is used for admissions into the Polytechnics.
English Language
2 RELEVANT subjects for the course applied for
2 other best subjects
To apply for a course in a Polytechnic, the points which a student obtains for his/her ELRB2 is normally calculated.
Students must also qualify for the Min Entry Requirements for the course they want to pursue

18. This slide shows the list of relevant subjects for the various Poly courses – teachers may wish to display it on the class notice board for easy reference by the students.
Do remind students that they should find out more about the pre-requisites of the courses which they hope to apply for. This will allow them to set more targeted goals form themselves to work towards.

19. Student B L1R2B2 for Business Course?
Subject
O-level grade
English Language B3
Science (Phy / Chem) A1
Mathematics A2
D&T
Literature
Combined Humanities (SS/Geog) C5
Chinese Language
CCA
L1R2B2 for Business Course?
EL + Math + Literature + 2 Best Subjects
11 points

20. Through the Early Admission Exercise
Entry into Poly
Through the Early Admission Exercise
(EAE)
Benefits of EAE?
Confirm a place in a particular course before your O-level examination.
Each poly can admit up to 2.5% of their intake via DPA, and up to 30% for each course.
E.g. If the intake is 2500 students, only 62 students can be admitted via DPA. If a course can take in 100 students, only 30 of them, who have been admitted via DPA, can be admitted into the course.
NOTE:
Each polytechnic has its own selection criteria, which can be found at their respective websites.
Brief students early (in Sec 3) to start building up their portfolio

21. Through the Early Admission Exercise
Entry into Poly
Through the Early Admission Exercise
(EAE)
Who should apply: Individuals who have an interest and aptitude for polytechnic education
e.g. “I am good at filming and video production, hence I want to apply to Media Studies”.
Note:Even if students have been made a conditional offer they must still meet the admission criteria for the polytechnic course applied for:
obtain a net ELR2B2 score of not more than 26 points for the GCE O-Level examinations;
meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for their respective polytechnic courses
(refer to individual polytechnics’ websites)

22. EAE Application Process and Timeline
Application (Early July)
Students can apply for EAE (max 3 courses) via
2. Selection & Interviews (Mid Jul – Mid Aug)
Interviews will be conducted for the shortlisted DPA applicants
3. Offer and Acceptance (Late Aug)
Offers will be made to successful applications

23. EAE Application Process and Timeline
4. Withdrawal (by October)
If a student would like to withdraw from the EAE Exercise to participate in JAE, he must submit his withdrawal before the deadline.
5. Jumpstart your life in 8 weeks of Fun!
(February – April)
Polytechnic Preparatory Program (PPP)
Note: Under withdrawal - Students who have accepted a DPA offer but do not withdraw by the deadline are deemed to have confirmed their acceptance and will not be eligible to participate in JAE or JPSAE.

24. Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
The SIT was set up primarily to enable Poly graduates to upgrade themselves and obtain an university degree.
SIT was set up so that polytechnic graduates now have more opportunities for obtaining a university degree, without enrolling in the local universities or go abroad.
SIT will allow poly grads to attain degree qualifications from renowned overseas universities in Singapore with tuition fees comparable to that of the local universities in total.
Examples of degree courses offered at SIT: Engineering, digital media and hospitality, nursing, food science etc
Note: MOE will also provide subsidies for the university programmes.

25. Questions for students to consider when making a decision
JCs/MI vs Polytechnic
Questions for students to consider when making a decision
Key Facts
JCs primarily prepare students for an university education. But in reality, there are students who do not do well enough to enter university after their A-levels.
At the same time, there are also poly students who excel in their course, and qualify for enrolment into universities.
So ask your students to think carefully – which track best suits them in terms of learning styles, teaching and assessment methods, the pace of learning, progression opportunities, etc. Ultimately your students’ choice should be one which allows them to develop and grow as a person.

26. JCs/MI vs Polytechnic – Questions for students to consider
Would you prefer to delve deeper into academia (e.g. Math, Science, Humanities) or do you prefer learning that is tied to specific industries and work-ready qualification?
Answers
To question 1 - The JC/MI route will require students to study many of the subjects being pursued at Secondary School at a deeper level. However, studies in Poly are often linked to applied learning required in specific industries with a work-ready qualification.

27. JCs/MI vs Polytechnic – Questions for students to consider
Would you prefer sitting for a summative examination (JC) or would you thrive better in a modular assessment setting (Poly)?
3. Are you considering working before pursing further qualifications?
Answers
Answer to question 2 - The JC/MI route will require students to take a summative A-level examination. Their options upon graduation will be determined significantly based on the results they receive for this exam.
JCs offer the General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry. Both these subjects require a strong grasp of language and are taken into consideration when applying for local universities.
NOTE: While JCs typically demand students to have a strong language foundation, please highlight that for some poly courses e.g. Mass Communications demand students to have a strong language foundation (e.g. B3 in O-level English).
Answer to question 3 - If the answer is yes, a poly diploma would put your student in a work-ready position compared to an A level certification as diploma holders have been trained in a specific field of study, thus equipped with a ready skills set to offer employers. This is especially so because most poly students would have to undergo a substantial period of work attachment at the various industries where students can get hands-on experience that could add value to their career search and employment.
On the other hand, an A-level certificate is viewed more often as a preparatory course for university education.
NOTE: Students can still continue with your studies after graduating from polytechnic should you wish to do so. In fact, obtaining a polytechnic diploma may give your student exemptions of several topics during the university course and this helps to save time and costs.

28. JCs/MI vs Polytechnic – Questions for students to consider
Do you have a specific job which you are interested in?
Are you more of a conceptual learner or do you prefer a more hands-on learning environment?
Answers
Answer to question 4 - If the answer is yes, the Poly route might be more suitable as the courses offered are market-driven and industry-oriented. Poly courses generally train students to have more specialised, work-ready knowledge of a particular trade or industry, while the subjects in JC/MI are more conceptual and academic in nature.
Answer to question 5 - If your student answered the latter, than a Polytechnic education might be more aligned with their learning styles as part of a poly education involves industry internships and training programmes. Conversely, the JC/MI education revolves more around classroom based discussions and learning which would be more aligned with the conceptual learner.

29. MF programmes
Gearing up for excellence

30. Gearing up Term Key Programmes Two Complete the teaching of syllabus
CCA stand-down by end April
Bridging programme for Sec 5 students
Supplementary programme for Sec 4 students
Preliminary Examination 1 (27 Apr – 15 May)
MT Intensive lessons
June
GCE O Level MT examination (29 & 30 May)
Camp Challenge II (31 May – 2 June)
Completion of coursework for Design & Technology, Art and Food & Nutrition subjects (5 – 9 June)

31. Gearing up Term Key Programmes Three Remedial / Supplementary lessons
Afternoon consultations
Night Study
Preliminary Examination 2 (11 Aug – 24 Aug)
Sept
Remedial lessons
Four
Mock examinations

32. Academic targets
4 Express – L1R5
12 points
5 Normal Academic – L1B4

33. Parent support
Tips

34. Tips for parents Preparation for O-level examinations
Regular attendance in school and in CCAs
Regular attendance at remedial or supplementary programmes
Physical well-being
Adequate rest
Peak performance and alertness at the right time
Nutrition and supplements

35. Supporting your child to achieve their goals
Hard work, hard work and more hard work!

36. Information on post-secondary options
Calculations of aggregates
Cut-off points for Junior Colleges and courses in Polytechnics
Worksheet on target setting with your child
Encouraging them to give effective effort

37. What does it mean to work hard?
Time
Focus
Resourcefulness
Use of feedback
Persistence
Commitment

38. Effective Effort
Time: A willingness to spend the hours needed to finish the job well
Focus: Concentrating only on the work, no hand phone, no computer game, no TV or other distractions.
Resourcefulness: Knowing where to go and whom to ask for help when I am really stuck.

39. Effective Effort
Use of Feedback: Looking carefully at responses to my work so I know exactly what to fix
Commitment: Being determined to finish and do my very best work
Persistence: If one strategy isn’t working, trying different ones until I find one that works.

40. “Important achievements require a clear focus, all out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning.”