P4 Subject-Based

Banding Briefing

for parents

22 January 2021

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?

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 SBB WORK?

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

SECONDARY ONE POSTING

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

ELIGIBILITY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL HIGHER MOTHER

TONGUE LANGUAGE (HMTL)

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

Home-School PartnershipSupporting your child in his/her learning

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

Multiple Pathways

Thank You