2009 GEP Screening And Selection
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we should be proud as our kids manage to go through eventhough without 'preparation' work...
vlim:
hai...after reading all the info I feel kind of sad for those 'real' gifted kids who are not able to squeeze in to the top 1% because of loosing out to those kids that are 'well prepared' for the selection tests..... So after all does this GEP still serve the purpose of catering and nurturing the real gifted kids ????2centsworthy:
Those of you staying near Rosyth should go to Success Learning centre and find out.... I was told many of the GEPers are there for the gifted stream classes.... am sure some of them will share.
Many years ago, I was told that NYPS has outside vendor doing some number sense classes for the lower primary... my friend said that it was some form of preparation for GEP. Another friend said that if you send your child to Learning Lab from Pri 1 onwards.... English and Math... apparently before the screening (don't know which round) Learning Lab gives some other worksheets to help these kids to get into GEP. I was also told that almost all of these kids will clear round 1... and a high number clear round 2. Don't know how true?
sad for those real gifted kids that can't get into gep and also sad for those kids that are trained for the selection tests but eventually find themselve struggling in gep.... -
2centsworthy:
... Early this year... a friend called me and asked me to help her get her son into GEP... so I told the above story. Her story is kind of sad... her father in law is the one who wants it... apparently he is very rich and is very fed up that none of his grandchildren are in GEP and this youngest grandson HAS to GET INTO GEP! She was sending to DOCTOR PEH... but she did not call me to tell me whether son got in or not... aiyah... what a waste... else I will know how much she pays... whether effective or not... then I will share with all of you. If she calls me... I will share, ya?
It is cases like these that reinforce my conviction that GEP has outlived its original intent and should be either removed or revamped to use more subtle selection processes and have measures put in place to curtail the \"elite\" status it projects.
Training for GEP classes - if it works, it only puts to question the effectiveness of MOE's GEP selection process. If it doesn't work, then parents are just taken for a ride. It is a no-win situation for everyone involved. -
A teacher friend of mine… was in the 3rd batch of GEP kids… after a couple of months… he decided to go back to his old school which is a mission school. Though he did not take up GEP, he is doing very well. In the course of his studies and research, he told me that statistics showed that the GEP kids are not the ones taking up all the outstanding scholarship or doing that fantastically well. In fact, the funds poured in for the GE prgm is questionable… he gave some statistics but I can’t remember. He said kind of wasting taxpayers money. I don’t normally like to tell people my kid is in GEP… it has lots of -ve things linked. Just see next week… the mainstreamers would say nasty things about the GEPers who don’t do well enough… yet there’s so many people wanting to go GEP… after getting in go to gifted stream tuition centres. It does not make sense at all…
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I totally agree with all of you. At the end of p6, we are asked to give feedback. I put mine in a sealed… STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL envelope… all crossed to ensure none in my school would get to read it first…
I requested that MOE re-look into the screening. I highlighted the FACT that many of these kids are being tuitioned for ALL subjects right before being selected thru p4 to p6. If they go for one subject say Maths… fine … afterall they were selected based on Maths, English and General Ability. BUT all subjects… my goodness! I am sure some of the kids who are not in the program, can’t even afford tuition, and they are doing well enough and have a life.
Some of these kids are not confident, not articulated, not well read, does not like reading (which is a norm among truly gifted kids)…
Its so interesting that someone told me that MOE die die will not admit they are wrong. So they came out with DSA to help these kids who would not perform well in PSLE to get a foot in first. Does any one know how true this is?
I read somewhere in the blog someone said that last year’s batch a kid got 220. In fact, in the beginning of the year when the Asst Director GE branch came to the school for the parents teacher meeting, she told us about it and also that he actually ranked 35 during time of screening. My friend in NUS High told me he is from St Hilda’s. What is going on with our education system? Is it only based on getting into the elitist group… or once you are DSA-ed then don’t bother… or whatever? The message from MOE GE during the meeting was that the child has to be responsible for his education… I think parents play an important part. It is not very important to be gifted or being TOP in the school or cohort but it is so very important to have character… the right values. -
Wow! page 131 already !
My dd attends Han for chinese, don't think that helped in GEP selection test, heh heh.
I am really surprised that some schs prepared selected kids for GEP. Do these kids continue having 'GEP tuition' after being selected for GEP? the kiasu-ness in me is thinking : haiyo, do I need to send dd for specialised tuition to catch up with those kids ??? thought the kids will be quite bogged down with hw and projs, still got time for tuition ah ?
i read an advert in the latest Popular bookstore catalogue a tuition center that is 'modelled after GEP syllabus' (or something to that effect) -- Mind Stretcher. it has a list of top PSLE scorers, including a few from GEP.
since dd might be going to Rosyth and if the kids there were supposedly trained for GEP ...hmmmm ... does that give dd an advantage or disadvantage over them ? :? -
cluelessmama:
Same here.chamonix:
Just curious, does your child attend any academic enrichments such as Learning Lab, British Council, Math programs etc?
No. Only Chinese enrichment coz kid is not so strong in it. -
Neko:
errrrrrr...likely is to your dd advantage if I am not wrong...Wow! page 131 already !
My dd attends Han for chinese, don't think that helped in GEP selection test, heh heh.
I am really surprised that some schs prepared selected kids for GEP. Do these kids continue having 'GEP tuition' after being selected for GEP? the kiasu-ness in me is thinking : haiyo, do I need to send dd for specialised tuition to catch up with those kids ??? thought the kids will be quite bogged down with hw and projs, still got time for tuition ah ?
i read an advert in the latest Popular bookstore catalogue a tuition center that is 'modelled after GEP syllabus' (or something to that effect) -- Mind Stretcher. it has a list of top PSLE scorers, including a few from GEP.
since dd might be going to Rosyth and if the kids there were supposedly trained for GEP ...hmmmm ... does that give dd an advantage or disadvantage over them ? :?
..and I am pretty sure that happens in most gep schools also...
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[quote]Some of these kids are not confident, not articulated, not well read, does not like reading (which is a norm among truly gifted kids)...
[/quote]I know a handful who are like that...but guess they are exceptionally good in Maths or Science and weaker in languages. That explains the lack of confidence or articulation.
To me, 'balance' is the key. I'd rather my child not turn out to be an extremist but an all-rounded individual, ie have more EQ than IQ. -
2centsworthy:
Quite shocked and saddened by your revelations. It makes a mockery of the programme. But yes, my chief disagreement is with the lower cutoff for GEP kids via DSA. What are we teaching our kids? That it's alright not to work once you \"make it\" to some elitist group? I asked MOE and their reply was \"these kids CAN make it easily, but some won't\". If they won't then they shouldn't benefit, right? What better way to make them responsible for their education - by making them live the consequences of their true efforts?I totally agree with all of you. At the end of p6, we are asked to give feedback. I put mine in a sealed... STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL envelope... all crossed to ensure none in my school would get to read it first...
I requested that MOE re-look into the screening. I highlighted the FACT that many of these kids are being tuitioned for ALL subjects right before being selected thru p4 to p6. If they go for one subject say Maths... fine .. afterall they were selected based on Maths, English and General Ability. BUT all subjects... my goodness! I am sure some of the kids who are not in the program, can't even afford tuition, and they are doing well enough and have a life.
Some of these kids are not confident, not articulated, not well read, does not like reading (which is a norm among truly gifted kids)...
Its so interesting that someone told me that MOE die die will not admit they are wrong. So they came out with DSA to help these kids who would not perform well in PSLE to get a foot in first. Does any one know how true this is?
I read somewhere in the blog someone said that last year's batch a kid got 220. In fact, in the beginning of the year when the Asst Director GE branch came to the school for the parents teacher meeting, she told us about it and also that he actually ranked 35 during time of screening. My friend in NUS High told me he is from St Hilda's. What is going on with our education system? Is it only based on getting into the elitist group... or once you are DSA-ed then don't bother... or whatever? The message from MOE GE during the meeting was that the child has to be responsible for his education... I think parents play an important part. It is not very important to be gifted or being TOP in the school or cohort but it is so very important to have character.... the right values.
Maybe if schools impose their individual cutoffs on all kids, then a lot of the reasons for training for GEP will disappear, and this national obsession will cool down...?
I thoroughly believe in differentiated instruction for gifted kids, but I just don't buy it that we have to reinforce this idea of elitism by giving them a discount to get into top schools! -
2centsworthy:
A friend of mine who has kid like that : lazy to read through out his primary school year but very good in Maths. He got thru the 1st round but not the 2nd round in his GEP selection test some years back. He then got into a top IP school through DSA Maths domain. If he were to depend on PSLE result he would miss the top school cos English no good T-score got dragged down. Now in the IP programme his is English has improved a lot thru the language art programme, forced to read now mah. So I think the DSA thingy is helpful for kid like this since the GEP selection benefit kids who are not just smart but also must be good in English.
Its so interesting that someone told me that MOE die die will not admit they are wrong. So they came out with DSA to help these kids who would not perform well in PSLE to get a foot in first. Does any one know how true this is?
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