Why screen kids in P1?
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FQW:
Frankly, I'm not sure what the big fuss is all about. If every time sch conducts test also must ring me to seek my approval, then I would be a terribly busy parent.
I think so too.
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FQW:
Frankly, I'm not sure what the big fuss is all about. If every time sch conducts test also must ring me to seek my approval, then I would be a terribly busy parent. That's only me as an individual. What about the resources required from the sch's perpective.
If all parents like that, no wonder teachers got no time to teach properly. :roll: :skeptical: -
I think it's to identify children for LSP - learning support?
When dd1 was in p1, she told me about some simple test. I asked her form teacher during parent teacher session & her form teacher told us that was the purpose of that test.
When dd2 was in p1, she didn't even know she sat for any test
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sleepy:
It is not to identify for LSP. If they're testing patterns... and not literacy and numeracy... they're testing for IQ. They're trying to identify the high IQ. The focus is not so much on what the kids have LEARNT in preschool nor to find the gap between what kids HAVE NOT LEARNT and need to know in P1.I think it's to identify children for LSP - learning support?
When dd1 was in p1, she told me about some simple test. I asked her form teacher during parent teacher session & her form teacher told us that was the purpose of that test.
When dd2 was in p1, she didn't even know she sat for any test
They're testing for the raw quality of the children's brains. Why do they do so?
(1) Certainly, with the school incentive system as it is, schools have every interest to try to maximize the high IQ brains. These will be the future PSLE top scorers.
(2) They may try to devise ways to work with low IQ brains.
(3) They may be collecting data for a longitudinal study of some sort. If that is so, research ethics protocols in many other countries require parent consent. This is not an academic test. It's an IQ test. It may or may not be used to make decisions germane to the way the child will be treated in future.
I would myself be most upset if I found out that my child was given an IQ test to decide his future treatment WITHOUT my permission... and without full disclosure of what the test results will be used for. To me, such tests are on par with genetic testing.
If people took your child's DNA for testing and then used the results about predisposition to heart disease, breast cancer and cervical cancer to potential employers... who may deny you a job based on the data...WITHOUT telling you anything... you would be fine? -
The concern I guess of some parents would be that their children may be given an "average" or "laggard" label and be treated accordingly.
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sleepy:
When dd2 was in p1, she didn't even know she sat for any test that's good. Your dd2 should be able to perform well as she does not feel pressurised. In her opinion, it is just class work.
Sometimes parents are the ones who pass the stress to the children. If they treat the mini test as a consolidation for teachers to identify who needs help, then children will be able to learn and thrive happily.
Active learning is not about sitting for tests/examinations...... How many of us can enforce this? :? -
AceTutors123:
The concern I guess of some parents would be that their children may be given an \"average\" or \"laggard\" label and be treated accordingly.
There is no need for a test to give children an \"average\" or \"laggard\" label. A successful educator should not label any children and give all children equal chance. Some children are late boomers. If labelled too early, it destroys their chance to blossom totally..... -
PhoBIA:
Yes... based on the results of a single test... some important decisions relevant to the child's capability are likely to be made. Psychometric tests are not completely failsafe. This is a very Orwellian practice and it makes me VERY VERY uncomfortable.AceTutors123:
The concern I guess of some parents would be that their children may be given an \"average\" or \"laggard\" label and be treated accordingly.
There is no need for a test to give children an \"average\" or \"laggard\" label. A successful educator should not label any children and give all children equal chance. Some children are late boomers. If labelled too early, it destroys their chance to blossom totally..... -
PhoBIA:
Exactly PhoBIA, the last thing we need is for educators to hold subconscious biasedness against some children. I would think that giving teachers access to IQ scores of the children may disadvantage some of the children, and it would skew that teacher's perception that every kid in the class is smart and has equal chances in learning more and doing well.
There is no need for a test to give children an \"average\" or \"laggard\" label. A successful educator should not label any children and give all children equal chance. Some children are late boomers. If labelled too early, it destroys their chance to blossom totally..... -
I am not sure if there were labels attached. As I understand from the LSP teachers at my DS school, the ‘tests’ were administered to identify developmentally weak students. That is, the so-called "late bloomers" who are in fact "very late bloomers". These children were identified and monitored closely in term 1 for learning difficulties. If they appear to be struggling, the could be placed in the LSP programme, though not all are - some, managed to catch up with their peers.
Testing patterns and copying patterns is not just seen in IQ tests. Developmental tests also use patterns and copying of patterns, so as not to discriminate against poor or non-readers.
One reason i can think of for not informing parents could be the fact that some parents may over-react and start ‘preparing’ their child for the ‘test’. If so, it would defeat the purpose of the test, and could even mask a developmental learning difficulty which will not be identified or addressed until it is too late! For this, I am grateful that my DS school conducted the test discreetly.
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