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发表于 16-4-2012 11:56:14|来自:新加坡
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Outcry over Project Work grades again
By Denis Edward
The New Paper
Friday, Apr 13, 2012
The A-level Project Work ruckus, which makes an appearance whenever the results are announced each year, is back.
In 2007, St Andrew's Junior College (JC) students were furious when less than 1 per cent of their cohort scored As in the subject.
In 2009, several students and parents cried foul when Meridian JC awarded 95 per cent of their students distinctions - outperforming top JCs such as Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution.
And now, students from Catholic JC (CJC) are incensed.
When the Project Work results were announced on Monday, they learned that only 38.1 per cent of their cohort scored distinctions.
This is not a fair reflection of their calibre, disgruntled students argued.
Project Work was introduced as an A-level subject in 2003 and makes up 10 per cent of entrance scores for the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
It is designed to help students develop their research, problem-solving, communication and teamwork abilities, and they are assessed by their written report, oral presentation and group project file.
Since its introduction, students have lambasted the unequal number of distinction awarded in some JCs compared to others.
However, a Ministry of Education spokesman told The New Paper that the grades awarded are "reliable and fair".
She said: "The teachers' markings are checked by the school's internal moderation panel to ensure teachers adhere to the common national standard and that there is consistency of marking within the school.
"At the national level, an external moderation process ensures that schools adhere to the prescribed national standard and that marking is done accurately and consistently across schools.
"The moderation process for Project Work is similar in rigour with that for other coursework subjects and is consistent with the procedures carried out by the Cambridge International Examinations for its overseas examinations which have coursework components."
A CJC student , who is sitting for her A-level exams in November, is worried that she may lose out to her A-scoring peers when she applies for scholarships.
"Scholarship providers may feel that I lack certain qualities when they compare me to those who score As for Project Work," she explained.
"That's why it's disheartening to know that there are so many people from other JCs who were awarded As."
Teacher's discretion
A teacher who teaches the subject at a JC in the north conceded that despite the guidelines, marking is generally left to the discretion of the teacher.
"The marking guidelines are fair and all teachers should apply them," she said.
"But every teacher has his own way of approaching the subject and the standards may (differ) as a result."
Some parents who spoke to TNP called for the breakdown of Project Work results awarded to students from each JC to be made public.
Madam Lim, a part-time tutor who has a daughter in her second year at JC, said: "From what I understand, some JCs perform very well in one year and falter in the next. Sometimes, the dip in results is unbelievable.
"But the worst part is that the results are not officially published, which makes the situation more suspicious. I can only get the information from JC students I tutor."
Another parent, Madam Pang, who also has a daughter in JC, said: "I'm sure there's something wrong with the process somewhere because no system is perfect, and many people seem to be unhappy every year with the results.
"Maybe the examining authorities can do more to (get rid of) the problem." |
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