In September 2018, the Ministry of Education made a bold, yet commendable move – to abolish Mid-Year Examinations (MYE) for Primary 3 and 5 and Secondary 1 and 3 students.
Implemented to provide students with a more holistic and balanced environment for learning, this move will allow students to have more time adjusting to their new subjects and higher content rigour.
Indeed, this initiative will not only provide students with extra time to understand their subject content better, but also help students cope with the piling workload as they progress. However, despite its benefits, removing Mid-Year Examinations also has its consequences.
A CHECKPOINT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS
Analogous to regular health check-ups for our body, Mid-Year Examinations have always been used as a mode of measurement to track students’ understanding towards subjects. Through their MYE results, parents will be able to ask:
- Is my child on route to scoring their distinctions?
- Is he/she falling behind in class?
- Could my child be suffering from exam anxiety?
- Should I provide my child with extra assistance before it’s too late?
As a parent of two, MYEs have always been an effective marker for me to determine my children’s progress half way through their academic year. Their MYE results provided me with insights to my children’s performance in school and flag up any problems that can be rectified ahead of their final year examination.
PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS
With the abolishment of the MYE, it would be more difficult for you, as a parent to monitor your child’s academic progress. Extra effort should be put in to ensure that your child is on track and coping well with his/her studies. Here are three tips that will help you:
- Communicate with teachers to understand your child’s progress instead of relying on test results.
- Check and ensure that your child is not procrastinating and not finding their schoolwork too easy. Complacency and overconfidence may arise from the lack of exam rigour!
- Find other means to measure your child’s academic progress such as online tests. It is better to have an inkling of your child’s foundation before it is too late!
It is important for students to achieve a balanced and less stressful study environment. But equally as important, is knowing when your child might need the extra help for his/her subjects.
Thank you for reading the article and I hope that this read will aid you in ensuring the best for your children.
Eileen Song, Mother of Two
Principal, Habitat Learning Centre
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