By Ms Koh
It is real. Students in primary and secondary school will no longer have to sit for mid-year examinations from 2023. While we applaud the move as it gives students more time to work on other important skills and develop other interests, the lack of this mid-year checkpoint means that students have one less opportunity to practise performing under examination conditions. So, how can we prepare for “no more mid-years”? Here are 3 important tips that parents should know.
1. Assess your child in the various subjects
The first step is to know what your child is weak at in the first place. Schools teachers should still be using ongoing assessments to identify what students have mastered and the areas that they are weaker in. You can also print past year papers (you can find them online for free) and do a timed practice with your child to assess their performance. Learning Sphere also offers an Assessment Checkpoint that is free for our students to test their understanding of specific topics.
2. Encourage your child to read widely
Students learn best when they are able to link concepts learnt in the textbook to real world events. If you take a look at recent news, you will find many natural disasters happening around the world, including flooding in Australia, volcanic eruption leading to tsunami in Tonga and typhoon in Phillippines. Point them out to your child and encourage them to apply the concepts learnt in class to explain how these disasters were caused, to help them draw the connection from the textbook to the real world.
3. Instill discipline in your child
The removal of mid-year examinations does not mean that one should slacken off. In fact, it is even more important for your child to keep good studying habits, such as revising regularly, clarifying or seeking help with areas that he/she is weak in, completing homework and assignments on time. These good habits should be cultivated early on and instilled in your child, and will go a long way to help them in their education journey.
Of course, the removal of mid-year examinations will definitely help in improving the mental stress and improve the well-being of the students. However, parents must also remind their child about the importance of conscientious efforts in their termly assignments and tests and not take the removal of mid-year examinations for granted!