Should UPSR and PMR be scrapped? 44% disagreed. 22% agreed.

Should the UPSR and PMR exams be scrapped?

Out of 1,497 who voted in The Star's online Polls, 44% said NO to removing UPSR and PMR exams.

Only 22% agreed to the idea of scrapping UPSR and PMR.

I personally strongly disagree to notion of scrapping UPSR and PMR examinations.

UPSR and PMR are terminal assessments of educational performance of primary school students and lower secondary school students respectively.

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Wednesday June 23, 2010
MCA council to discuss exams

MALACCA: The MCA will announce its stand over the recent proposal to scrap the UPSR and PMR examinations only after discussing the matter at the presidential council meeting next week, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

[My comment: This is good statement by the MCA Top Leader. MCA's official stand will be announced after further discussion and deliberation. No rush to issue a Policy Statement/]

“The matter has to be discussed in detail before I can make a statement,” he said after launching the Tangga Batu MCA annual general meeting here yesterday evening.

The party’s views on the proposal would then be forwarded to the Education Ministry.

Dr Chua said it was also important for the Education Minister to find out why the quality of education was dropping.
“Is it because we have produced too many graduates without focusing on their quality?” he asked.
He added that the education system was exam-oriented and had its own weaknesses.
“The goal of education is not to produce bookworms.
“A person may do well in exams but it does not make him or her perfect in other aspects, such as in sports, the ability to communicate and interact, being creative including the shaping of character,” he added.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/23/nation/6527179&sec=nation

G

Remove UPSR and PMR? Remove the Terminal Assessment of Learning Performance?

How can we remove UPSR and PMR? (This is a wrong policy in terms of learning theories.)

UPSR is a terminal assessment of primary education. PMR is a terminal assessment of lower secondary education.

How are we going to measure the educational performance of primary school students with standardized exams throughout Malaysia? How are we going to evaluate the learning performance of lower secondary school students?

With no PMR, how are we going to stream the students into Science Stream, Arts Stream and Commerce Stream? We will have no unified yardstick to judge whether the student is suitable for Science stream or other stream.

Let us go to learning theories. One relevant learning theory is Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction.

According to Robert Gagne, there are nine events that activate processes needed for effective learning. Gagne believes all lessons should include this sequence of events:

Events:
1 Gain Attention
2 Inform Learner of Objectives
3 Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning
4 Present Stimulus Material
5 Provide Learner Guidance
6 Elicit Performance
7 Provide Feedback
8 Assess Performance
9 Enhance Retention and Transfer.

Source: http://ide.ed.psu.edu/idde/9events.htm

One of the 9 critical elements is ASSESS PERFORMANCE. Although his theory concentrated on specific learning lesson, I think this is applicable to the overall learning process.
In my opinion, ASSESS PERFORMANCE has been incorporated into Malaysian learning system for decades. Something good (which is based on worldwide accepted learning theory) should NOT be removed.

UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM are the Terminal Assessment of Learning Performance.
UPSR – at end of Standard 6.
PMR – at end of Form 3.
SPM – at end of Form 5.
STPM – at end of Form 6 upper.

I do not deny that there are school-based exams in the form of term/semester exams. Term exam (or semester exam) is Interim Assessment (also known as continual assessment, or progressive assessment).

I conclude that UPSR and PMR remain very useful as Terminal ASSESSMENT of Learning PERFORMANCE of primary school students and lower secondary school students respectively.

Monday June 21, 2010
PMR and UPSR exams may go
By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH newsdesk@thestar.com.my

MUAR: The UPSR and the PMR examinations may be abolished to remove the pressure of an exam-oriented education system on schoolchildren, said the Education Minister.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry was studying the change and urged scholars, educationists and various stakeholders to provide input.
“Several parties have voiced their views that the present system forces teachers and students to only focus on achieving excellent results in the examinations,” he said after opening the Pagoh Umno division delegates assembly yesterday.
Muhyiddin said that there were three public examinations — UPSR, PMR and SPM — in the 11 years of primary and secondary education, and this pressured schools, teachers and parents to want students to achieve excellent results.
“Parents also send their children for tuition just to see them excel in examinations,” said Muh­­­yiddin.
He said the exam pressure was wrong and defeated the true purpose of sending the children to school.
“The main objectives of education is for children to gain knowledge in a holistic manner - where creativity, innovation and interaction thrive,” he said.
Muhyiddin said when the pressure was off to score As, teachers and students could focus on other life interests, including sports.
“Career-wise, it is also no longer enough just to pass with flying colours in public examinations. Our students also need to equip themselves with life skills and a strong grasp of general knowledge,” he said.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the Educa­tion Minister in 2007, had also called for public feedback on the matter three years ago, saying that the ministry was “slowly moving in that direction with term-based assessment.”

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/21/nation/6510666&sec=nation