We need more practical ways of assessing a student's potential

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http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/teachers-in-spore-not-assessed-based-on-students-grades-hawazi#scpshrtu

The hot topic at an Our Singapore Conversation session organised by the Education Ministry on Thursday evening, was on how to minimise what many felt, an excessive focus on exams and grades.

Some of the participants said that national exams at a young age should be abolished all together. However, others said that there should be more innovative and practical ways of assessing a student's potential.

May Tay, a student, said: "There should be a variety of assessment methods to try and capture the different skill sets that we all have. This sends a good signal to society, that whatever your strengths are, we can recognise them. We can recognise you as a person and not just on your ability to perform in exams."

Marie Hwang, a mother of four, felt that the PSLE should be scaled down. She said: "We would like to see a kinder, and a smaller PSLE... Right now, we have tests that mark them down if they get a full stop or a comma wrong, so we'd like to see a more 'gracious' examination, and a smaller one -- because currently I think the students are being tested way beyond what they can actually manage."