For the third time, we have received our PSLE booklet. Yes, another child will have to go through the PSLE mill. As I posted on Facebook the day I received the package,
“Let the Games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favour!”
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Yes, you can tell that we have just read through the Hunger Games and watched the movie recently. Come September 2014, it will be PSLE Round 3. We will be sending our 3rd child to sit for the PSLE exam in 5 years.
Academics isn’t the most important thing…
Some months back I had the talk with the child in question. I stressed again :
Academics isn’t everything. BUT, it IS important to our family.
I ain’t no tiger mom but like I always tell the children, if you can get 100 in an exam and scored only 80 then you have done yourself a disservice. You have wasted your potential. But if your best is a 60 and you got 55, that’s a fantastic job! So that’s where I am coming from. Do your best.
A different benchmark for homeschoolers
In case you didn’t know, homeschoolers have to meet a much higher score to clear the PSLE. And this benchmark changes year to year since it is dependent on that year’s cohort. For example, the benchmark for many years has ranged from 193 to 195. But in 2013, it was 200!
If the child does not meet this benchmark, he will have to re-sit it until he clears it or when he turns 15, whichever comes first.
What if we don’t meet the benchmark?
So what if one of our children does not clear the PSLE? There are a few options:
- re-sit as a homeschool candidate and pour in as many resources as possible to clear it. But, it will be boring for both student and teacher to go through the same work.
- re-sit as a homeschool candidate but proceed with our high school/secondary curriculum. In other words, ignore PSLE until the last few months leading to it.
- send the child into the school system in order to avoid having to meet the benchmark. Then take the child out and continue homeschooling after PSLE is over. The benchmark is only for homeschoolers. If memory serves me well, a public school child is considered to have cleared PSLE even if he scores 130.
Cross the bridge when we come to it
I don’t know which option we will take if we have to make a choice. This is a bridge that we will cross if and when we reach it and we would definitely have to seek the Lord on it. Because, different children, different solutions!
But certainly, Lord willing, we would like to clear it once and for all! 😀
RELATED POSTS
PSLE Preparations
What’s After PSLE?
Choosing our High School/Secondary School Curriculum
Post PSLE Homeschooling FAQs
***Updated 20 August 2017***