Serious The PISA Fallacy...

[zhihau]

Finally, the PISA and TIMSS tests measure only basic mathematical, scientific and reading skills.

While I agree that chasing higher PISA & TIMSS scores is akin to chasing the wrong race, and that our education system fosters a pliant society. I think the author has to understand that PISA & TIMSS is a gauge for competency in Maths & Science, not the art and humanities.

Second point: I like to seek clarification as to how biased sampling had been purportedly enforced?

 

[pakchewcheng]

Sinkies are better off sticking to the Straits Times and ChannelNews Asia. Most of the other social media platforms publish fake news and falsehoods.

Roy's popular blog on CPF has been found to be packed with defamatory lies and the Mothership in recent times had to retract two fake news articles.

I so verily inpressed you diid not invoke Petir as the Fount of TRUTH that even ST and CNA must bow down to!

 

[twentyfour]

There is no need to measure competence in arts and humanities because those are generic knowledge subjects that need no foundational skills. Anyone who wants to read history or geography at university can just delve into it without going through 4 to 8 years of high school or pre college prep unlike math and the physical sciences

 

[Rodney King]

While I agree that chasing higher PISA & TIMSS scores is akin to chasing the wrong race, and that our education system fosters a pliant society. I think the author has to understand that PISA & TIMSS is a gauge for competency in Maths & Science, not the art and humanities.

Second point: I like to seek clarification as to how biased sampling had been purportedly enforced?

 

[Rodney King]

While I agree that chasing higher PISA & TIMSS scores is akin to chasing the wrong race, and that our education system fosters a pliant society. I think the author has to understand that PISA & TIMSS is a gauge for competency in Maths & Science, not the art and humanities.

Second point: I like to seek clarification as to how biased sampling had been purportedly enforced?

 

[zhihau]

I must admit these are some of the most cryptic messages I've ever seen in my life... 2 replies and 47 minutes apart... both quoting my posts without any content in the replies... Bloody hell, you've got me here.

 

[Rodney King]

I must admit these are some of the most cryptic messages I've ever seen in my life... 2 replies and 47 minutes apart... both quoting my posts without any content in the replies... Bloody hell, you've got me here.

Sorry Zhihau, having major computer probs. at moment. Was half-way through writing you a lengthy response and my computer jammed. But I don't know how you ended up getting two blank emails from me. Will get back to you.

 

[eatshitndie]

I must admit these are some of the most cryptic messages I've ever seen in my life... 2 replies and 47 minutes apart... both quoting my posts without any content in the replies... Bloody hell, you've got me here.

he's testing your pisa (pissed ass) abilities.

 

[Rodney King]

Back with you Zhihau.... Besides mathematics and technical skills PISA and TIMSS also measure reading proficiency. With TIMSS though reading skills are assessed separately in its Program in International Reading Study (PIRLS). But while PISA/TIMSS only measure core mathematical, technical and reading skills their rankings are deemed to reflect the quality of an education system generally.

On the basis of Singapore's exalted rankings it's regarded as having a first-class education system by educators and educationists around the world who put great faith in PISA/TIMSS rankings. The fact that PISA/TIMSS only measure numeracy, literacy and technical skills is ignored by such people. But education is about far more than the imparting of such basic skills. It's also about imparting concepts about the society they live in, about their country's history and that of mankind's generally, about other peoples and cultures, about the great themes of the human condition and about human relationships. Only the humanities and literature can provide such cultural and psychological sustenance. You won't get this from basic numeracy and literacy education where the aim is to simply prepare people to be robotic cogs in the system. While this may suit the PAP state to reduce people to docile digits, making them much easier to control, such thinking violates the basic principles of education which is meant to develop "the whole person". The buzz word for this is "holistic education" which assorted PAP Ministers and Directors of Education rave on about but have failed to significantly implement in Singapore.

Apart from imparting basic numeracy, literacy and technical skills the quality of an education system depends on:

a) The degree to which it nurtures students' creativity, intellectual curiosity and desire to learn and develops their innovative and critical thinking capacities - attributes which the PAP leadership has been constantly banging on about since the late 1980s but which they glumly concede Singaporean students so often lack.

b) How well it practices and implements meritocracy and equality of opportunity - two more principles which PAP leaders also loudly and often proclaim. But as any thinking Singaporean knows Singapore operates of racist pro-Chinese education system which discriminates against Malays and Indians as well as one which favours class over equality. Both policies directly violate meritocracy. Regarding the class factor, the high cost of tuition ensures that the wealthy can pay for the best tutoring for their children giving them a massive head-start in the Singapore's highly competitive exam-driven education system compared to children from much poorer households.

c) The extent to which it provides a stimulating yet low-stress learning experience environment for students, teachers and parents. As almost every Singaporean knows such is not the case in Singapore's pressure-cooker education system where students and teachers are forced to operate in highly stressful school systems where causes much student and teacher burn-out and where student suicide is constant concern for schools and teachers, especially around exam times.

Regarding your question about biased sampling and its enforcement with respect to PISA/TIMSS tests: One first needs to examine how both organisations conduct their tests in the countries being surveyed to address this question.
As I already mentioned, PISA and TIMSS allow in each country they survey to supervise the tests with a locally chosen manager for the task. With the PISA such a person is a National Project Manager while with TIMSS it's a National Research Co-ordinator. Moreover, PISA actually states in its 2009 Technical Report that their NPMs "contributed to the verification and evaluation of survey results, analyses and reports."
Giving locally-chosen managers such power to administer and conduct tests on behalf of a foreign organisation leaves much room for nationalist education agendas to be pursued to the detriment of objective measurement of student performance in TIMSS and PISA tests.
In their critique of TIMSS tests, US educationists William and Berchie Holliday noted: "... there is good reason to believe that some government officials in their respective countries placed in charge of administrating TIMSS tests unfairly selected students for testing and did not act in accordance with TIMSS student-sampling methods". Moreover, they say that biased selection is likely to be most prevalent in countries where students attend specialised elite schools. And Singapore is one such country with its extensive system of elite schools.
With regard to TIMSS tests, the Hollidays, note that in 16 of 21 countries participating countries in TIMSS tests, students attending 'high performance' schools elite-type schools that focus on mathematics and science. The Hollidays rightly ask whether all participating countries have "honestly and completely reported their administrative procedures and follow TIMSS rules - or did some nations 'modify' the sampling rules and procedures to their countries clear advantage?"
The likelihood that countries such as Singapore may have engaged in such practices when one considers the considerable leeway they seem to enjoy when conducting TIMSS tests. For example, TIMSS has permitted Singapore to have a third sampling stage with its tests, according to its 2007 Sample Design and Technical Reports. While schools are first sampled and then classes within the participating schools, Singapore was allowed a further level of sampling within the classes being tested. Two classes per school were sampled in Singapore and 19 students were sampled within each class. With up to 40 students per class in Singaporean schools, this would represent a significant reduction in students taking PISA tests. No reason can be found in the TIMSS 2007 Technical Report on why Singapore was permitted to perform this sampling procedure while none of the other 58 countries in the TIMSS survey were allowed to.
Similar sampling manipulation would seem to be occurring with PISA tests by Singapore education authorities, according to Singaporean teacher Sutharsan John Isles. He disputed MOE claims that the students chosen for PISA tests accurately represented the 15-year-old cohort that PISA uses to test a country's educational achievement. He said MOE did not say how it selected students from public and private schools for testing.
From his own experience as a teacher in Singapore Isles said that students from the brightest stream (the Express stream) were overwhelmingly chosen for the PISA tests. It was "very unlikely" that any students from the Normal Academic stream - to which the bulk of students belonged - were ever selected. And it was even less likely that students from the Normal Technical stream, where the weakest students were, would ever be chosen, he said.
Isles comments are quite credible, especially when one considers the PAP states propensity for using statistics to pursue its various political and social engineering agendas. And woe betide any Singaporean who dares question official statistics, whether on education or anything else the government deems important. Many on this forum would know of Singaporeans and foreign commentators who've been viciously vilified by the PAP government when they've done so.
Certainly no MOE official is going to blow the whistle on dubious MOE practices regarding PISA/TIMSS testing, if he wants to keep his job and avoid government persecution and perhaps legal prosecution.

 

[Rodney King]

There is no need to measure competence in arts and humanities because those are generic knowledge subjects that need no foundational skills. Anyone who wants to read history or geography at university can just delve into it without going through 4 to 8 years of high school or pre college prep unlike math and the physical sciences

There is no need to measure competence in arts and humanities because those are generic knowledge subjects that need no foundational skills. Anyone who wants to read history or geography at university can just delve into it without going through 4 to 8 years of high school or pre college prep unlike math and the physical sciences

Not really Twentyfour. Competence, or more precisely a good grounding in the arts and humanities, are essential for to a full-rounded education. And what's more students do need "foundational skills" beyond mere numeracy, literacy and technical skills. The social sciences teach one how to assess information, to separate truth and falsehood and "fake news" etc and to argue in a logical and analytical nature on the basis of data and evidence. Literature teaches children about human feelings, emotions and relationships and social skills, all critical attributes that children must acquire if they are to grow into functioning adults. Moreover such subjects and geography, history and economics teach children about their own society and other societies. And you don't just "delve into" these subjects as some sort of hobby. They are each major disciplines central to enabling people to understand the world they live in.

 

[zhihau]

The fact that PISA/TIMSS only measure numeracy, literacy and technical skills is ignored by such people...

No dispute here, the kids first learn to read and then read to learn. Literacy skills which are well developed in earlier phases of life sets the stage for the kids. Physiologically, psychologically and structurally sound.

Apart from imparting basic numeracy, literacy and technical skills the quality of an education system depends on...

I agree with these views - judging how well a fish climbs a tree is absolutely moronic. I subscribe to the notion of multiple intelligence and abhor the means testing of students in order to stream them at a very young age. Late bloomers aren't well received in society and being in an environment not suited for them at their developmental stage will funnel them down a separate path from their true potential.

Despite having understood that the mastery of mother tongue languages serves as a bridge to connect with ancestral lands - The promotion of the SAP schools in Singapore serves the purpose of divide and conquer, that is as much as I can see for now, I could wait for somebody from the ministry to help enlighten this head of mine.

Couple of things you may wish to note about our education system:
1. Our education system is designed to suit its economic directions. Our economy has evolved over time and likewise the education system. The education system has to churn out economic digits to drive the economy. The country's survival is at stake they say
2. Having chased many band wagons in the past, from manufacturing to proteomics and IT and biotechnology, I can safely say that the education system is now at its wits end as the world is evolving faster than we can possibly imagine and guess what? They latch on to the notion of 21st century skills. What the fuck are 21st century skills?

on 20/20, if I may, I would say the education system did something right in the past - not pandering to the demands of parents and mete punishment as and when required. On the flip side, the molding of the character was something that was eroded over time - anyone can attest to that by looking at the number of brats on the streets these days.

Certainly no MOE official is going to blow the whistle on dubious MOE practices regarding PISA/TIMSS testing, if he wants to keep his job and avoid government persecution and perhaps legal prosecution.

You've certainly forgotten that the Civil Service of Singapore strongly values Integrity, Service and Excellence. I believe the allegations on biased sampling can be critically examined.

1. On further sampling being allowed in TIMSS, how does this third sampling stage affects the TIMSS results in the process of grading the students?
2. On the observations that more express students are selected for the PISA testing, does Mr Sutharsan John Isles understand the profile of the students taking PISA and TIMSS across the whole of Singapore? Or he was reporting from his observations within the school he's teaching?

I am pretty sure those anal-retentive twits from MOE have the stats to back themselves up. Like you've said, they wouldn't risk their rice bowls over these type of silly means testing

 

[zhihau]

They are each major disciplines central to enabling people to understand the world they live in.

Appreciate this effort to keep humanities alive. Kudos to you.

PS: I can see you have some computer problems again... Get a Mac, you won't look back.

 

[zhihau]

What the fuck are 21st century skills?

I still haven't a fucking clue o_Oo_Oo_O