Saturday, October 10, 2009

New SPM Grading..

At the eleventh hour... that's the key phrase now. First it was UPSR with their IQ test. Now this - the new grading system for SPM. Another on the spur of the moment decision.

Well, the new grading system shows that at least the MInistry admits one thing. Our 1A grade tak boleh pakai. The range is just so big that you can't really tell the ala-cream from the rest of the ala-cream-wannabes. What more our 2A. But since the Ministry also doesn't want the avalanche of A(s) to stop and it doesn't really have a transparent grading system, they came up with the A+, A and A- system. Now we have 3 different types of A(s). I wonder whether they are trying to pass our not-so-excellent students as excellent still...

Now those caught in this latest exercise would be those lulled into the sea of mediocrity by the promise of easy A. Trying to catch up in these last weeks will be horrendous, especially when you think you can get by with just minimal work.... to get the A(s). Before this it was a possible feat. So, there will be a mad scramble, a lot of cursing and regrets. So, in this sense I think it is a good wake-up call to such students.

Cos what this new grading system will do is separate the 'men' (ladies) from the 'boys'(girls). If 85 becomes the mark that qualifies an A+, then for once, maybe those who truly deserve to get the JPA scholarship will be identified.

As for those who have the potential but allow the system to turn them into mediocre performers... it's really too bad. But better a wake-up call than none at all.

2 comments:

daboss said...

i think the proposal may be good... but what's to stop them from moderating the results after the grading system?

AJ7 said...

Moderating the results after the grading system? Well, that is something which will be going into the realms of real (or pseudo) meritocracy.. as in whether really practise 1Malaysia or ketuanan satu bangsa. We are at that crossroad now... a chance of a truly Malaysian race or go back to our version of apartheid.

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