Homeschooled kids must sit new MOE test at Pri 4

Assessment to help parents better gauge progress, highlight weaker areas
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 6 Sep 2014

FROM this year, children being schooled at home must take an assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE) when they are at the Primary 4 stage.

Their parents will also need to submit sample copies of marked test papers to MOE.

This is on top of annual reports which the parents have to submit on their child's progress in English, mother tongue, mathematics and science.

Asked about these new requirements, an MOE spokesman said these are part of monitoring homeschoolers to ensure they are receiving an adequate education.

Calling the Primary 4 assessment a "check-point", the spokesman said it will help parents better understand their children's "educational progress midway through primary education, and to highlight areas where more support is required".

Those who fail will not be affected or reassessed, she said.

But homeschooling parents said that their children already sit the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) at Primary 6, and having to prepare for an additional exam is disruptive.

A 49-year-old father who homeschools his three children - two sons aged 14 and 12, and a daughter aged 10 - said: "It is frustrating that citizens who are impacted by the new requirements have not been consulted."

Another homeschooling parent, Madam Catherine Tan, 44, said: "I understand the ministry's intentions in wanting to gauge the children's progress, but the PSLE already tests their learning and that is sufficient.

"The homeschooling children in Primary 4 may be at different milestones because families approach education differently and they use different curriculum," said the mother of four children, aged six to 18.

"They are not trained to be exam-paper smart at this stage."

Madam Cheong Tsui Ling, 41, whose homeschooled nine- year-old daughter will have to take the assessment next year, said: "We will take it as it comes, but we may have to set aside some time to go through the local syllabus, especially in mathematics and science, to ensure she knows what she is in for."

The curriculum she uses, known as Accelerated Christian Education, is quite different from the local school syllabus, she said.

"But I will not let her go in and hand in a blank piece of paper," said the mother of six children, aged between one and 14.

For parents who use the local syllabus, the assessment will be a good way of checking their children's progress, she added.

The number of homeschooled children within the primary-school age range is relatively small. Since 2003, about 500 have been taught this way, said MOE.

But it seems the numbers are slowly rising. This year, 42 homeschooled children will be taking the PSLE, up from 33 last year and 26 in 2008 - when homeschoolers were first required to take the examination.

Since 2003, parents who want to homeschool their children, instead of sending them to primary school, have to apply to MOE for permission. They have to submit curriculum plans, including those on national education topics, such as racial and religious harmony, and meritocracy.

Less than 1 per cent of applications fail to get approval.

Since 2011, MOE has also visited homeschooling families to ensure they have the resources, such as a suitable home environment, to teach their children.

Homeschoolers in Singapore now exposed to more activities like learning trips

With more support groups, homeschoolers are getting exposed to more activities

By Amelia Teng, The Sunday Times, 7 Sep 2014

Learning trips to the zoo, group study sessions, sports meets, concerts and even mock examinations are increasingly becoming part of how homeschooled children are being taught today.

And a growing number of support groups helps families with homeschooled children ensure that such events take place more regularly, said parents.

Since 2003, about 500 pupils have been homeschooled, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Yesterday, The Straits Times reported how homeschooled children must now take an MOE assessment when they are at the Primary 4 stage, to better gauge their progress.

Some homeschooling parents are Christians who want their children to be educated according to their values. Others prefer the greater flexibility that homeschooling offers.

They can design their own lessons and spend more time on subjects their children are more interested in, rather than worrying about meeting test standards every year, parents said.

But according to Madam Catherine Tan, 44, a mother of four homeschooled children aged six to 18, "it's not just the parents. It's the whole community working together to bring up the children".

One support group for primary-school age children was started on Yahoo in 2006 with about 20 families. But this has grown to 455 members.

Another online group, Discover Christian Homeschooling in Singapore, has had 331 sign-ups since it was set up last year. The newer Exploring Homeschooling in Singapore group has already drawn 52 members since coming online in July.

Facebook group Homeschool Singapore, started last year by local folk singer Dawn Fung, now has 131 members, who all teach their children at home.

"I am not against schools but I'd like to educate my kids myself, and develop them according to their strengths and learning styles," said the 34-year-old, who homeschools her daughters, aged five and four.

They learn science through cooking, and art by studying the works of artists. Her elder daughter even set up a loom band business to learn about social entrepreneurship, she said.

"Parents in the group ask questions and support one another through the homeschool journey. We share resources and organise events for our kids," she said.

A week ago, for instance, her group organised a festival at Bishan Park, where around 100 parents and children picnicked and engaged in activities at booths.

Another group of families held "exams" last month for about 20 homeschoolers to prepare them for their upcoming Primary School Leaving Examination this year.

More families also seem to be choosing to put their teenagers on a homeschooling curriculum instead of sending them to a secondary school.

The students can either take long-distance diploma courses from American colleges, or turn to centres which use a widely adopted US curriculum known as Accelerated Christian Education.

Mrs Jan Boey, 60, the founder of private school Victory Life Christian School, said it currently has 100 students, up from 17 in 2002.

"Almost every day of the year, there are inquiries from parents. I hope to set up a waiting list soon," she said.

The Sunday Times understands that a group of homeschooling parents met National University of Singapore (NUS) officials last year to find out how homeschoolers can get into the university. They need to have earned a high school education over 12 years, an NUS spokesman said.

This year, 18-year-old Jeremiah Tan, who had been homeschooled since he was three, accepted a place at NUS. He said he has received many calls and e-mail from parents keen to find out about the homeschooling route and his success story.

"It was a challenge to get the universities to recognise my qualification," he admitted. "But the curriculum made me more focused and disciplined, and I developed skills in doing independent research."

There are parents like Madam Annie Pang who chose to switch from homeschooling and move her children to mainstream schools. After homeschooling her two daughters for about three years, the 41-year-old housewife placed them in Qifa Primary School at the Primary 2 and 4 levels in 2011.

"My husband and I realised we were not capable of preparing (our daughter) for the PSLE. I didn't know how to teach her some mathematical concepts, and we didn't have facilities like science labs.

"And we also weren't sure if she could get into a local university. Once in a while, I hear outstanding homeschoolers succeed, but compared with mainstream students, it's still harder to get recognised."

Some S'porean families in Malaysia opt for homeschooling
By Amelia Teng, The Sunday Times, 7 Sep 2014

At least seven Singaporean families who recently moved to Malaysia are homeschooling their children there.

Most of them have children who are in the pre-school and primary-school age range.

The group, which nicknamed themselves "The Kampung", says the environment there is more conducive for homeschooling as there is more "breathing space".

Some of them live in the Nusajaya area in Johor Baru, in estates such as Ledang Heights and Horizon Hills.

One of them is Mrs Sophia Lee, 34, who moved to Iskandar in February last year with her husband, who is a magician, and three sons - Prince, seven, Jethro, five, and Asher, two.

"We were staying in a very small flat in Beach Road for five years. We tried to get a bigger home but couldn't because of loan restrictions," she said.

The family and their pet dog now live in a rented two-storey terraced house in the Bukit Indah neighbourhood in Iskandar. They will soon move to their permanent home, another two-storey corner terraced house a few minutes away, which cost them less than RM1 million (S$390,000).

"Shifting over and homeschooling also seemed to gel, since we had already taken our older boys out of pre-school before we moved," said Mrs Lee.

Another mother who homeschools her children, Mrs Pow Wai Cheng, 46, has been in Iskandar since 2012 with her husband, a pilot, and five children aged four months to 15 years old.

"Homeschooling is not the primary reason we came here - the affordability of the vastness of space was more the factor - and homeschooling facilitated the decision," she said. "We also felt JB would be more suitable for the children because it's nearer nature and allows more room for self-discovery. It's a break from Singapore's academic chase."

Mrs Lee added: "Here we're exempted from the Primary School Leaving Examination, and I don't need to interact with other parents who would keep asking us why my children are not in school.

"We want to spend more time with our children. The pace here is more relaxed, and we enjoy the small things, like just being able to look at the wide vast sky."