The Value of SPM

[iQing]

so more and more people getting straight A1 ?

what if it becomes so easy that half of the population got straight As?

it seems like a good news but in the eyes of foreigners SPM is like a waste paper.

discuss about it.

(I am lucky that I took my SPM in 2000)

[kimsiang]

I think it is unfair to those who are really good since excellent, good,average students can get an A1.......
And it also gives pressure to students.Some of the parents don't know the truth but keep on insisting their children to score 12As,13As,more As in SPM..

(i took SPM in 2001......)
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[iQing]

it happens after meritrocracy system is introduced.
the government cunningly lower the standard so that more "brilliant" Bumiputras are "produced" ala short cut but in the end everyone looses, both bumi and non-bumi

[kimsiang]

but then,it also gives chance to average student who is doing well in co-curriculum to experience the taste of straight As......

The meaning of "A" in SPM is changing from distinction to average.
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[iQing]

still it is useless when SPM cert is worthless.
everyone can get As easily
students can go to uni easily and end up uni failing rate will increase as well....

I do not wanna see uni graduates in Malaysia become maids or floor sweepers

[kimsiang]

not that bad i think...maids...:D
izzit possible that other countries wont accept SPM result in the future?I think they sure feel strange when there are so many 10As,11As,etc students applying for their universities....
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[iQing]

if u own a college or uni in Malaysia
won't u get confused on how to take in students based on the old criteria...

well this might be a good news for you because more "straight A" students are produced and you can take them in and earn more money.
good deal eh?

[Larry]

I think that government should increase the standard of spm since there are more and more students getting 1A, especially for the maths and science(physics, chemistry, biology). It is prevalent that an average student also can get an 1A for math paper.

I think the only purpose for students to study hard for spm is to secure scholarships to further their studies overseas.

[iQing]

I think that government should increase the standard of spm since there are more and more students getting 1A, especially for the maths and science(physics, chemistry, biology). It is prevalent that an average student also can get an 1A for math paper.

I think the only purpose for students to study hard for spm is to secure scholarships to further their studies overseas.

Too bad they have purposely decreased the standard for their own agenda

[Larry]

I think that government should increase the standard of spm since there are more and more students getting 1A, especially for the maths and science(physics, chemistry, biology). It is prevalent that an average student also can get an 1A for math paper.

I think the only purpose for students to study hard for spm is to secure scholarships to further their studies overseas.

Too bad they have purposely decreased the standard for their own agenda

What 'their own agenda' means here?

[iQing]

read the third posts above

in the system of taking students base on result you need to lower the standard so that "brilliant" bumis are made to be taken into uni
otherwises non bumi will be taken in as majority students

[eve88]

yeppers... spm's only value is for applying for scholarships...

after a levels or stpm or matrics noone really gives a damn after spm.... more so if the standard of spm continues to drop.

[iQing]

I heard SPM cert is quite flamable...

anyone has tried it ?

[expectation]

Not true, US colleges do look into your high school results as well (SPM and Form 4).

You have to be an all-rounder.
SPM might be important but it is not everything. you can't say it's not important either.

[expectation]

I heard SPM cert is quite flamable...

anyone has tried it ?

flammable as in easy to burn?

isn't it just paper?

[iQing]

it's word of sarcastic of course :P

if u r curious to know about the composition of the paper, and you have too much time to do these stuffs.... of course.

I notice some dopers are interested to know the flamability of various objects, namely paper :P

ok, just jesting around

[meselsohnstahl]

well.. also when entering unis...

cause some look at how u did in spm AND a levels to see that u're a consistent student and worth to be accepted into the uni

[iQing]

we strongly need a system that is book-worm proof.
it needs to filter off the mass of straight A students and carefully hand-pick the trully deserving, and talented students.

[johnleemk]

we strongly need a system that is book-worm proof.
it needs to filter off the mass of straight A students and carefully hand-pick the trully deserving, and talented students.
I think you mean "rote memorisation-proof". Otherwise this is blatant discrimination against bookworms. :roll: Anyway, I believe no examination can ever be mugging-proof. There will always be someone who can find a way to get by without actually learning.

The main problem with the SPM and PMR as I see it is that they are skewed very positively in favour of rote memorisation. Regurgitation of facts is encouraged, and less emphasis is put on developing your own opinion from the facts. When students reach higher levels, they tend to encounter difficulties because they have to adapt to building their own opinions from the facts instead of mindlessly just regurgitating them.

For example, in A Level law, you will just pass by the skin of your teeth (if you are lucky) if you answer a question about statutory interpretation by just repeating all you have learnt about the topic. You need to answer the question by taking a stance -- do judges really fulfil the intent of Parliament through the process of statutory interpretation? This is a lot harder than it sounds, and from what I understand of the PMR and SPM curriculum, little is done in our education system to prepare students for this sort of examination.

Is it mugging-proof? Of course not. One can just memorise an opinion and/or use words without understanding their meaning. But at least those who take the time to understand the topic -- even if they don't remember all the nitty-gritty details exactly -- are not penalised.

[Leen]

People getting 20+ for history in class manage to get A1 in SPM. My teacher told us bluntly, "For xxx subject, 50+ in my class should be enough for an A1 aleady. " So is the value of SPM dropping? Another teacher told me "Dont worry. The more people taking SPM, the better it is. The harder you think the paper is, the easier you will score A1." I asked back, "Why?" My teacher replied, "lol, when the lembaga see that everyone has such a poor mark, they will immediately lower the standard. If 70 is needed to get A1, now perhaps only 50 is needed to get A1."

Is the value of SPM dropping? I'll leave it to the wise to determine its value. For me, it's worth 56k for applying scholarship but 0.0000001k for education purposes.

[kaiba]

true, spm standard is dropping year after year, it has its pros n cons, depends. mayb is juz a new policy 2 gain more votes for parliment. its hard 2 determine, since v r juz merely students. nevertheless, our future doesnt depend on juz spm result. spm might b d end, but is a new beginning s well.

[deRame]

any spm certificates that are older than year 2001 can be used for the 3rd option. i heard that the public universities in malaysia won't accept students with spm certificates older than 5 years. 10 C4's from spm 2005 are worth more than straight A1's from spm 2000 to the eyes of public universities.

[vseehua]

true, spm standard is dropping year after year, it has its pros n cons, depends. mayb is juz a new policy 2 gain more votes for parliment. its hard 2 determine, since v r juz merely students. nevertheless, our future doesnt depend on juz spm result. spm might b d end, but is a new beginning s well.

this is not that way to bring our country forward...

[iQing]

SPM cert is a failing investment
its value is dropping and it will never rise again.

people want good result not to apply it
but to show off to others.

[Jei]

Today news ....
MAX SPM subject u can take is 12 !!!!
Good news.
A least there is no any competition every year to see who gets the most A1 ....
With this limitation, i hope the question also be much more tougher than previous years so that can guarantee the quality and give a challenge to students ....
Hurray ...

[iQing]

Today news ....
MAX SPM subject u can take is 12 !!!!
Good news.
A least there is no any competition every year to see who gets the most A1 ....
With this limitation, i hope the question also be much more tougher than previous years so that can guarantee the quality and give a challenge to students ....
Hurray ...

quality wont raise
because doing so will bring disadvantage students to malay students in current meritocracy system.

the quality drops and ALL malaysians suffers,
not just non malays.

[Jei]

i think with the limitation of SPM subject, there will be competitive to apply for scholarship , as many will be able to get 12 A1 ....
This can encourage the student to develop other good personality so that they are outstanding among the others ...

[iQing]

i think with the limitation of SPM subject, there will be competitive to apply for scholarship , as many will be able to get 12 A1 ....
This can encourage the student to develop other good personality so that they are outstanding among the others ...


i expect more frustration than fair competition.

[sunshine88]

This can encourage the student to develop other good personality so that they are outstanding among the others ...

u mean to say co-co achievements??

[iQing]

coco is truly politics playing
there is nothing good to be cool at coco when all you play is crony games.
sports is an exception

[sunshine88]

well,not only games u can be active at in co-co..There are debates,choral speaking,quizzes,carnivals..etc..etc..

[iQing]

well,not only games u can be active at in co-co..There are debates,choral speaking,quizzes,carnivals..etc..etc..

as i have said
it is politics


those rascals can pakat annd attend general meeting once a year, vote each other for high post and sapu everything to themselves..

politics
you like dirty politics?
then Coco is for you.

I go for SUKMA instead,
it is much cleaner and payed off well

[jayden]

There are certain clubs in school that have very few student participation. So if you feel up to it, you and a couple of friends can just go for the mesyuarat agung and get all the posts. iQing, you're lucky you can go into SUKMA. But for some less athletic students... it's clubs and societies all the way. Maybe we can take it as practice as future politicians. Students can be evil when it comes to these type of stuff

[iQing]

There are certain clubs in school that have very few student participation. So if you feel up to it, you and a couple of friends can just go for the mesyuarat agung and get all the posts. it's clubs and societies all the way. Maybe we can take it as practice as future politicians. Students can be evil when it comes to these type of stuff

sadly you are agreeing with such dirty political method of getting posts.
so disgusting.

[sunshine88]

sadly you are agreeing with such dirty political method of getting posts.
so disgusting.

that's the reality...and we have to learn to live with it...
My famous saying..."take it or leave it"

[iQing]

sadly you are agreeing with such dirty political method of getting posts.
so disgusting.

that's the reality...and we have to learn to live with it...
My famous saying..."take it or leave it"

ya
and we have to liive in a place where people can slice our throat with a dagger.

we condone it.

nice nice.... :lol:

next time dont complain when you are treated unfairly :)

[sunshine88]

sadly you are agreeing with such dirty political method of getting posts.
so disgusting.

that's the reality...and we have to learn to live with it...
My famous saying..."take it or leave it"

ya
and we have to liive in a place where people can slice our throat with a dagger.

we condone it.

nice nice.... :lol:

next time dont complain when you are treated unfairly :)

why wait till next time...We've been going thru 'injustice' for ages..I'm not complanin.. :P

[jayden]

Life is fair? Not in most situations. And yes, unfortunately or fortunately depending on the way you see it, I agree with those so-called dirty politics

[Sillyboy]

I've worked hard for my SPM, i will certainly not use the cert to wipe my ass!!

[iQing]

Life is fair? Not in most situations. And yes, unfortunately or fortunately depending on the way you see it, I agree with those so-called dirty politics

analogious to agree to robbery

OK, tats your choice and sad for society :)

[4seasonspring]

There are certain clubs in school that have very few student participation. So if you feel up to it, you and a couple of friends can just go for the mesyuarat agung and get all the posts. iQing, you're lucky you can go into SUKMA. But for some less athletic students... it's clubs and societies all the way. Maybe we can take it as practice as future politicians. Students can be evil when it comes to these type of stuff

It's kinda hard for me to believe tat u once wakil negeri for SUKMA...

Change my perception by clarifying wat event did u participate and ur achievement pls, iQing. 8)


Back to the topic.....

who say SPM's not important?A lot of ppl use the result to apply scholarships and..... this and tat.....so, scholars out there....never ever say ur SPM cert in unvaluable although ppl always doubt it's quality...it still proves something abt ur ability.

for unlucky ppl like me.....yea......doesn't mean a lot for me now.....past is the past.....focusing on STPM is my only goal now.....but I still appreciate the SPM cert except that B for EST.

[vseehua]

maybe we should change the system so that only people with qualification higher than SPM can apply for scholarships...

[sunshine88]

maybe we should change the system so that only people with qualification higher than SPM can apply for scholarships...

like STPM?..he.he

[vanessa]

I worked hard for my spm too, but then again, what's the point when the standard is tremendously low until u cannot differentiate between the brilliant strudents and the average? U simply throw a stone at a bunch of spm students, u will surely kena a straight As student. As a result of this, many brilliant students will lose to the average in obtaining scholarship etc. Isn't this some kind of brain drain phenomenon again? I totally agree with the "max 12 subjects thing". We want quality and not quantity! what i'm afraid is that, soon everyone will end up with 12 A1s =( . SPM is going to be just another piece of paper, only the owner will know how valuable it is.

[4seasonspring]

Venessa, u r rite.

Frm another thread on limitation of num of subjs in SPM....


Futhermore, I think using percentiles and scores are more accurate than using grades (A1, A2, etc.).

Good point there.
The government shud really do something to improve the standard and qualities of SPM questions.....as well as the yardstuck to judge whether that "A" is really an "A"

[sunshine88]

the JPA ppl. only gives out loans for STPM leavers to study abroad..unlike for SPM case.
It's as if the STPM students are all meant for local universities not foreign.
When are they going to change this system?

it's not that i've worked hard for SPM...but he..he..i've sacrificed my time and energy on studying and money books...So,i won't neglect my SPM cert just like that!I've invested my money on it..ok.So,why waste that cert..Just keep it lerr..It doesn't weight 1kg either..ha..ah
I just keep it in my file folder for deco..or perhaps to remind me one day(the day when SPM don't exist anymore) that i did take an exam called SPM once upon a time... :D

[4seasonspring]

the JPA ppl. only gives out loans for STPM leavers to study abroad..unlike for SPM case.
It's as if the STPM students are all meant for local universities not foreign.
When are they going to change this system?



When will they change?

Year 2007...the year we sit for STPM, sunshine88...hehe 8)

*just a dream....but a nice and good dream.... :D *

[sunshine88]

well..it's a miracle here if the change comes in the near future..
but a norm if it comes after 2 decades.
he..hez..That's msian government's style.
sometimes,i have this feelings where the government take the students and teachers for granted...
what if the students start to get rebellious against the government..

[Seiryu]

Percentage system seems cool...

But will they reveal the percentage and point out the weakness of a certain race?

[vseehua]

Percentage system seems cool...

But will they reveal the percentage and point out the weakness of a certain race?How many times do I have to say that RACE DOESN'T MATTER?

[4seasonspring]

Percentage system seems cool...

But will they reveal the percentage and point out the weakness of a certain race?

RACE DOESN'T MATTER

Won't happen even in the coming 1000 years....U think they're so stupid until wanna reveal their fraud and weakness ah?

Like it or not, tat's Malaysia :lol: ....never as fair as a square

[vseehua]

i am refering to capabilities, not the system... We all know the system is flawed, so just get those who are damned responsible for it out...

[sunshine88]

Percentage system seems cool...

But will they reveal the percentage and point out the weakness of a certain race?How many times do I have to say that RACE DOESN'T MATTER?

speaking of race...It reminds me of an old tradition that should be avoided..Whenever we register for a public examination,we have to fill up that race part..
Is that necessary?what they're gonna do if they know our race?
for me,ID number is more than enough..

[vseehua]

had it the Germany way, the gender, the birthday, the religion and all those uneeded information had already been eliminated from the forms...

[sunshine88]

had it the Germany way, the gender, the birthday, the religion and all those uneeded information had already been eliminated from the forms...

well...that sounds great.Arghh..how long do we have to pour out our feelings through letters to editors or forums..
Do we have to be a politician to discuss the matter we want in the Cabinet?...
Sometimes,my own country makes me feel pissed of...
whatever it is..we have to live according to it without much complaining
Yea..i'm proud to be a citizen of malaysia :roll: ...

[Appolo]

Well,I think that SPM is a way to gauge a student's ability to understand certain facts taught in school. I took my SPM last year and I never really thought of the significance of SPM back then(I was ignorant,ok?).

Yes, there is some severe flaws in the system(I know it, You know it, everybody knows it).The grading system for the examination is always the prior concern for teachers and students every time the results are released.Students will hope that the grading system will be lower than the previous year so that their marks will be higher in terms of As while educators question the true intention of the examination board in lowering the standard of A and B.

Take me for instance, I never really can get an A in my physic during my years in secondary school(always getting a B3).Guess what, I got an A1 for it in SPM. Was I thrilled? The feeling would be what I refer to as ambivalent.

I am happy that I can get an A1 for physics but does it really reflect how well I did in the examination? I may not know where is my true standard is but should this condition continue to raise doubts from people like me?

The answer is yet to be known.However, I am not in favor to abolish the Spm examination but to urge the examination board to pinpoint the mistake made by the system and encourage the authorities to develop a more holistic approach in determining who deserves to get an A and who doesn't.

Burn me on the stake if you find my opinion to be completely rubbish but I am just giving my opinion on a rather interesting topic.

[iQing]

* bump

now VOTE !

[choogirl]

It's undeniable that SPM is still important. but its different. Lets say 4A's with a 12 a1's student, one would definitely pick the latter one.

But in this situation:

1. a student who scores 10a1 with well-balanced co-curricular activities and outstanding leadership skills

2. a student who scores 16a1's without any involvement in co-curricular activities.

Most.. MOST would pick the former one because in the situation now, there are so many top scorers compared with lets say.. 20 years back. But not many people have a package like academics and characteristics.

During my dad's year, its either he gets a scholarship (thank god he did!) or he would now be a normal clerk due to his family's financial situation.

So now.. SPM value has dropped but from a different perspective, its due to the society. Firstly, the society demands more well-balanced individual. Secondly, everyone is getting richer and even if you aren't, there are MORE and MORE scholarships and loans available. If you can't get any, there's always the local university to consider.

So, maybe the drop of SPM value doesnt sound so bad after all? ;)