Start of 2007 School Placement Exercise For Returning Singaporeans

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1 August 2007

START OF 2007 SCHOOL PLACEMENT EXERCISE FOR RETURNING SINGAPOREANS

The 2007 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (SPERS) is open for registration from 1 Aug 2007 for Singapore children who are returning from overseas and wish to join secondary schools, junior colleges (JC) and Millennia Institute (MI) at the beginning of academic year 2008. Applicants will sit for the SPERS papers on 16 Oct 07 and placement results will be released in late November and mid-December for those seeking admission to JC/MI and secondary schools respectively.

2 This is the second year that the Ministry of Education (MOE) is conducting SPERS, a centralised placement exercise held at the end of the year for returning Singaporeans (RS). Via SPERS, Singaporean parents working abroad can look forward to easier re-entry into the local education system for their children when they return to Singapore. They will no longer need to seek admission to schools through taking multiple school-based tests

3 SPERS is only applicable to RS seeking admissions into Secondary 1, 2, 3 (SPERS-Sec), and JC1 (SPERS-JC/MI) in 2008[1]. As Secondary 4 and JC2 are national examination years, RS generally would not re-join at these levels.

Improvements to SPERS-JC/MI Papers

4 Drawing from the experience of the exercise in 2006, we will be making two refinements to SPERS-JC/MI. First, we will include a non content-based general ability paper, to more holistically assess candidates who have attended overseas schools with curricula different from Singapore’s. Second, we will refine the Mathematics paper, and focus on those topics which are generally included in the secondary curricula in other countries.

5 RS who wish to pursue the pre-university course in JCs/MI should take note that the pre-university course is an intensive and rigorous course and only those who have been assessed to be suitable for the course will be offered a place. RS who do not qualify for the pre-university course under SPERS-JC/MI may still consider other post-secondary courses offered by the Polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or privately-funded schools, and approach these institutions directly for admission.

Pilot Overseas Conduct of SPERS papers

6 In response to feedback from overseas Singaporeans for the test to be held nearer where they are staying overseas, we will also be offering RS the choice of taking the SPERS-Sec and SPERS-JC/MI papers in Shanghai this year. This is a pilot to determine if there is sufficient demand for such a service. Shanghai was chosen as the pilot location as recent data showed that the China has the largest number of RS being admitted back into our schools.

7 RS registering for SPERS can choose to take the SPERS-Sec and SPERS-JC/MI papers in Singapore or in Shanghai. RS who choose to take the papers in Shanghai will be charged a higher fee to cover the additional costs of administering the papers overseas. To ensure that the fees for the administration of SPERS papers overseas are affordable and for optimal resource utilisation, a minimum of 20 candidates is needed for the pilot to proceed. If less than 20 candidates register, the pilot will be cancelled and the candidates will be offered to sit for the papers in Singapore instead. Any excess fees paid will be refunded.

2007 SPERS Exercise Format

8 SPERS-Sec and SPERS-JC/MI will be conducted in the following schedule:

Phases:	SPERS-Sec
(i) Eligibility Phase
Registration for SPERS in Singapore	1 Aug – 2 Oct 07
Registration for SPERS in Shanghai	1 Aug – 28 Aug 07
Conduct of SPERS paper in Singapore and Shanghai	16 Oct 07
(ii) School Option Phase	21 Nov – 26 Nov 07
(iii) School Posting Phase	12 Dec – 19 Dec 07
(iv) Release of SPERS-Sec results	mid Dec 07

Phases:	SPERS-JC/MI
(i) Eligibility Phase
Registration for SPERS in Singapore	1 Aug – 2 Oct 07
Registration for SPERS in Shanghai	1 Aug – 28 Aug 07
Conduct of SPERS paper in Singapore and Shanghai	16 Oct 07
(ii) Release of SPERS-JC/MI results	late Nov 07

To participate, RS are required to register between 1Aug and 2 Oct 07 to take the papers in Singapore, and between 1 Aug and 28 Aug 07 to take the papers in Shanghai. The SPERS application form can be obtained from MOE’s website at http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/eduinfo/

9 Details on the exercise format, schedule and fees can be found in the ANNEX.

More Information and Enquiries

10 For more information on SPERS, please refer to the MOE website at http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/eduinfo/ or contact us at the following:

MOE Customer Service Centre
1 North Buona VistaDrive
Email: MOE_RETURNHOME@MOE.GOV.SG

Tel: 6872 2220

ANNEX

2007 SPERS Exercise Format

Eligibility Phase (1 Aug - 16 Oct 07)

1. Under the Eligibility Phase, RS can register to sit for the SPERS JC/MI or Sec papers. The RS will sit for English and Mathematics papers. Besides assessing literacy and numeracy skills, the papers will also include non-content-based general ability items that assess reasoning and thinking skills which will more holistically assess candidates who have attended overseas schools with curricula different from Singapore’s.

2. Based on their performance, the candidates will each be provided with a list of schools that they are eligible for. This will ensure that RS are of similar abilities[2] as the students in the schools that they are eligible for.

3. As the number of RS seeking admission to JCs/MI is usually small, there is no necessity for MOE to conduct a centralised posting exercise. Hence, there will be no School Option Phase for this group. They will only need to undergo the Eligibility Phase. Thereafter, successful candidates will each receive a list of JC/MI they are eligible for and they can approach any of the listed JCs/MI for direct admission.

4. For RS seeking admission to secondary school, they will proceed on to the School Option Phase.

School Option Phase (21 Nov – 26 Nov 07) – Applicable to SPERS-Sec Only

5. Candidates seeking admission to secondary schools (Secondary 1 to 3) will be required to indicate a maximum of six choices in their school option forms, based on the list of eligible schools given to them.

School Posting Phase (12 Dec – 19 Dec 07) – Applicable to SPERS-Sec Only

6. Secondary schools will admit a small number of RS, over and above their planned capacity, at the School Posting Phase. This recognises that overseas Singaporean children may have similar abilities as the local cohort in these schools, even though they have been away and were thus unable to seek admission into these schools together with other Singaporean children who had taken the PSLE. This change will not reduce the chances for students in Singapore to get into the schools of their choice as there will be no reduction in the number of school places available to them.

7. The School Posting Phase will take into account the performance of the RS at the Eligibility Phase, their school choices, and the places available in these schools. In instances where a child is not be successfully posted to any of the schools that he has opted for, MOE will assign him a place in a secondary school with a vacancy that is as near to his home as possible.

8. After receiving their postings, the RS are to complete admission procedures at the schools that they had been posted to. If they choose not to accept the posting, they can still approach another school directly to apply for admission. The child will be admitted if the school approached is on his list of eligible schools and if there is a vacancy in the course that he is eligible for. Otherwise, the school has the discretion to assess the child, including setting school-based assessment tests, and decide whether to admit the child.

2007 SPERS Schedules

9. Table 1 and Table 2 show the 2007 SPERS schedules for RS seeking school admission in 2008 to Secondary School and JC/MI respectively.

Table 1: SPERS-Sec Schedule

Phase	Period	Events
Eligibility Phase	1 Aug – 2 Oct 07	Registration for SPERS papers in Singapore
	1 Aug – 28 Aug 07	Registration for SPERS papers in Shanghai, PRC
	16 Oct 07	Conduct of SPERS papers in Singapore
	16 Oct 07 (subject to minimum candidature)	Conduct of SPERS papers in Shanghai, PRC
School Option Phase	21 Nov 07	Release of School Eligibility Results (List of Schools) and Dissemination of School Option Forms to Candidates
School Option Phase	21 Nov – 26 Nov 07	School Selection Period for Candidates
School Posting Phase	12 Dec 07 (tentative)	Release of Posting Results to Candidates seeking Admission to Sec 2 or Sec 3
	19 Dec 07 (tentative)	Release of Posting Results to Candidates seeking Admission to Sec 1
	21 Dec 07 – 4 Jan 08	Reporting to Schools for Registration

Table 2: SPERS-JC/MI Schedule

Phase	Period	Events
Eligibility Phase	1 Aug – 2 Oct 07	Registration for SPERS papers in Singapore
	1 Aug – 28 Aug 07	Registration for SPERS papers in Shanghai, PRC
	16 Oct 07	Conduct of SPERS papers in Singapore
	16 Oct 07 (subject to minimum candidature)	Conduct of SPERS papers in Shanghai, PRC
Admission	19 Nov 07 (tentative)	Release of School Eligibility Results (List of Schools)
Admission	20 Nov – end Dec 07	RS approach any of the schools in his/her School Eligibility List for admission

10. The SPERS papers will be conducted on 16 Oct 07. To participate, RS are required to register between 1 Aug and 2 Oct 07 to take the papers in Singapore, and between 1Aug and 28 Aug 07 to take the papers in Shanghai. The SPERS application form can be obtained from MOE’s website at http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/eduinfo/

11. Table 3 lists the SPERS fees for RS seeking admission to secondary schools, JCs and MI.

Table 3: SPERS Fees

Papers	Nationality	Singapore(GST inclusive)	Shanghai, PRC
SPERS-Sec	Singapore Citizens	$125	$420
SPERS-Sec	Singapore Permanent Residents	$140	$435
SPERS-JC/MI	Singapore Citizens	$130	$425
SPERS-JC/MI	Singapore Permanent Residents	$160	$455

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[1] RS seeking admission into primary schools may approach MOE at any time of the year for assistance to be admitted into a primary school. MOE will offer the RS a place in a primary school nearest to their home with vacancies at the level/s appropriate to their age cohort. The children will not have to sit for any placement test for admission to primary schools. However, schools may conduct assessment tests after admission to ascertain the child’s current attainment level and provide the appropriate assistance to help the child settle back into schools. RS can choose not to take up the places offered by MOE. If so, they can approach other primary schools directly to seek admission with them, as is the current practice. MOE will be happy to provide information on vacancies in schools they are interested in. The schools which they choose to approach will continue to have the discretion to decide on whether to accept their application for admission.

[2] As students in secondary schools are admitted based on their PSLE performance, the general ability of the student population in different secondary schools would differ.