XN000022-1987-04-28 — Page 7

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TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1987

OF THE 360 SECONDARY SCHOOLS WHICH RESPONDED TO A QUESTIONNAIRE ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT, 308 (86 PER CENT) WERE IN FAVOUR OF THE NEW PLACEMENT METHOD. ONLY 17 SCHOOLS PREFERRED TO MAINTAIN THE EXISTING JSEA SYSTEM. THE REMAINING 35 SCHOOLS EITHER HAD NO COMMENT OR PROPOSED OTHER NEW PLACEMENT METHODS.

THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE MER-ALLOCATION METHOD ARE:

* THE PUBLIC SCALING TEST WILL BE ABOLISHED ;

* PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT A QUOTA OF

THEIR OWN FORM 3 STUDENTS (BASED ON SCHOOL'S PAST PERFORMANCE IN JSEA) FOR PROMOTION TO FORM 4. FOR NEW PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS, THEIR QUOTA WILL BE CALCULATED ON THE BASIS OF THE SSPA STÁNDARD SCORES OF THEIR FORM 1 INTAKE THREE YEARS AGO.

* CENTRAL ALLOCATION WILL APPLY ONLY TO THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE

NOT SELECTED BY THEIR OWN SCHOOL AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED BUT CANNOT BE ACCOMMODATED IN THEIR OWN SCHOOL. FOR THESE STUDENTS. THEIR FORM 3 INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS WILL BE SCALED BY THEIR SSPA STANDARD SCORES TO ARRIVE AT AN ORDER OF MERITS AS THE BASIS FOR CENTRAL ALLOCATION. PARENTAL CHOICE WILL ALSO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN THE ALLOCATION PROCESS.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE NEW PLACEMENT METHOD WILL BE REVIEWED IN THE AUTUMN OF 1989 IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE GAINED AND ANY FURTHER RESEARCH WHICH NEEDS TO BE CARRIED OUT.

THE REVIEW WILL ALSO DETERMINE WHETHER IN 1991 (WHEN THE JSEA IS DUE TO BE PHASED OUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO 1) THE POST-1990 ALLOCATION ARRANGEMENTS RECOMMENDED BY THE WORKING PARTY ON THE REVIEW OF THE JSEA SHOULD BE INTRODUCED OR WHETHER THE MER-ALLOCATION METHOD, MODIFIED OR UNMODIFIED, SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO THAT YEAR AND BEYOND.

TO BE FAIR TO ALL FORM 3 STUDENTS PROGRESSING TO FORM 4 AND TO MINIMISE THE TRANSFER OF STUDENTS FROM ONE SCHOOL TO ANOTHER, THERE IS A NEED TO REVISE THE CLASS STRUCTURE OF SOME OF THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS. SCHOOLS CONCERNED WILL BE CONSULTED ON THE LIKELY CHANGES.

HEAD OF ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE NEW PLACEMENT METHOD IN A CIRCULAR ISSUED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

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