Commentary: Killer PSLE questions can haunt students long after primary school – CNA

Report on High-Stakes Examinations and Their Impact on Child Development in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4: Quality Education – Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Learning

High-stakes examinations featuring overly complex questions challenge the principles of inclusive and equitable quality education by creating assessment environments that may not accurately measure student knowledge or potential.

• Measurement Validity: The use of “killer questions” assesses neurological maturity and stress management rather than cognitive potential or conceptual understanding. This practice measures the wrong construct, undermining the goal of a quality assessment.
• Equitable Opportunity: The format inadvertently penalizes students with high creativity, intelligence, or long-term potential who do not perform well under acute stress, thus failing to provide an equitable opportunity for all students to demonstrate their capabilities.
• Alignment with Learning: An educational framework aligned with SDG 4 should focus on assessing genuine comprehension and problem-solving skills, rather than the ability to filter noise and manage anxiety in a high-pressure setting.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Addressing Neurological and Psychological Impacts

The neurological and psychological well-being of students is a critical component of SDG 3. Current examination pressures place this at risk.

1. Neurological Development: The prefrontal cortex of 12-year-olds, responsible for executive functions like planning and emotional regulation, is still under active development. Expecting mature composure and rapid, high-level reasoning under exam stress is inconsistent with this developmental stage.
2. Impact of Acute Stress: Developmental neuroscience confirms that acute stress impairs executive functions, including working memory and cognitive flexibility. Difficult questions can trigger a stress response that causes working memory to collapse, leaving students unable to think clearly.
3. Mental Health Considerations: Children with anxiety are particularly sensitive to these triggers. The examination environment can have a significant negative impact on their mental health and well-being, contrary to the objectives of SDG 3.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Protecting Vulnerable Student Populations

The design of high-pressure examinations can exacerbate existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting students with specific learning and developmental conditions, thereby conflicting with the aims of SDG 10.

• Students with ADHD: An estimated 5% to 8% of school-age children have ADHD. These students face significant challenges with concentration and time management, causing them to falter on complex questions under timed conditions.
• Students with Dyslexia: Representing 3% to 10% of students, individuals with dyslexia process language more slowly. This puts them at a distinct disadvantage in time-sensitive examinations, regardless of their comprehension level.
• Systemic Disadvantage: By failing to accommodate the needs of neurodivergent students, the examination system creates a systemic barrier, punishing them for their condition rather than assessing their knowledge. This perpetuates inequality within the educational framework.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article directly engages with the quality of education by questioning the fairness and appropriateness of high-stakes examination methods (“killer questions”) for 12-year-old students. It argues that these exams may not be measuring cognitive potential but rather “neurological maturity under stress,” which challenges the goal of providing an equitable and effective education for all children. The discussion focuses on creating an inclusive learning and assessment environment that considers the developmental stage of children and the needs of students with learning differences.
2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article highlights the negative impact of high-pressure exams on the mental health and well-being of students. It explicitly mentions that “Children with anxiety tendencies are especially sensitive” and that difficult questions can trigger a “stress response” that causes their “working memory to collapse.” By detailing how acute stress impairs executive functions, the article connects the educational practice to the promotion (or hindrance) of mental health and well-being among children, a key component of SDG 3.

2. Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   • The article questions whether the learning outcomes being measured are “relevant and effective.” It argues that if the exam questions are assessing a child’s ability to manage stress rather than their understanding of concepts, then they are “measuring the wrong construct.” This directly relates to the goal of ensuring that education leads to effective learning.
2. Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities… and children in vulnerable situations.
   • The article identifies specific groups of vulnerable children who are disadvantaged by the current exam format. It states, “Students with certain conditions are particularly vulnerable,” and explicitly names those with “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” “dyslexia,” and “anxiety tendencies.” This highlights an issue of unequal access to fair assessment for children with disabilities and neurodevelopmental differences.
3. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • The article’s focus on how exam stress affects children’s neurological functions and mental state directly aligns with the goal of promoting mental health and well-being. It describes how stress “impairs executive functions such as working memory, cognitive flexibility and attention,” thereby making a case for reforming educational practices that are detrimental to students’ mental well-being.

3. Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Indicator for Target 4.5 (Mentioned): Prevalence rates of vulnerable students.
   • The article provides specific statistics that can be used as indicators to measure the size of the vulnerable population within the education system. It states that “an estimated 5 per cent to 8 per cent of school-age children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 3 per cent to 10 per cent of students have dyslexia.” These figures serve as a direct, quantifiable measure of the student groups who require special consideration for ensuring equal access and fair assessment.
2. Indicator for Target 4.1 (Implied): Developmentally appropriate assessment metrics.
   • The article does not name a specific indicator, but it strongly implies the need for one. By arguing that current exams measure “neurological maturity under stress, not cognitive potential,” it suggests that progress should be measured by the development and implementation of assessment tools that are neurologically and developmentally appropriate for the age group and accurately reflect cognitive abilities and knowledge.
3. Indicator for Target 3.4 (Implied): Prevalence of exam-related anxiety.
   • The article’s detailed description of how stress and anxiety negatively impact students’ performance implies the need for an indicator to track student well-being. Progress towards Target 3.4 in this context could be measured by monitoring the “prevalence of exam-related anxiety and stress among primary school students” to assess whether changes in educational policy are improving student mental health.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: channelnewsasia.com