How important is the O net test?

[TyGrr]

How important is the O net test and why does it matter?

 

Grandparents are visiting and we have a long planned trip to Singapore however the school just told us yesterday we have to cancel the trip because he needs to take the O net test. They gave us about a weeks notice and we gave them 3 for the trip. They are saying they can't change the date and we must take the child to a different school for the test.

 

What happens to my child if they miss the test?

 

What happens to the school if they miss the test?

 

They are in international school and have been accepted to a different school for next year.

 

Is this really a big deal for my child or is it just a big deal for the school?

 

Thanks.

 

[colinneil]

TyGrr, surely the most important thing is your childs education.

So in your book a trip with granny is more important, good lord, i think you got your priorities mixed up.

[TyGrr]

How is missing a government test going to hurt my childs education when he is not in government school? The test is in Thai and he cant read Thai.

 

I'm not even sure why he is taking this test and I'm not sure if I will get the results. I am just asking question so I know what is going on.

 

So yeah, Im trying to sort out what is going on before we take the holiday.

 

 

[JWRC]

I'd go with Granny, she won't be around for ever so make the most of it.

[FritsSikkink]

It won't hurt the school but it can hurt your kid:

The Ordinary National Educational Test (O-NET) is administered annually by the National Institute of Educational Testing Service to grade 6 (P6), grade 9 (M3) and grade 12 (M6) students in public and private schools. The O-NET is a high-stake and mandatory examination.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/pcthailandwiki2/teaching-english/test-prep

 

[TyGrr]

I'm told the O Net is a big deal, but I dont understand how or why. Does anyone know if missing the test will hurt them later?

 

Thanks

[colinneil]

3 minutes ago, TyGrr said:

I'm told the O Net is a big deal, but I dont understand how or why. Does anyone know if missing the test will hurt them later?

 

Thanks

You want to know the answer? Go ask the school director, now he easy is that?

[FritsSikkink]

4 minutes ago, TyGrr said:

I'm told the O Net is a big deal, but I dont understand how or why. Does anyone know if missing the test will hurt them later?

 

Thanks

Read the link:

The final score which determines promotion to the next grade is based on the O-NET score and the score obtained on school-based assessments held during the academic year; the O-NET contributes 20% and school-based assessments contribute 80% of the final score. In the near future, the O-NET will contribute 50% of the final score.

He could have to double a year in school.

[RotBenz8888]

36 minutes ago, TyGrr said:

The test is in Thai and he cant read Thai.

This is a great opportunity to travel to Singapore ...

[TyGrr]

Okay I asked the new school, since he has been accepted already to the English speaking international school it seems the test does not matter.

 

The school does not accept the O net and does their own testing.

 

I have no idea why his current school is making this seem like life or death.

 

To Singapore we go!

 

Thanks

 

 

[SteveB2]

O-Net is a big deal if your kids ever intend to work in Thailand.

 

Foreign educational qualifications below a degree from an accredited foreign university are not recognized by the Thai Ministry of education.

 

My daughter missed the normally scheduled O-Net exams last year. Thank fully, for those who could not attend for 'Force-Majeure' medical reasons (and who had a doctor’s certificate) an alternative destination in the middle of the Changwat and hours’ drive away was found for her to do them. It was quite a palaver arranging it all.

 

To summarize, one's child does not simply miss the O-Net exams in Thailand.

 

There is no acceptable reason for your child to not attend the exams.

 

[TyGrr]

I wonder what would be better, a missed test or a score that is so low because the person taking the test can't read Thai.

 

"Foreign educational qualifications below a degree from an accredited foreign university are not recognized by the Thai Ministry of education."

 

I'm not really sure how this is an issue for us. He will be going to a school in Thailand, a school that does not recognize the O net test.

 

I'm also not sure how missing this test will mean he can never work in Thailand. He will odds are be going to Standford in the USA where I went to school.

 

His university degree is not going to be valid when he has a missing O net test for work in Thailand despite him being Thai?

 

I doubt he will want to work in Thailand but I don't really see why this is so important, I must be missing something. Google searching is not helping and the international school also seems to think it is meaningless so Im really at a loss here. Can you give me a bit more information or some sources?

 

Thanks

 

[Ulic]

I have had many, many, teachers tell me, don't let school stand in the way of your child's education. Not sure where the test falls in relation to educating your child but more like government hoops to jump through. 

[Number 6]

The M3 exam is important although if attempting to upgrade schools each school will have it's own additional entrance exam. I believe that the M3 onet is factored in 10% to this grade, but not certain.

 

The m6 onet is only important for two reasons:

 

Passing grade graduates the student

 

The student lives with the grade their entire life. Some employers may have interest but it's more a student from mediocre university or faculty. Maybe super competitive job.

 

Other than that it's a stupid exam riddled with errors and the only people interested in it are the school's administrators.

 

Kids study GAT, PAT, 9 subjects, exams particular to the university eg CUTEP. Given how quickly all the exams occur together, students don't even study for the onet. They study for the others and just wing it.

 

Of course all the above stupidity is in addition to better part of a dozen course final exams.

 

If that's still not enough, students international bound or local international programs need IELTS and SAT.

 

The only students that put any real effort into onet are excellent students already admitted internationally and do not have to study all the university exams.

 

I don't know how international schools handle this. It's possible that ALL Thai must take the onet. Also possible that international schools exempt. Ask the school. The only thing I'd be worried about is for some bureaucratic reason his diploma can't be issued because of no onet.

 

He can work in Thailand without an onet lol.

 

Normally, 8d scoff at the Stanford crack, but he's legacy so with a 1500 SAT yes, perhaps he's in.

 

He'll never work in Thailand, country could never pay grads enough.

 

TLDR yes, M3. M6 not so much

[marc651]

The O net test is important for the sheepy Thai crowds, products of Thai education. Would certainly not worry about missing it given the international education your kid is in.   In this case its even an advantage to not take the test since he can't read Thai well. Not taking it certainly beats failing the test!

[TyGrr]

@Number 6   He will be going into M1 next year so it is not even M3 or M6. I guess that would make him P6.

 

He might not get into Stanford but we will move back to Palo Alto in a year and a half so he can do his HS there in the USA. We have not focused on Thai because of things like the SAT. I'm sure he will find a school in Cali that will work for him.

 

I'm thinking this test is worthless, at least for him, but some people do seems to think it is the end of the world, like with out it no job in Thailand.

 

The school he is moving into is one of the best in Thailand and they don't seem to care at all.

 

The school he is at now seems to think the world will end if he does not take it so I just wanted to sort out why, however I might not ever know.

 

Thailand can be an amazing place at times.

 

 

[Scott]

7 hours ago, TyGrr said:

@Number 6   He will be going into M1 next year so it is not even M3 or M6. I guess that would make him P6.

 

He might not get into Stanford but we will move back to Palo Alto in a year and a half so he can do his HS there in the USA. We have not focused on Thai because of things like the SAT. I'm sure he will find a school in Cali that will work for him.

 

I'm thinking this test is worthless, at least for him, but some people do seems to think it is the end of the world, like with out it no job in Thailand.

 

The school he is moving into is one of the best in Thailand and they don't seem to care at all.

 

The school he is at now seems to think the world will end if he does not take it so I just wanted to sort out why, however I might not ever know.

 

Thailand can be an amazing place at times.

 

The guiding advice should come from the school that has agreed to accept him.   If they don't need it and if you are sure you will be moving back to the US with no further school changes in Thailand, then I'd forego taking the exam.

 

The Thais are nuts for exams and everything centers around exams.  At the schools where I work, they positively work themselves into a frenzy about the exams.   In my experience, not much is geared toward having a comprehensive understanding of anything, just the ability to pass an exam in the subject.  

 

My experience is that a lot of schools are complete chaos.   Noisy, kids marching, band practicing, PE students yelling -- until they take the O-Net exams.   Then all is quiet.   Even construction at the school stops.  

[thailand49]

22 hours ago, TyGrr said:

How is missing a government test going to hurt my childs education when he is not in government school? The test is in Thai and he cant read Thai.

 

I'm not even sure why he is taking this test and I'm not sure if I will get the results. I am just asking question so I know what is going on.

 

So yeah, Im trying to sort out what is going on before we take the holiday.

 

 

Since it is an International school?  Best to make a visit to the school and ask them yourself instead of wasting time here!

[TyGrr]

I did contact the school and they said the O net test is not needed.

 

I'm still trying to understand why the school he is at is making it seem like life or death however.

[kingstonkid]

Tygrr

 

You do not mention what grade your son is in.  My question though is how long have you lived here and how can your son got to school and not have to learn Thai.

 

matayom onet is very important for universities

 

I assume that you have no intention of iving in Thailand long

 

 

 

[Scott]

8 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

Tygrr

 

You do not mention what grade your son is in.  My question though is how long have you lived here and how can your son got to school and not have to learn Thai.

 

matayom onet is very important for universities

 

I assume that you have no intention of iving in Thailand long

 

This is from an earlier post:

 

He will be going into M1 next year so it is not even M3 or M6. I guess that would make him P6.

[TyGrr]

On 1/26/2019 at 6:39 PM, kingstonkid said:

Tygrr

 

You do not mention what grade your son is in.  My question though is how long have you lived here and how can your son got to school and not have to learn Thai.

 

matayom onet is very important for universities

 

I assume that you have no intention of iving in Thailand long

 

 

 

I have lived here 15 years and the school that he goes to teaches him Thai 3 hours a week. It used to be 2. We will go back to the US as we pay over a million a year per kid for school and we are soon to have 3 kids in school. Honestly i think the public school in the US is going to be about as good.

 

He is in p6. At least half of the kids at his school come from Europe or Asia (with out parents) and they do not need to learn Thai.

 

Edit: He can speak Thai well enough but not read well at all.

[DavisH]

On 1/25/2019 at 9:45 AM, TyGrr said:

I did contact the school and they said the O net test is not needed.

 

I'm still trying to understand why the school he is at is making it seem like life or death however.

Maybe they will need to explain to MoE why one (or more?) of their students didn't sit the exam. I really doubt they are worried about your child's future. More likely trying to save their own skin. My son will do the M3 O-net, but he is not changing schools, so it doesn't matter. He will also probably go into an International program in university here, so those exams (and GAT/PAT would not be considered). He would most likely need IELTS/SAT/faculty entrance exams, interviews, etc. Many of our M6 students have already been accepted into programs, well before O-net/GAT/PAT. They are only really relevant if one is going into Thai language programs.

[Number 6]

I very much agree with Scott's post and others. Follow the directive of the school he is entering. My suspicion is that it's a top tier international and the other good but not great with lots of (smart) Thai kids. They push the ONET as a matter of course. I'd even bet they'd try and get the farang kids to do the ONET as well.

 

To Scott's comments about testing, it's true outside the developed world I think. Schools are sketchy, teachers, grades even more so. In the end you need an exam to size up student ability.

 

What is truly insane are all the post grad pre-entrance university exams.

 

I would not recommend any international university program here in Thailand. I thought it was Stanford? Thammasat has best BBA program, Mahidol medicine and KMIT technology but the kids just HAVE to go to Chulalongkorn. Okay, it's central, nice campus and pretty girls but it's definitely list ground. Look at Hong Kong HKU, CUHK and CityU you'll be shocked at rankings. Great value and many partnerships with T20 US universities.

[justin case]

On 1/24/2019 at 3:47 PM, SteveB2 said:

Foreign educational qualifications below a degree from an accredited foreign university are not recognized by the Thai Ministry of education.

loooool

 

Thai universities diploma's are not worth the paper they are printed on, for the rest of the world

 

this is why a MD in Thailand will be a nurse in the rest of the world

 

[Matzzon]

On 1/24/2019 at 4:04 AM, colinneil said:

TyGrr, surely the most important thing is your childs education.

So in your book a trip with granny is more important, good lord, i think you got your priorities mixed up.

And in your world everything and everybody think the wrong things and do the wrong things. What right do you have to come up with this slur?

The only one that seems to have mixed up things, looks to be you. At least you do live up to your signature.

[Matzzon]

On 1/28/2019 at 1:58 AM, TyGrr said:

I have lived here 15 years and the school that he goes to teaches him Thai 3 hours a week. It used to be 2. We will go back to the US as we pay over a million a year per kid for school and we are soon to have 3 kids in school. Honestly i think the public school in the US is going to be about as good.

 

He is in p6. At least half of the kids at his school come from Europe or Asia (with out parents) and they do not need to learn Thai.

 

Edit: He can speak Thai well enough but not read well at all.

As I see it this test is not going to be very important for your child, due to that you are saying that the children already got accepted to other schools next year.

It would only be important if they needed it for be accepted in another school, otherwise it will only be for the statistic purpose for the government to spinn the numbers and feel proud about.