The Singapore system can switch to a voucher/private/homeschool system quite easily, I think, because we use standardized ‘gateway’ exams at the ages of 12 (PSLE), 16 (O levels), and 18 (A levels). The A levels, depending on who you ask, can be the toughest exam you’ll ever sit for, or a piece of cake.

The Singaporean flavor adds in additional wrinkles in the form of AP-style papers, but much more difficult, pitched at 2nd year college levels (or even beyond!). The scary thing is, there are a fair number of students who can handle this. So the question for me becomes: why is the system wasting their time when they could have progressed much more quickly in a tailored curriculum that would get them to college faster?

Take a quick look at the Singapore syllabus, here. http://www.cjc.edu.sg/web/?page_id=122

I’m still figuring out how a free-market can determine standards, which is why for lack of a better option, I’m sticking to the current exam standard.