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Fix GSAT soon! - Education minister says GSAT causes two-Jamaica syndrome
Published: Friday | June 12, 2009
Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
Education Minister Andrew Holness yesterday dubbed the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) a meritocracy, which has not been a good placement mechanism for the island's children, and has hinted at a major change in the examination.
Reacting to his comments, chair of the Independent Committee for GSAT Reform, Taina Williams, endorsed the education minister's position.
The GSAT replaced the Common Entrance Examination in 1999 and guides the placement of students into secondary schools. On Wednesday, 40,815 students received their results.
"It is effectively a meritocracy. GSAT pairs the highest-performing grades with the choices of those students," Holness told journalists during a press briefing held at Jessie Ripoll Primary School.
"So usually what happens is that, by virtue of the signalling mechanism that operates within the education system, parents are choosing schools that they feel are high-performing schools."
The structure
He added that the way GSAT is structured, students with the highest grades are placed with their first choice and those students who get very high grades usually choose schools viewed as top-performing schools.
"It's unfair. We are so invested in GSAT because we view GSAT as the vehicle of social mobility for our children," Holness said.
"But GSAT has only served to create and reinforce the two-Jamaica syndrome and I don't want to preside over that. So the strategy is to make sure that all our children get the best possible choice," said Holness.
The minister pointed out that the scores that separated the top performers last year were less than half of a per cent.
"Why should I then place a child that gets 99.1 outside of their choice range and place a child that gets 99.2 in their choice range?" he asked.
Williams told The Gleaner yesterday that the GSAT was not an equitable examination.
"I endorse his comments. We find that the GSAT is not a fair process and children are traumatised at an early age," she said.
Williams added: "The GSAT is a high-stake examination and 11 or 12-year-olds should not undergo such pressure. There must be a way of assessing their level of achievement without forcing them to undergo such stressful preparation," Williams said.
Meanwhile, Holness said while some people view this process as a fair way of transitioning students by virtue of an achievement test, students who perform poorly are placed in schools that don't do well.
"And that compounds the problem and so we hear the complaint all the time."
Holness told the gathering that the GSAT was not a good placement mechanism, adding that other countries do not have a placement examination.
He said he was aiming to ensure that every primary school had students who were competent in literacy and numeracy and the other subject areas, such that there was no need to rank students to place them in schools.
"If we get all our students literate, the GSAT would fail as a ranking mechanism. In fact, GSAT is failing as a ranking mechanism right now because, if you look at the (students in the) top percentile from 90 to 100, there are about 900 students and the scores that separate them sometimes are less than one per cent."
Doran Dixon, president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, said his association found the minister's comments interesting.
"What we need to do to get rid of the perception that some schools are better than others is to ensure that we have quality spaces," Dixon said.
"It is clear that the offering in some schools leaves a lot to be desired," he added.
petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...ead/lead1.html
Published: Friday | June 12, 2009
Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
Education Minister Andrew Holness yesterday dubbed the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) a meritocracy, which has not been a good placement mechanism for the island's children, and has hinted at a major change in the examination.
Reacting to his comments, chair of the Independent Committee for GSAT Reform, Taina Williams, endorsed the education minister's position.
The GSAT replaced the Common Entrance Examination in 1999 and guides the placement of students into secondary schools. On Wednesday, 40,815 students received their results.
"It is effectively a meritocracy. GSAT pairs the highest-performing grades with the choices of those students," Holness told journalists during a press briefing held at Jessie Ripoll Primary School.
"So usually what happens is that, by virtue of the signalling mechanism that operates within the education system, parents are choosing schools that they feel are high-performing schools."
The structure
He added that the way GSAT is structured, students with the highest grades are placed with their first choice and those students who get very high grades usually choose schools viewed as top-performing schools.
"It's unfair. We are so invested in GSAT because we view GSAT as the vehicle of social mobility for our children," Holness said.
"But GSAT has only served to create and reinforce the two-Jamaica syndrome and I don't want to preside over that. So the strategy is to make sure that all our children get the best possible choice," said Holness.
The minister pointed out that the scores that separated the top performers last year were less than half of a per cent.
"Why should I then place a child that gets 99.1 outside of their choice range and place a child that gets 99.2 in their choice range?" he asked.
Williams told The Gleaner yesterday that the GSAT was not an equitable examination.
"I endorse his comments. We find that the GSAT is not a fair process and children are traumatised at an early age," she said.
Williams added: "The GSAT is a high-stake examination and 11 or 12-year-olds should not undergo such pressure. There must be a way of assessing their level of achievement without forcing them to undergo such stressful preparation," Williams said.
Meanwhile, Holness said while some people view this process as a fair way of transitioning students by virtue of an achievement test, students who perform poorly are placed in schools that don't do well.
"And that compounds the problem and so we hear the complaint all the time."
Holness told the gathering that the GSAT was not a good placement mechanism, adding that other countries do not have a placement examination.
He said he was aiming to ensure that every primary school had students who were competent in literacy and numeracy and the other subject areas, such that there was no need to rank students to place them in schools.
"If we get all our students literate, the GSAT would fail as a ranking mechanism. In fact, GSAT is failing as a ranking mechanism right now because, if you look at the (students in the) top percentile from 90 to 100, there are about 900 students and the scores that separate them sometimes are less than one per cent."
Doran Dixon, president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, said his association found the minister's comments interesting.
"What we need to do to get rid of the perception that some schools are better than others is to ensure that we have quality spaces," Dixon said.
"It is clear that the offering in some schools leaves a lot to be desired," he added.
petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...ead/lead1.html
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