New CXC exams for primary schools coming

[Skeng DX]

THE Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is developing a Primary Exit Examination, Professor of Research, Measurement and Evaluation at the University of the West Indies' School of Education, Dr Stafford Griffith, has disclosed.

Professor Griffith said the exam will focus on pupils in primary schools in the region, acquiring the skills which will enable them to make a “proper” transition to secondary education.

He said the move is in response to multiple requests from CXC member countries, and is guided by a study in which he served as a lead consultant.
Headquartered in Barbados, CXC was established in 1972 by an agreement among 15 English-speaking Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories.

The CXC's objectives are to provide regionally and internationally recognised secondary school leaving examinations, relevant to the needs of the region; assist in Common Entrance and other types of examinations; produce teaching materials and train teachers to use the CXC syllabi; and advise regional governments on education matters.

The council administers a number of courses and examinations at the secondary, post secondary levels, and vocational levels. Professor Griffith advised that the council has expanded its use of technology and social media, “as a way of staying connected with the CXC community, and keeping that community connected”.

“It has also initiated a number of administrative reforms, which will make its work increasingly more relevant to the changing needs of the Caribbean, while stimulating efficiency gains in its operations. This will, ultimately, accrue to the benefit of the Caribbean community,” he added.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lates...#ixzz1edZhUOJj

[Jawge]

Everyone is saying going to high school is a right, this clown comes in with an exam for primary schools. What is wrong with these people? Are they fully aware of what's coming and how this world is shaping?

All kids of age twelve and up should have a high school education. No child should be told you are not worthy (especially at twelve years of age).

[Peter R]

Yet another effing exam for a kid less than 11 yrs old... like dem people nuh have nutten fi duh...

[Jawge]

Worst part is that these guys are saying Sal Khan and Bill gates are idiots (but lump me in with khan and gates).

These people can't see the shifting sands; simple interest, et al could hold up in the industrial age. We are now in the info age, the age of algorithms. This means our young has to be prepared and exposed to higher math at an early age. We are talking about teaching machines to think and behave as how humans would behave completing task (hence a rigour in logic). Writing efficient codes depends on a strong and deep math background.

The youth of Ja should not be worried about going to high school, it's a right every student should be in high school. when Cuba opens up J will know how far down on the education pole she sits. One thing that may save Ja is the traty and this due to the direction of US interest and agenda.

Speaking of a agendas; it's high time Ja start teaching history in its proper context. Nations act within the context of an agenda. Stop thinking that it's because you are nice, suffering ,neighbours and brotherly love.

Take the Haitian revolution for example; it was Haiti's agenda to send troops to help the US but iwas not in US interest and agenda to help Haiti militarily against france. No luv nuh out deh only agenda. Read on

During a brief peace between France and Britain in 1801, Napoleon sent 12000 men under his brother-in-law, General Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc to Haiti. Leclerc had married his younger sister, Pauline. Prior to being sent on the campaign, he assisted General Humbert in his invasion of Ireland in 1798. Leclerc’s new mission was to verify the colonies loyalty to France in light of its recently published constitution. Leclerc voiced benevolent reasons for the expedition. Locals knew better, being fully aware of the expedition’s unstated purpose of ousting Toussaint L'Ouverture. (Who had been assisted in his rise to power by President John Adams of the United States). L'Ouverture led his troops in a racial genocide targeting the whites who lived on the island. On arriving, the local mayor refused allowing the French to debark, threatening to burn the town. The French debarked, and the town was burned.
The English and the Americans both supported Toussaint’s actions in Haiti. They hoped that France would then end the privateering in the area with Haiti taken out of the picture. Without a military base, it was believed that French privateering would end. James Madison even secured a treaty with Toussaint that provided weapons and ammunition to his uprising. Haiti was a money-maker for France. The French government needed money, and the recent revolt in Haiti served to interrupt the flow of cash from the island and its products. France needed money and was not going to let Toussaint stand in their way.
Leclerc's invading force eventually gained control of most of the island. He arranged to meet with L’Ouverture. During the meeting, Leclerc seized L’Ouverture and sent him back to France, where he died. Leclerc also began disarming the blacks on the island. The situation soon turned sour, erupting into a large scale racial war of black versus white. At one point, Napoleon committed 60,000 troops to Leclerc’s efforts. Before the French could retake the island, England declared war on France in 1803, so access to naval transport was reduced. Napoleon had been preparing his forces located in the Netherlands for a North American campaign. A temporary truce allowed the bulk of the soldiers to be removed. Leclerc withdrew to Tortuga. At that point, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the united States. The Leclerc expedition was partly financed by none other than Stephen Girard, who also financially supported the United States during the War of 1812.


Ja sriously needs a college of HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE.

[Islandman]

I don't see anything there about denying people access to high schools. I think what he is referring to is an assesment test along the lines of , for example, FCAT which is done in elementary schools in Florida.

Remember that CXC is a regional exam not a Jamaican exam. Also you are aware that places like Barbados have a higher literacy rate than the US and United Kingdom, so they must be doing something right in terms of education.

[Islandman]

It would only make sense if it replaced exams like GSAT and standardized the region on a new set of tests.

That must be the thinking, BUT i could be wrong.

[Jawge]

There in lies the problem: higher literacy rates than the US and UK but it's the bang for the buck. Who gets a higher yeild in terms of application? Goes back to what I'm saying one could read by just calling words. Understanding the subject matter and applying it is a different story.

[Jawge]

so what will happen to those that "fail"? I guess you don't belive in what Sal Khan was saying. Japan took advantage of the fact that no one is a failure and they are a standard today on education (their mantra was to make the average bright and the bright brighter)

This region's mantra (it seems) is to walk around calling 12 year olds failure. In these times it only shows that some weaknesses are being masked.

[Islandman]

Jawge, the US public school system is is below par for the developed world and is mostly in decline. This is no secret. It is absolutely NOT a model for any developing country to follow.

What the US still has, for now,is a good system of publicly funded colleges.

[Islandman]

I do not know and i am sure it will depend on the country.

Those that fail FCAT in Florida are kept back and have to do it again and again until they pass it or , I suppose, drop out of school and go sell drugs.

It is also used to rank the schools, schools with a high rate of failure are supposed to be scrutinized and changes made.

[Jawge]

Didn't say it was a model but seeing that you dared to compare countries. I just had to plant our feet firmly in reality. Granted the US is always trying to find ways of improving elemntary and secondary education.

[Islandman]

I did. I am saying that the Barbados system, among others, produces a higher number of literate people than the typical US public school system does. And with much less dollars per student I am sure.

[Jawge]

As you pointed out the US on the other hand evens it out with well funded public tertiar institutions. This way you always see people on TV saying they dropped out of high school but turned their life around went to college (which gives remedial courses) and now they either teach at an Ivy league (just an example), authored more than one book, or they are doing well in the private industry.
In short the US doesn't really have mechanisms that hinders you to get higher learning (God bles America . This is why the US is strong on creativity. Can't say the for the likes of Barbados. BTW what is the population size of Barbados again?