Are High Schools Screening Students To Boost CXC Pass Avg?

[Karl]

Are High Schools Screening Students To Boost CXC Pass Average?

Published: Monday August 25, 2014 | 6:54 pm
Jovan Johnson, Gleaner Writer

KINGSTON, Jamaica:
The Education Ministry has released data showing that as many as one in three high schools may be failing to register close to half of their grade 11 cohort for Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Mathematics and English language.

The data seems to support what many critics argue is the screening of students by schools to boost their percentage passes in an effort to raise their profiles.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=55043

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The above calls into question the integrity of the below recent list of high schools rankings. That was posted by TDowl at http://www.reggaeboyzsc.com/forum1/s...382#post491382


- http://jablogz.com/2014/06/jamaicas-...rankings-2014/

[Hortical]

Hmm, manipulate results by only registering the top students.

[Mosiah]

Is this news?!? I thought we were all aware of this. Those stats we spent a lot of time debating are manipulated in various ways, but I think they generally paint a true picture.

Well, that's how I comforted myself when I saw Munro at No. 17!

[Hortical]

So many students 'graduate' from high school with few subjects in hand. Why should low performing students' families put up the money to take exams when they will fail?

[Karl]

Hmm, manipulate results by only registering the top students.

...but do not lose sight of the big picture - i.e. as you make your assessment of our education system - as the 'sorting out' begins at prep school/earliest of ages levels. ...anyway you cut it we have a failing system. It may well be that of total kids that enter our education system less than 20% make it as far as getting a passing grade at English or Mathematics at high school ...forget the percentage when English and Mathematics is together considered as base= i.e. all our kids should receive passing grades in both subjects.

[Willi]

Sigh,

I am sure U R right on this point.

[Don1]

...but do not lose sight of the big picture - i.e. as you make your assessment of our education system - as the 'sorting out' begins at prep school/earliest of ages levels. ...anyway you cut it we have a failing system. It may well be that of total kids that enter our education system less than 20% make it as far as getting a passing grade at English or Mathematics...forget the percentage when English and Mathematics is together considered as base=all our kids should receive passing grades in both subjects.

Absolutely correct. The education shitstem is designed and preordained for FAILURE by the majority.

It's interesting how people ignore the overall landscape of education failure and concentrate on peripheral issues like a (flawed) ranking of schools. It's the usual Jamaican focus on non-core issues to explain education failure... e.g. sports
The education failure has its roots at the most important levels... basic & primary schools. Those primary levels produce these outcomes from the GSAT cohort:

~50% functionally illiterate and innumerate ... not ready for even basic 20th century life...much less 21st

~30% average to mediocre

~15% good

~5% excellent to very good

Unless that warped system is changed dawg nyam wi suppa .... that's a big part of the real issue

[Stonigut]

Hey it is a competitive thing unfortunately. I just wish our football youth development could figure a way to duplicate this kind of screening so we can get the combination of fast and skilled.

[Don1]

Hey it is a competitive thing unfortunately. I just wish our football youth development could figure a way to duplicate this kind of screening so we can get the combination of fast and skilled.

mi spleen!

[Karl]

Is this news?!? I thought we were all aware of this. Those stats we spent a lot of time debating are manipulated in various ways, but I think they generally paint a true picture.

Well, that's how I comforted myself when I saw Munro at No. 17!

I would like to hear how those manipulated stats produce a true picture?
Thank you for that explanation...please?

[Islandman]

That sounds about right to me, except I would probably re-label the 30% as "below average to mediocre"

[Karl]

That sounds about right to me, except I would probably re-label the 30% as "below average to mediocre"

Don 1's concept is bang on...but I would take issue with those 30%, 15% and 5% figures. I think they are lower (*Remember we are referencing totals entering the education system and final outcomes.

It would be interesting to see numbers who entered the system **10 and also 11 years ago and numbers achieving the passing grade in 2014 at -
a) English

b) Mathematics

c) both)?

**Should it be 5 years of pre-high school (pre-primary + primary school) + 5 years high school or 6 years of pre-high school (pre-primary + primary school) + 5 years high school?

[Islandman]

Yes they could well be lower.

In fact don't think they have ever been much better, we just never used to test 70% of the cohort and pretended they didn't exist (except as a pool of recruits for high school sports teams). Now we don't test a smaller percentage.

[Don1]

That sounds about right to me, except I would probably re-label the 30% as "below average to mediocre"

oh lawd ...say it aint so

[Karl]

Yes they could well be lower.

In fact don't think they have ever been much better, we just never used to test 70% of the cohort and pretended they didn't exist (except as a pool of recruits for high school sports teams). Now we don't test a smaller percentage.

If this was not a matter of life and death the temptation would be to laugh at that thought of 'pretending some of our young do not exist'. You are bang on about that piece of silliness.