The Caribbean Examiner - School-Based Assessment

4 OCTOBER 2017 www.cxc.org
IN THIS ISSUE
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SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT (SBA)
5 CXC® School-Based Assessment Model
Dr Nordia E Weekes
8 The Philosophical Underpinnings
of CXC’s School-Based Assessment (SBA)
Professor Stafford Griffith
11 School-Based Assessment – An Explanation
Susan Giles
12 Managing the School-Based
Assessment at CAPE and CSEC
Lionel Sealy
14 CPEA and Continuous Assessment:
Early Start to School-Based Assessment (SBA)
Joycelyn De Gale
15 Continuous Assessment
– A Principal’s Perspective
Cheryl Bernabe-Bishop
16 SBA Marries Fundamentals
with Real-World Scenarios
Joshua Francis,
Presentation Brothers College, Grenada
CXC NEWS
18 E-testing - The CXC Experience
Stephen Savoury and Paula Nicholls
20 CXC® Connect App Promotes
Better Communication
with Stakeholders
Ayodele Pompey
22 CXC® Connect App
Technology Meets Education
26 Live Pre-Testing
Yolande Wright, PhD
27 Performance of CXC® New Subjects
Hamilton Jemmott, PhD
33 May/June Sitting Perfomances
CSEC • CAPE • CPEA • CVQ • CCSLC
39 Interns Gain Real-World Experience
Khrystal Walcott
41 Why SBA for CSEC English
42 CXC® Sponsors SPISE Students
44 CXC® gets first in-house Attorney
CXC PROFILE
38 The Honourable Sir Roy Augier
– A CXC Stalwart
ABOUT THIS ISSUE School-Based
Assessment or SBA has been a
feature of CXC examinations from
their inceptions in 1979. This
issue highlights the CXC model
of school-based assessment
and its philosophical
underpinnings, as well
as a sampling of
stakeholder views
on SBA. It also
features the
launch of the CXC
mobile app CXC
Connect and reports on
performances in CXC suite of
examinations.
20

THE CARIBBEAN EXAMINER
www.cxc.org OCTOBER 2017 5
(i) the power of assessment in defining
the curriculum, guiding learning and
motivating student performance
(ii) the unique and complementary role of the
classroom teacher in comprehensively
assessing student performance
(iii) the psychometric value of employing
multiple methods, traits and occasions
for testing
Modes of examining employed by the
Council should not be restricted to the
traditional essay-type examinations but
that alternative methods of examining
should be explored – these methods
to include coursework assessment,
objective tests, practical examinations,
projects and field studies. (School
Examinations Committee of CXC, 1974)
(iv) the vision of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) of the ideal Caribbean person
for the twenty-first century and beyond.
The ideal Caribbean person…
demonstrates multiple literacies,
independent and critical thinking,
…. and brings this to bear on the
innovative application of science
and technology to problem solving;
(CARICOM, 1997)
What is School-Based Assessment (SBA)?
SBA is centred in the school and
is supported by the resources of the
immediate environment – peers, teachers,
parents and the wider local community.
This assessment is iterative, utilising the
feedback from student and from teacher
to inform the strengths and weaknesses
of the teaching and learning processes.
The goal is to close the gap between the
current performance level and the desired
performance level of the student. Hence,
SBA makes use of formative assessment
procedures. This contrasts with summative
assessment which measures performance at
the end of an instructional period.
Why SBA?
The search for reliable and valid
measures of learning and student
performance is decades old. Learning
theories postulated by luminaries such as
Berlyne (1960), Piaget (1964), Vygotsky
(1978) and Jonassen (2009) have provided
insights into the interaction among student,
teacher, task and the environment. Other
theories have promoted the power of
assessment to guide learning and drive
the taught curriculum. Proponents include
Klenowski (1996), Keightley et al (2001),
Assessment Reform Group, add of the
University of Cambridge (2002) and the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) (2005).

Formative assessment has been
shown to be highly effective in raising
the level of student achievement,
increasing equity of student outcome,
and improving students’ ability to learn.
(OECD Policy Brief, November 2005)
Bennett (2011) has advocated that for
greatest benefit, formative approaches
should be conceptualized as part of
a comprehensive system in which all
components work together to facilitate
learning. This concept is reflected in several
educational systems where high-stakes
public examinations have incorporated a
formative or School-Based component to
complement the external examinations.
Together, these components produce an
overall examination which provides data for
a holistic picture of a student’s achievement.
The SBA Component
of CXC Examinations
SBAhasemergedasafirmlyentrenched
component of the CXC assessment model.
This model has been influenced by CXC’s
recognition of:
CXC® SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT MODELBy Nordia E Weekes PhD
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

The SBA component is characterized
by the nature of the content and the
formative way in which the component is
assessed. The subject content is specified
by a set of criteria, rationale, aims, and
general and specific objectives; real-world,
meaningful and relevant tasks; subject
material appropriate to the students’ level
of development; and opportunities provided
for the development of subject-related skills
and attitudes. That is, the SBA fits into a
criterion-referenced framework. Optimal
benefits of SBA are realized when teacher,
student and environment interact ideally.
This is contingent on some assumptions
regarding the school environment and the
anticipated role of teachers and students.
Assumptions Regarding
School Environment
(i) Administrative and management
procedures facilitate the coordination
of teaching content, activities,
assessment schedules, tasks and
marking rubrics among subject
teachers.
(ii) Teachers routinely assess their
classes at various times throughout
the period of instruction (term,
semester or school year), provide
feedback to the students on their
learning progress, and seek feedback
on the strengths and weaknesses of
the lessons taught.
(iii) Teachers routinely provide
opportunities for authentic
experiences to enhance student
understanding of various concepts
and principles associated with the
learning domain.
(iv) Teachers routinely report on
student performance to the relevant
stakeholders.
(v) Students and parents cooperate with
teachers to achieve learning goals.
Role of the Teacher
(Manager, Facilitator, Assessor)
(i) Organizes the classroom in a flexible
manner - individual work, group or
peer interaction from activities such
as laboratory exercises and field trips.
(ii) Guides students based on their
academic inclinations, natural
interests or curiosities.
(iii) Provides clear guidelines for the task
to be completed by the students, the
criteria for assessing the task, the
process for completing it, as well as
the expected outcome or product.
(iv) Provides feedback at critical points
throughout the process so that the
students are aware of the next action
that is necessary to improve or raise
their performance.
(v) Provides legitimate aid. Wineburg
(1997, p. 64) distinguishes among
three types of collaboration:

Legitimate aid producing new learning
and understanding by the candidate -
the candidate becomes smarter, more
thoughtful, and has keener insights.

Ineffective aid producing fleeting
effects so that the candidate cannot
explain or understand new concepts
in the absence of the collaborator.

Illegitimate aid fostering purposeful
misrepresentation where the
candidate submits work that has
been conceptualized and completed
by others (commonly described as
cheating or plagiarism).
(vi) Assesses the process and the product.
Having provided guidance and
feedback throughout, the teacher
would be in the best position to
determine how much of the students’
own effort is reflected in the product
and to reward appropriately.
(vii) Reports on student performance to
relevant stakeholders.
Role of the Student
(i) Usually selects the topic to be done.
(ii) Locates his or her own materials.
(iii) Conducts a task independently or as
a member of a group.
(iv) Schedules his or her time to comply
with the agreed timelines scheduled
with class and teacher.
(v) Utilizes feedback to close the gap
between current level of performance
and desired level.
(vi) Assesses his or her performance as
well as the performance of peers.
(vii) Presents an end-point product, within
the agreed time frame, usually in the
form of a report or an artefact.
The Classroom Environment
Weekes (2012) explored six factors
contributing to student perception of
teaching and learning practices in the SBA
classroom which are likely to influence
student performance.
(i) Congruence with planned learning:
Assessment tasks align with learning
goals, objectives and skills.
(ii) Authenticity: Assessment tasks
feature real-life situations that are
relevant to the students as learners or
citizens.
(iii) Transparency: The nature of tasks
and the method of assessing tasks
(marking rubric and schemes) are well
defined and clear to the students.
(iv) Diversity: The tasks provide a variety
of skills, aptitudes and interests
so that students have an equal
opportunity for success.
(v) Metacognition: Students identify
their learning styles and manage
learning experiences with the help of
feedback from the teacher.
(vi) Peer Dynamics: Students use social
interaction, and feedback by peers
to help in understanding assessment
goals.
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

Moderation of the SBA Component
In any high-stakes examination, the
grades awarded to students for the SBA
component must be valid and reliable,
and so must be the grades awarded for
the overall examination. Validity refers to
the extent to which the task assessed is
representative of the requisite set of specific
learning objectives. Reliability refers to the
consistency of the grade awarded for a
task by an examiner or teacher on different
occasions times, /or places. One way in
which CXC addresses these two concerns
is by its moderation procedures.
Moderation seeks to ensure that
(i) teachers from various classes,
schools, territories and occasions
interpret the syllabus requirements,
assessment tasks and marking rubrics
in a consistent manner
(ii) SBA marks awarded by teachers
across schools and territories are
aligned on a common CXC scale.

Moderation may be considered as
“… the ways in which assessment
decisions of teachers, arrived at in
the context of the SBA component of
a public examination, can be brought
into a relationship with each other
so that they can contribute to the
grades awarded in the examination.”
(Daugherty, 1994, p. 103)
For the subject administered, CXC
utilizes a moderation procedure where a
sample of five pieces of SBA tasks from a
school are re-marked by teams of trained
CXC moderators. The teacher’s marks and
corresponding moderator’s marks for each
of the five pieces are used with a least-
squares linear regression technique (LSLRT)
to generate moderated marks for the SBA
tasks for each student in the school. If there
are five or fewer pieces, the moderators’
marks become the moderated marks.
Weekes (2012) investigated the
goodness of the moderated scores obtained
byre-markingandusingtheLSLRTtechnique
with sample sizes of five and seven pieces
of SBA for CSEC Chemistry and Geography.
The SBA tasks for all students in the classes
were re-marked by a team of three, trained
CXC moderators and the mean score
awarded as the moderator score. For both
subjects, the set of moderated scores
generated with the LSLRT using sample size
five was the better fit with the moderators’
scores.
Major Observations Regarding
CXC and SBA
CXC has been in the vanguard among
examination boards utilising the power of
the SBA as an enabler of lifelong learning
and its potential to enhance the validity of
high-stakes examinations.
Secondly, CXC has developed an SBA
model which can withstand international
scrutiny. Thirdly, in its optimal form, the SBA
component of CXC examinations promotes
valid, authentic assessment activities
requiring candidates to demonstrate a
cadre of learning skills – what they know,
and what they can do. Validity is enhanced
when different modes of assessment are
utilised for different types of abilities and
types of skills.
Finally, the teacher is central to
the execution of the SBA. It behoves
stakeholders (students, parents, teacher-
training colleges, tertiary institutions,
ministries of education, examining boards)
vested in the advancement of education
to provide teachers with the necessary
appreciation, support, training and
motivation needed to enhance performance
in the SBA classroom.
References
Assessment Reform Group. (2002). Testing,
motivation and learning. Cambridge: Faculty
of Education, University of Cambridge.
Bennett, R. E. (2011). Formative assessment:
A critical review. Assessment in Education:
Principles, Policy & Practice, 18, 5–25.
Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, arousal and
curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Caribbean Examinations Council, School
Examinations Committee. (1974). Paper
presented at the Second Council Meeting,
CXC Headquarters, Barbados.
CARICOM. (1997). Creative and Productive
Citizens for the Twenty- First Century.
A Statement from CARICOM meeting.
Georgetown, Guyana: CARICOM Secretariat.
Retrieved from http://www.caricom.org/jsp
communications/meetings_
statements/citizens_21_century.
jsp?menu=communications
Daugherty, R. (1994). Quality assurance,
teacher assessments and public
examinations. In W. Harlen (Ed.), Enhancing
quality in assessment. A publication of the
BERA Policy Task Group on Assessment (pp.
100–113). London: Paul Chapman.
Jonassen, D. (2009). Reconciling a human
cognitive architecture. In S. Tobias & T. Duffy
(Eds.) Constructivist instruction: Success
or failure? New York: Routledge, Taylor &
Francis.
Klenowski, V. (1996, September).
Connecting assessment and learning.
Paper presented at the British Educational
Research Association (BERA) Annual
Conference. Lancaster, Lancaster University.
OECD. (2005, November). Formative
assessment: Improving learning in
secondary schools. Paris: Author.
Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/
ceri/35661078.pdf
Piaget, J. (1964). Development and learning.
Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2),
176–186.
Vygotsky L. (1978). Mind in society: The
development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Weekes, N. E. (2012). Moderating the
School-Based assessment component of
examinations administered by the Caribbean
Examinations Council. (Unpublished doctoral
thesis). The University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
Wineburg, S. (1997). TS Eliot, collaboration,
and the quandaries of assessment in a
rapidly changing world. Phi Delta Kappan
78 (1), 59–65.
Dr Nordia Weekes is a
retired Measurement and
Evaluation Officer at CXC.
CXC® School-Based Assessment Model

The Concept of SBA
The Caribbean Examinations Council
(CXC) is a public examinations board that
makes extensive use of School-Based
Assessment (SBA) in its examinations.
SBA in public examinations has certain
characteristics. These include the following:
• The student’s teacher sets the
assessment task in keeping with
specifications provided by the
examinations board. Although there
are instances where the task may be
actually defined by the examinations
board, this is not the dominant
practice. The teacher is invariably
provided with the opportunity to
help in defining the assessment task,
taking into account the environment
in which the school and students are
located.
• Each student’s performance is
assessed by his or her teacher.
The teacher is central to the
assessment, although the school
or the examinations board may
require inputs from persons other
than the teacher in making the
final assessment of the work of the
student.
• The scores awarded by the
teacher are moderated by the
examinations board. Various forms
of moderation may be used by
different examinations boards. These
procedures aim to assure reliability of
the marks from the SBA tasks.
• The scores contribute to the
final score of the student in the
examination. Achievement scores
from SBA are not normally reported
separately, but are added to the
scores from the other parts of the
examination to provide the scores and
grades awarded to students.
For the purpose of this discussion, the
term SBA is used in a generic way to refer
to all assessments that are undertaken for
CXC examinations at, or by, the school. It is,
essentially, teacher-led assessment of the
work of CXC candidates. It has certain clear
philosophical underpinnings that define what
is expected when properly implemented.
Individualizing a Part of the Curriculum
One of the benefits of SBA is that it
provides the opportunity to individualize
a part of the curriculum. According to
CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council,
2010), it “provides many opportunities for
teachers and candidates to organise the
learning activities of selected sections of the
curriculum to meet the individual needs of
each candidate” (p.1).
THE PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF
CXC’S SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT (SBA)By Professor Stafford Griffith
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

While there are times when it will be
necessary for the teacher to provide general
guidance to the class as a whole, proper
guidance for SBA requires that individual
attention be given to students. In order to
optimise the value of the guidance provided,
the teacher must be conversant with the
nature of the task each student is pursuing,
and must follow the student’s progress in
undertaking and completing the task. The
student’s strengths and limitations must be
taken into account in providing guidance
that will improve the competencies required
to complete the task and to optimise
learning and achievement within the time
available.
As part of the guidance, the teacher
needs to ensure that the student is able to
access the resources required to undertake
the task. The equipment and supplies
required for the laboratory tasks, for
example, must be accessible to the student.
The site to be studied by a student of
History or the enterprise to be assessed by
a Business student must also be accessible.
The teacher must demonstrate an
ongoing interest in the progress of the
student. It is important that the teacher
makes periodic inquiries of the student
about how well he or she is progressing. The
teacher should not have an interest merely
in the assessment of the final product. SBA
requires ongoing assessment of the process
by the teacher so as to provide relevant
feedback to guide student improvement.
The extent to which the opportunity is
provided through SBA for individualizing
the curriculum may vary among subjects
and across levels and types of examinations.
Formative Assessment in SBA
SBA requires that “students as
candidates undertake specified assignments
during the course of the school year, under
the guidance of the teacher” (Broomes,
1997). It has both a formative and a
summative dimension in both of which the
teacher plays an important role.
Formative assessment is a part of
good teaching. It involves the assessment
of students’ progress by the teacher
and the provision of feedback to help
students in making further progress towards
achieving the intended outcomes. The
feedback that is provided through formative
assessment is also helpful to teachers in
understanding what students have learned
and the effectiveness of their own teaching.
On the basis of this feedback, teachers can
plan interventions to guide students to cross
learning hurdles and improve in areas where
they are weak.
This concept of feedback is at the
centre of SBA. Without it, the concept of
SBA would be stripped of one of its most
important characteristics and much of
the benefit associated with this form of
assessment as part of a public examination
would be lost.
The concept of formative assessment
as espoused by public examinations boards
such as CXC encompasses much of what
is now characterised as assessment for
learning. Assessment for learning captures
the shift that has taken place to the concept
of formative assessment over the years and
conveys much better what is intended when
referring to formative assessment in SBA.
In assessment for learning, unlike
formative assessment, the focus is not on
frequent assessment of student mastery but
on the use of data to inform students about
their progress and what needs to be done
to make further progress. The teacher is
expected to provide the required scaffolding
and encouragement to help the student
advance his or her learning. The concept
of assessment for learning brings greater
conceptual clarity to the SBA concept.
The Teacher’s Summative
Assessment Role
Not only are teachers expected to play
a role in the formative assessment of the
work of their students, but also perhaps,
equally as important, they are expected to
play a role in the summative assessment of
those students. It is generally in their role of
summative assessor that there have been
some stakeholder concerns.
While formative assessment for learning
is an important tool for optimising student
achievement, summative assessment of
learning should provide a valid and reliable
statement of the level of achievement of the
student. Just as the score or grade awarded
The Philosophical Underpinnings Of CXC’s School-Based Assessment (SBA)
As part of the
guidance, the
teacher needs to
ensure that the
student is able
to access the
resources required
to undertake the
task.

to a student for the external component of
the examination should reflect the level
of achievement of the student following a
period of instruction and teacher guidance,
so too must the score or grade awarded for
SBA reflect the level of achievement of the
student, having benefited from the guidance
and feedback provided by the teacher.
The teacher needs to understand
the line of demarcation between his or
her role in guiding the student in SBA and
his or her role in assessing the student’s
level of achievement. The nature and
scope of inputs that the teacher is required
to make into the SBA process must be
clear. This requires an understanding of
the difference between the role of the
teacher in formative assessment, or more
appropriately, assessment for learning
and the role of the teacher in summative
assessment or assessment of learning.
In summative assessment of learning the
aim is to report how far the student has
reached in the learning journey. All other
considerations are extraneous.
Skills Not Normally Included in an
examination
An important objective of assessing
students in a public examination is to
determine and report their levels of
attainment. The curriculum and the teaching
strategies for each subject should allow
students to develop the competencies
defined for the course of study. Invariably,
these are not limited to cognitive skills.
It is expected that student will develop
competencies in making use of those skills
and in applying them to explain certain
phenomena or to resolve certain issues.
In today’s world, these are important
competencies for success in further
education and training, for living fulfilling
lives and for making useful contributions in
various forms of employment.
The typical public examination, with
its papers to be completed in a limited
time, is generally not able to assess these
competencies. These papers are limited
to those competencies which can be
assessed in the limited time and in the
format that these examinations permit.
They are, invariably, unable to utilize the
mix of tasks needed to cover, adequately,
the total domain to which inferences are to
be made from the test scores. Under these
circumstances, the scores of the students
cannot be relied on as valid measures of
the extent to which the competencies,
defined for a subject or course, have been
accomplished. Therefore, the grades
and scores issued to students would
have limitations in the inferences that can
be made from them about the level of
competence students have achieved in the
domains defined by the course. SBA helps
to address these limitations. It is uniquely
suited to test competencies that cannot be
tested, or cannot be easily or adequately
tested, in a conventional public examination.
SBA, properly conceptualized and
used, provides the opportunity for students
to undertake projects and tasks that require
them to apply what they know and to
demonstrate the competencies needed for
success in their future endeavours. It helps
to link the classroom experience to the real-
world requirements. By contributing to the
overall scores and grades, it enhances the
validity of the inferences made from the
scores about the competence of students
who have pursued a particular course of
study.
SBA and 21st Century Skills
SBA, especially when undertaken as
group work, provides the opportunity to
develop and assess the skills currently
defined as 21st century skills which are
critical to the various destinations of
students in today’s world.
A l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e v a r i o u s
conceptualizations of 21st century skills,
they generally include the skills of problem-
solving, complex decision-making, creativity,
innovation, collaboration, global awareness,
digital literacy, communication and the ability
to be self-motivated. The way in which one
group (Partnership for 21st Century Skills,
2009) defines these skills is getting a lot of
attention by educators. This group identifies
the following skills:
• Creativity and Innovation,
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,
• Communication and
• Collaboration.
References
Broomes, D. 1997. Practices, Problems and
Potential of School-Based Assessment.
St. Michael, Barbados: Caribbean
Examinations Council.
Caribbean Examinations Council.
2010. “Internal Assessment Manual
for Principals: Caribbean Advanced
Proficiency Examinations (CAPE)”.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 2009.
P21 framework definitions. Retrieved from
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/
P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf.
This article makes use of material
contained in the book by the author
titled “School-Based Assessment in a
Caribbean Public Examination” which is
advertised in this issue of The Examiner.
There is a growing concern that current
assessment procedures may be focussing
too much on measuring students’ ability
to recall discrete facts at the expense of
measuring a student’s ability to engage
in, and complete, complex thinking and
problem-solving tasks. The call now is
for a greater focus on the development
and assessment of students’ ability to
think critically, examine problems, gather
information, and make informed, reasoned
decisions. It is anticipated that over the
next few years, it will become increasingly
important to provide opportunities for
students to develop these skills and
to assess and report on their level of
competence in these areas. In this regard
CXC is ahead of the game. SBA, is ideally
suited to the development and assessment
of these 21st century skills.
Professor Stafford
A. Griffith is a former
Pro Registrar of
the Caribbean
Examinations
Council. Director
of the School of
Education nd
Deputy Dean,
Faculty of
Humanities and
Education, The
University of the
West Indies, Mona Campus. Prof. Griffith is
also the author of a book entitled, “School-
Based Assessment in Caribbean Public
Examinations.”
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

Public examinations comprise not
only the administration of the external
examined paper by the published date, it
also encompasses the administration of the
continuous assessment of the students – an
activity which is supervised by teachers
based on specific criteria and moderated
by the examining board. Moderation
involves the remarking of samples of the
teacher’s continuous assessment in order to
ensure conformity with the standards of the
examining board. Below is some information
about School-Based assessment (SBA) as
designed by the Caribbean Examinations
Council (CXC), the premier testing institution
in the region.
In conceptualizing and introducing
SBA in 1979, CXC sought to bring several
innovations to the assessment and
certification of secondary school students
in the Caribbean. The concept, has since
been introduced by many examining boards,
and in some countries SBA forms the entire
examination in some subject areas.
SBA/Internal Assessment was seen as
a strategy to:
i. Give teachers a meaningful voice in
the assessment and certification of
their students. What is not generally
known is that the CXC syllabuses and
assessment strategies are developed
in consultation with teachers.
They serve on and predominate
the membership of the syllabus
formulation panels. In addition, the
draft syllabuses are circulated to
schools and subject associations for
comment before the final version is
circulated.
ii. Allow students to demonstrate
knowledge, skills and abilities not
readily assessed in the traditional
examination environment. This is also
important for those candidates who
do not normally perform well in the
examination setting;
iii. Enhance the overall validity of the
assessment process; and
iv. Provide the opportunity for students
to pursue individual interests, within
the parameters of the curriculum,
by engaging in projects and
investigations of their own choice.
School-Based Assessment
An Explanation
By Susan Giles
An essential aspect of the teacher’s role
and responsibility has always been to devise
projects and assignments that allow learners
to apply what they have been taught by
completing these tasks as classwork or
homework over a set period of time. The
work is assessed by the teacher and the
scores reported, usually at the end of the
school term or year. Those teachers who
follow best practices provided feedback to
their students to guide them in the direction
of improved performance in the future.
This is precisely how it was envisioned
that SBA/Internal Assessment would be
implemented in the classroom, and that is
why the more successful schools are the
ones that enforce their deadlines and treat
the SBA no differently than they have always
treated projects and assignments. The only
difference is that the scores should now
be forwarded to the examining body and a
sample of the candidates’ work submitted for
moderation for quality assurance purposes.
It is important to note that in the early days,
the SBA scores were captured manually by
the teacher and forwarded to the Council for
entry. In response to the concerns raised
by teachers across the region, about the
manual capture of the scores, the Council
provided a simple web form which allowed
the teachers to enter the candidates’
scores onscreen. This eliminated errors of
transcription and provided a permanent
record which could be verified by authorized
personnel.
SBA at the CSEC level, in most
instances, is done over a two-year period
which should begin in form 4 and conclude
when the final scores are captured in
term 2 of year 5. In other words, there
are five terms in which candidates select,
investigate and complete the assignment,
and teachers capture the scores for the
various components of the assignment. In
schools where the programme is efficiently
organized, teachers and students agree on
the dates for the presentation of various
sections of the study, e.g. Introduction,
Literature Review etc. Once these dates are
strictly enforced and adhered to, teachers
and learners know precisely how to plan
and schedule their submissions to avoid
‘bunching’ i.e. when everything becomes
due simultaneously.
What has become apparent is that
in many instances SBA is now being
completed in terms 4 and 5 (i.e. terms 1
and 2 of year 5) creating unimaginable
challenges for teacher and student as it is
now being managed as a one-shot test and
not continuous assessment. Moreover, the
SBA report should not exceed 1000 words
(three pages) at CSEC and 1500 at CAPE. A
teacher who permits candidates to submit
50 pages or more has not been involved in
the candidate’s process or he/she would
have advised the candidate correctly.
Group/team work is also permitted
and indeed it is encouraged. In addition,
CXC allows students doing more than one
subject in a cognate group, for example, the
natural sciences, to submit one integrated
SBA project rather than having to complete
a project for each of the three subjects.
This reduces significantly the amount of
individual scoring the teacher has to do and
speeds up the marking process. In addition,
at the CAPE level, in selected subject areas
the Unit 1 SBA may be taken forward to Unit
2 once the candidate is satisfied with his/her
performance at Unit 1.
Teachers know their students well. It
is they who can determine whether or not
the work submitted truly represents the
students’ best efforts, and it is they who
are well positioned to assess their students’
efforts fairly and reliably. For anyone other
than the teacher to take on the responsibility
of assessing the candidate’s work and giving
feedback at each stage, or of marking the
final product would be to defeat the purpose
of the SBA.
Susan Giles is
former Senior
Assistant
Registrar in the
Examinations
Administration &
Security Division
at CXC.

The School-Based Assessment (SBA)
is a fundamentally important aspect of a
student’s development in their academic
growth process. This is so at all levels of the
Caribbean Examinations Council’s portfolio
across its subject spectrum. It is therefore to
be understood, that as a teacher at the CAPE
and CSEC levels in a 6th form school, that a
number of factors play a significant role in
the management of the SBA. These factors
include: the teacher being able to manage
the available teaching time within the school
year, the number of students being managed
for assessment purposes, the requirements
of the SBA report in terms of its components,
the accurate sources of available literature
in many cases, the clear appreciation of the
combination of learning styles within the
SBA group, managing a consistent dialogue
with each student as equitably as possible,
the function of cooperative grouping and
understanding how the SBA complements
syllabus contents.
Having specified that the SBA
complements the contents of the syllabus,
the duty of the teacher as I see it, is to
reinforce the idea to the students that the
SBA is all part of the learning process and
that it allows them to investigate through
research the intricate details of specific
topics within the syllabus of that subject.
Therefore, at the beginning of each school
year students are given an overview and
breakdown of the requirements of the
syllabus and the SBA associated with that
subject. The table of contents and the
marking scheme of the SBA are thoroughly
analyzed at this point. It is to be understood by
each student that the SBA is that component
of each CSEC and CAPE subject which allows
them to enter the final examination with a
percentage of the examination score already
earned from its the completion. This SBA
score is then added to the marks earned from
their final examination.
MANAGING THE
School-Based Assessment
at CAPE and CSECBy Lionel Sealy
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

CSEC Geography
In order to successfully manage the
CSEC Geography field study efficiently and
effectively, students are required to analyze
specific components of the SBA. Each
component is thoroughly explained and
discussed. Each student is also advised to
acquire a copy of the syllabus independently
or with the assistance of the teacher.
Students are required to appreciate that for
Geography, the structure of the field study
composes eleven sections, ranging from the
table of contents to the bibliography. The
students are then asked to identify what
the maximum mark is for each profile, which
are outlined in three columns under the
headings of practical skills (PS), knowledge
content (KC)and use of knowledge (UK)
respectively.
By doing this, students can develop
an appreciation as to how the grand total
of forty marks is distributed across the field
study. Students are then able to understand
that components 4, 5 and 6 from PS total ten
marks, components 1, 3, 5, 10 and 11 from KC
total 10 marks and finally components 2, 7, 8
and 9 from UK total 20 marks. At the end of
this exercise, students are able to see that
when they add each row horizontally they
will arrive at a total for each component
and the composite score of PS, KC and
UK. Students are then required to add the
vertical column and this is when they clearly
recognize how the total score of 40 marks
was tallied.
The marking scheme is also discussed
thoroughly with the students, especially
what is required to obtain the maximum
mark in each section. Students are reminded
that these specifics will be what examiners
are looking for in order to be awarded the
maximum mark. The students are well aware
that the school-based assessment is worth
twenty percent of the overall mark in CSEC
geography as a result of this kind of class
discussion.
CAPE Law
The CAPE Law SBA allows students in
Unit 1 to select one topic from the specific
objectives as outlined within the syllabus.
This provides students with a variety of
choices associated with different topics
which they will encounter through their
course of study. As soon as a student has
chosen a specific objective, that student
is then required to draft a topic statement
of investigation directly connected to the
specific objective chosen from the syllabus.
The time frame for this task to be completed
is usually given at the end of week 6 of
term 1. By this time, students would have
become exposed to various sections
of the course, which would give them a
reasonable level of confidence as to the
topic they will eventually investigate. While
the Law syllabus content is being taught,
students will be exposed especially to the
affective domain, even though there will be
the practice of psychomotor and cognitive
skills, which are obviously built into lesson
plans and teaching style. The major point
being made here is that a variety of topics
will be covered all satisfying Unit 1, Modules
1, 2 and 3 respectively.
Since cooperative grouping is
recognized as a viable academic option
within the classroom setting, a subject such
as Law at the CAPE level is the ideal course
to have such a practice. This is so because of
the level of diversification associated with its
topic content. Therefore, in a class consisting
of twenty-eight students for example, each
student can research a different topic
within the syllabus from across the three
modules; however, in the interest of the
management of the SBA within a limited
time frame, students are encouraged to
work in groups. Irrespective of this, there is
still the possibility of each student in a class
of twenty-eight as mentioned earlier to be
easily able to research a topic individually.
It should therefore be understood that while
group work is what we practice within many
of our individual classes, there is still room
and flexibility to accommodate students
who might need to work alone for some
specified reason. When arranging groups
for SBA purposes, it is always practical to
have male and female combinations. Why?
in my practice as a teacher, the aim is to
develop the classroom setting as close to
real- life applications as possible. In fact, this
is reinforced due to the fact that the CAPE
SBA prepares the advanced level student
for university life and beyond.
Hear more about SBAs from Lionel on
UWITV’s Regional Talk using this link:
https://www.uwitv.org/prog/region-talk-cxc-
sba-discussion?channel=region-talk
In relation to the option of group work,
both at the CSEC and CAPE levels, students
are usually required to work in groups of
four which I consider to be a reasonable
number, so that various components of the
SBA project can be assigned to respective
members. Therefore, a class consisting
of 26 students for example, would have
a composition of four groups of four and
two groups of five students. This flexibility
as allowed by CXC is indeed evidence of
how cooperative grouping as a teaching
technique can be incorporated within the
SBA component of the course. This is where
the relationship between the SBA and the
normal classroom activities are married.
There are obviously other combinations
of groupings that can be used and this
depends on how many students are in
the class and of course the subject being
taught. It is also possible to make sure that
in a coeducational institution, groups are a
microreflection of that institution. Therefore,
as the teacher in charge, these variables
are taken into consideration at all times
when organizing SBA groups. In the case
of Law, for example, each group would
easily operate in the capacity of a micro law
firm and in relation to Geography, a small
environmental research unit.
Having reviewed the experience of
managing the SBA at both the CSEC and
CAPE levels, it is clear that the SBA is a
micro representation of the real-world
experiences a student will have. The
student becomes a practitioner in advance
and is prepared for the application of the
knowledge component of their future
employment experiences, whether they
become employees or entrepreneurs.
Lionel Sealy is
a Barbadian
teacher who
teaches CAPE
Law and CSEC
Geography at
The St Michael
School.
Managing the School-Based Assessment at CAPE® and CSEC®

The Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment
(CPEA) is no doubt a preparatory step
towards completing SBAs. The SBA, as part
of continuous assessment, is a fairer way of
assessing students since students can now
attain marks throughout the course, which
will go towards their final score.
Continuous assessment, when properly
implemented, can greatly assist students
in reaching their goal and their fullest
potential. It involves teaching, assessing,
feedback, remedial work/revision and
further assessment.
Feedback is a critical aspect of
continuous assessment. Timely feedback
should be given during continuous
assessment to ensure that students and
other stakeholders stay abreast with the
process of learning. Thus, proper guidance
should be given to ensure that students
are aware of their progress throughout the
course of study.
The internal component of the CPEA
does just that. That is, it engages students
via continuous assessment to be actively
involved in the learning process. Therefore,
on entering secondary school, students
CPEA and Continuous Assessment:
Early Start to School-Based
Assessment (SBA) By Joycelyn De Gale
are ready to take on the SBA in its full
measure. However, we must keep in mind
that constant monitoring of the internal
process is crucial, and will affect the external
results, which in turn show how prepared our
students are. As my colleagues like to say,
“What gets monitored gets done.”
Since the introduction of the CPEA
in Grenada, a greater number of students
are entering secondary school better
equipped with the skills, knowledge and
attitude (experience) needed to survive
in a meaningful way. It is not that the
curriculum was not taught prior to the CPEA.
However, teachers must now become more
accountable for their students’ success,
giving them a fairer chance in becoming
successful graduates.
The CPEA and continuous assessment
push parents to become more involved
in their children’s learning and success.
As M. Castro (2015) states, “Parental
involvement has a positive effect on
academic achievement.” Continuous
assessment means constant review. Studies
have shown that this has improved test
scores. A student, David M. Roper, when
asked what separates an A from a B had
this to say: “Revise continually. Revise the
stuff you’re learning, as you learn.” From a
teacher’s point of view, this is continuous
assessment or nonstop assessment.
At our learning institution, we have
taken continuous assessment as part of
our programme seriously. It is a way of
smoothing the rough edges of our students.
We can now use test scores to evaluate our
students and reteach concepts and skills,
thus enabling our students to attain higher
scores. This is important since continuous
assessment is a major part of the CPEA
teaching/learning process. We have seen
our students improve and grow. We have
kept abreast with their performance at
institutions of higher learning, and these
students have done excellently at CSEC.
It is then safe to say that continuous
assessment and SBA completion have
been stepping stones, enhancing students’
academic performance at institutions
of higher learning. The former one-shot
examination was never a true reflection of
our students’ ability.
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT
Since the introduction of
the CPEA in Grenada, a
greater number of students
are entering secondary
school better equipped
with the skills, knowledge
and attitude (experience)
needed to survive in a
meaningful way.

Primary school is the foundation on
which our education system lies. It is here
that the child assimilates more readily, forms
habits and portrays an eagerness to learn.
The rigid prescribed curriculum handed
down to schools by the Ministry of Education
pushed teachers to focus on completing
the syllabus, which meant they sometimes
had to ignore whether actual learning was
taking place. For many children, boredom
and frustration arrested their minds, as
teachers used the chalk and talk method to
teach. Opportunities to include students in
their learning process were merely provided
simply because teachers believed that they
were the sole source of knowledge — a
fabricated belief that cripples academic
growth.
The teacher-level factors dominated
what occurred in our classrooms, while
the creative potential of students was left
untapped. Coupled with that, principals
neglected their role as instructional leaders,
and therefore accountability for student
learning was low. The introduction of CPEA
has forcibly uncapped students’ hidden
potential and holds teachers accountable for
student learning. Moreover, it has unveiled
the labels and libels placed on students
deemed ‘slow learners’ or those who ‘can’t
learn’. The struggle for teachers to create
an environment in which students are
engaged in the learning process has ended.
Teachers are now seen as facilitators in the
classroom, as students become engaged in
their learning process.
It is pertinent to note that CPEA has
turned on a light switch in our classrooms,
and the beam shines brightly through our
students who are excited about learning and
attaining high learning outcomes. They are
ready to mount the ladder of achievement,
Continuous Assessment
A Principal’s Perspective By Cheryl Bernabe-Bishop
because the availability of second chances
now exist. Teachers consistently advise
students to try again. Students are made to
believe that they have the ability to achieve
a higher score. This results in the growing
success of students in our classrooms.
A new era has truly dawned. Principals
no longer bury their heads in the sand and
blame teachers for students’ failure. We
are experiencing a spirit of collaboration
among all stakeholders. A marriage has
been created between responsibility and
accountability. Our students’ success
matters: tout moun batjé — All on Board.
The introduction of CPEA has put some
teachers on edge, but they realise that if we
are to adequately prepare all our students
for the global stage, then nothing must
detour our efforts. The old proverb, “Where
there’s a will, there’s a way”, must resonate
in our minds. I am totally convinced that
all children can learn and will learn, but the
secret to this level of achievement lies in the
strategies used to actively engage students
in their learning process. To inadequately
provide learning opportunities for students
is to remove a rung from the ladder of
achievement. This uncaring action will only
result in our students spiralling downwards.
One of the most striking requirements
of CPEA is continuous assessment —
identifying the diverse strengths and needs
of students and teachers’ expertise to teach
effectively, so as to connect assessment to
curriculum and instructions. Continuous
assessment positions teachers to take
ownership of the various strategies used
in the classroom to pursue meaningful
learning. Students, too, are expected to
take greater ownership, as they reflect
on their work. The reality is that a visible
fire is burning. Teaching and learning are
interwoven. The stage is set for us to
recognise relationships and correlations
among the four areas of literacy.
I am thrilled as a principal to see the
excitement painted on the faces of the
students. The classroom experience
promotes cooperation, collaboration,
responsibility, trust, hope, accountability,
creativity, innovation, confidence, honest
open communication, research, critical
thinking, problem-solving, pride and
leadership skills. Students’ engagement
in keeping a portfolio has assisted them in
developing organizational skills. The SBA
project has taught them research skills. The
thought of primary school-age students
conducting research is incredible.
The opportunities provided for reading
and writing have escalated beyond measure.
Young authors have emerged and our
students are maturing to become excellent
leaders. As Leeter (1993) puts it “[w]e should
be aiming to help children become caring
adults, builders of communities, sharers of
learning, lovers of the printed word, citizens
of the world and nurturers of nations”, and
this is what CPEA is seeking to do.
CPEA is the result of forward thinking, a
touch of hope for the success of Caribbean
students. I’m loving it!
Cheryl
Bermabe-Bishop
is the principal
of Beacon
Learning Centre.
GRENADA CPEA & SBA EXPERIENCE

SBA Marries Fundamentals
with Real-World ScenariosBy Joshua Francis
each chapter culminate in a lab. Sprinkled
throughout this entire process were many
memorable and joyful moments such as:
my success in making a cheese soufflé and
my astounding failure to prepare deep fried
ice-cream.
This process, while fun, was not without
its challenges, as no one enjoyed the
added pressure of juggling the execution
and documentation of these demanding
projects simultaneously. What soon arose
was a battle between quality and quantity,
as some struggled to attain the strict word
limit, while others believed the word limit
was very restricting. However, from this
conflict we learnt how to economise our
words and present clear, concise exposition.
SBAs are CSEC’s greatest and most
turbulent relationship. They work in tandem
with the examination and can be the
difference between a Grade I and a Grade
II. With this etched into our minds, we had
to traverse this leg of the CSEC journey with
much caution. But what at first seemed like
a daunting task soon became a fun, creative
and practical exercise.
Having completed my SBAs, I am left
with my personal critique of the process on
a whole, highlighting many experiences and
also drawing attention to areas of concern
within, just a few, of the subjects I did.
Visual Arts was an important expressive
outlet which though its rigorous series of six
SBAs, in addition to the Reflective Journal,
was by far the most time-consuming, yet
fulfilling subject SBA. A personal dedication
of hundreds of hours towards these SBAs
has resulted in an exponential progression
in the quality of my work. The more time
dedicated toward my art resulted in higher
quality work; conversely, this made it difficult
to balance with other SBAs. A series of all-
nighters were employed to complete them,
a lesson in perseverance. If I can make one
recommendation, it would be that SBAs
should be completed before the final stretch
begins.
Food, Nutrition and Health which labs
were quite literally 50 per cent determination
and 50 per cent perspiration; within the
gruelling heat of the kitchen, hydration
was key. The class learned not only from
the practical itself, but through the many
mistakes we made as well. Each lab was
a different learning experience and under
the guidance of our instructor, we learned
how to cope with momentary failure and
rectify mistakes made. I must applaud how
effective having the lessons learned in
Another one of our challenges was with
our old friend, procrastination, who had
to be unfriended before any work could
commence. But by and large, it helped us
discover what our priorities were.
Another such problem was the financial
strain some labs and SBAs placed on
families, such as the cost of art supplies and
groceries for FNH practical.
SBAs, for the most part successfully
marred the fundamentals taught in class
with real-world scenarios. This has imbued
us with stellar work ethic, punctuality and
perseverance.
Joshua Francis is a student of Presentation
Brothers College, Grenada.
SCHOOL-BASED
ASSESSMENT

NEWS
CXC embarked on its journey with
E-testing in January 2017 with the Paper 1 or
Multiple Choice Component only. In this first
iteration, seven territories, 12 subjects and
approximately 600 candidates registered
to write the e-tests. It should be noted that
E-testing did not, however, only begin in
January 2017. E-testing commenced with
the pretesting activities in April of 2016
with proof of concept activities and then
in November 2016, a suite of subjects was
tested across all territories. Those territories
attempting the E-testing at the January
2017 sitting were specifically invited to be a
part of the pretesting. Further to this, CXC
conducted vigorous testing and training in
December 2016 for the various supervisors
and invigilators who would be utilizing the
system.
As 3 January 2017 arrived, all of the
Helpdesk team were on hand in the specially
outfitted command centre set up for the
activity to answer and resolve any queries
that arose. Over the ten days of testing,
various challenges were encountered. The
main ones were: log-in issues, submission of
candidates’ work, power outages, Internet
connectivity, and installation of Secure Exam
Browser.
Based on lessons learnt from the
January 2017 sitting, CXC took note of all
the experiences and embarked on updated
hands-on training for all territories coming
on board for the June 2017 e-testing
session. In June 2017, entries for e-testing
increased with the inclusion of e-testing for
CAPE and CCSLC. These numbers included
the following: CAPE – eight territories, 31
subjects, 3,847 candidates; CSEC – seven
territories, 31 subjects, 7,021 candidates;
CCSLC – four territories, six subjects, 785
candidates. Testing in June ran relatively
smoothly. Some of the territories that were
doing e-testing for the first time experienced
challenges similar to those in the January
sitting, but these were resolved quickly due
to the lessons learnt in the previous iteration.
CXCnotedthecommonalityinchallenges
experience at both sittings, however, despite
those challenges, territories are generally
very pleased with their experience at
administering the tests electronically. In
some cases, as it relates to bandwidth,
the territories opted to work with those
parameters that suited them best taking
into consideration, limited infrastructure and
bandwidth and scheduled two sessions for
all their examinations.
In terms of lessons learnt and planning
ahead, the following measures have been
put in place:
• Providing log-in credentials well in
advance for candidates.
• Repeated training of Invigilators and
testing of centres, which will be crucial
to the success of the e-testing activity.
• Ensuring that all Participating Countries
are aware that testing and training are
available any time it is required.
• Advising on the need for adequate
bandwidth and back-up power supply
within the various territories.
• Ensuring that through training and
communication, compliance with
all computer requirements and the
upgraded protocols with respect to the
security of examinations are understood
by new Invigilators.
• Disseminating all information in a timely
manner to facilitate the preparation of
territories for the upcoming examinations
with timely feedback and engagement.
Overall, CXC is pleased with the progress
of e-testing and looks forward to the third
iteration in January 2018, when again CXC
will seek to engage the region on this most
important initiative.
Stephen Savoury is Director of Operations at CXC.
Paula Nicholls is Administrative Assistant in the
Examinations Administration and Security Division
at CXC. Please use the link below to view Region Talk
on UWITV on e-testing with Stephen and Paula as
guests: https://www.uwitv.org/prog/region-talk-cxc-
electronic-testing-interview?channel=region-talk
Some of the territories
that were doing
e-testing for the first time
experienced challenges
similar to those in the
January sitting, but these
were resolved quickly
due to the lessons learnt
in the previous iteration.
E-TESTING
- The CXC ExperienceBy Stephen Savoury and Paula Nicholls

NEWS

The Caribbean Examinations
Council (CXC) launched its first
mobile app called CXC Connect
in July 2017. CXC Connect was
designed to improve stakeholder
satisfaction by enhancing
communication between CXC
and its stakeholders. At the time
of writing, the app had recorded
over 35,000 installs.
Understanding that our
stakeholders are virtually attached to
their mobile phones 24/7 and knowing that
they have an insatiable appetite for accurate
and timely information, is there to continue to engage
our stakeholders than to provide access to information
and support on their platform of choice.
Mobile engagement has increased and CXC needs
to respond appropriately. Annually, CXC reaches in
excess of 5.5 million stakeholders online. Research has
shown that approximately 60 per cent of this traffic is via
mobile and tablet, this is up from 30 per cent two years
prior. Stakeholders can now download the app on the
Apple Store or the Google Play Store.
CXC Connect has five main features. The home
screen of the app is a newsfeed that pulls content from
the corporate website and social media. Users can
share the items on the newsfeed with friends and family
on Facebook, WhatsApp, and e-mail. There is a library
of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) organized into
categories. Users of the app can either browse the FAQs
by searching or using the categories.
One of the most widely used features of CXC
Connect is the live chat. This feature allows the app users
to initiate a conversation in real time with CXC. Users can
attach documents, screenshots or send a voice note just
as they would on WhatsApp. At the time of writing, over
two thousand conversations were conducted.
Stakeholders can also keep up to date with CXC
events on the mobile app. They can view the location
and times of the events and add these events to the
native calendar app on their device to ensure that they
do not miss important events.
Students are especially excited
about the ability to check their
examinations results using the
mobile app. For the first time in
2017, students were able to check
their results on their mobile device
using the CXC Connect app.
For everyone, signing up
through Facebook, Google or
their personal e-mail is simple and
straightforward. This provides all app
users with the ability to quickly share
news and details about exciting events
related to CXC across their Facebook status,
Twitter feed, Instagram updates or any of their social
media platforms.
CXC Connect was first publicly launched in
Barbados on 26 July 2017 at Sky Mall, St Michael. At
the official ceremony Honourable Ronald Jones, Minister
of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation,
Barbados gave remarks; Mr Stephen Savoury, CXC’s
Director of Operations, and Mr Gabriel Abed, Co-Founder
of Bitt Inc. Minister Jones delivered the key note address,
in which he congratulated CXC on its launch of the new
app and noted CXC’s progress in incorporating modern
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in
its processes. Gabriel Abed, of Bitt Inc. was the guest
speaker. Mr Ayodele Pompey, Webmaster and architect
of the CXC Connect provided the audience with a
demonstration of the app.
The app was then launched in Guyana on 31 July 2017
at the Giftland Mall, Georgetown. Honourable Nicolette
Henry, Minister of Education in Guyana delivered the
keynote address, while, Ms Jennifer Britton, Deputy
Programme Manager, ICT for Development, CARICOM
was the guest speaker. Stephen Savoury, Director of
Operations at CXC gave remarks and Ayodele Pompey,
CXC Webmaster gave a demonstration of the app.
Both launch events were punctuated with
performances including instrumental, singing, dancing,
steelpan and spoken word.
Ayodele Pompey is the Webmaster at CXC.
CXC® Connect App Promotes Better
Communication with Stakeholders
By Ayodele Pompey

First, I would like to thank the Caribbean
Examinations Council (CXC) for inviting me
to share a few thoughts with you today as
they launch their new app CXC Connect!
If there is any need to explain why
we should all be thrilled to be here this
afternoon, it is surely best told by the people
who have already experienced the work of
the CXC.
We live in a world where knowledge
is exploding. We are smarter than we have
ever been. The Internet is changing the
way we work, socialize, create and share
information around the globe, organize the
flow of people, ideas and things.
The Internet accounted for 21 per cent
of the GDP growth in mature economies
over the past five years and continues to
bring economic benefit to these economies.
During that same time, we went from a few
thousand students accessing Facebook to
more than 800 million users around the
world, including many leading companies,
firms and government agencies, which
regularly update their pages and share
content.
CXC® CONNECT APP
Technology Meets Education
Speech delivered by Ms Jennifer Britton, Deputy Programme Manager,
ICT for Development, CARICOM, at the launch of the CXC Connect App in Guyana on 31 July 2017.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
STEVE JOBS
CXC Connect must not be an app just for the sake
of it. This app is a marketing tool. This app is about
sharing knowledge and information, communicating
efficiently, building learning communities and creating
a culture of professionalism across governments.
NEWS
Jennifer Britton delivering her address at
the launch of CXC Connect App in Guyana

From all reports, we are still in the early
stages of the transformations the Internet
will unleash and the opportunities it will
foster. Many more technological innovations
and enabling functions such as payment
platforms are likely to emerge, while the
ability to connect many more people and
things and engage them more deeply will
continue to expand exponentially. As a
result, governments, policymakers, and
businesses must continue to embrace the
enormous opportunities the Internet can
create, even as they work to address the
risks to security and privacy the Internet
brings.
This new hive of economic activity
is described sometimes as the Internet,
digital, new or web economy. It has and
will continue to have significant impact on
all the productive sectors (such as tourism,
agriculture, transport) that are important to
us as a region. Perhaps most applicable to
this discussion is education.
The digital economy is also the main
driver for what is being called the second
machine age, the digital revolution, or the
Fourth Industrial Revolution. Other trends
emerging and swirling around us every day
as we try to wrap our minds around the
enormity of the possibilities and challenges
driven by being a part of this digital world
are outlined below.
1. Digital transformation is being driven
by the Internet of Things (IOT). The
future is digital and the devices are
the things; soon we will be;
2. The growing importance of the user
experience. We have to tap into the
users and anticipate their needs.
3. Destroying silos. A focus on breaking
down silos will give innovation more
room to flourish and collaboration
becomes easier.
4. The struggle to determine what
skills and competencies are needed
for tomorrow’s world. Our current
world and the changes coming in the
future require education to prepare
children and other students for a
world of rapid change in technology,
increasing interconnectedness, and
new forms of employment.
5. Changes in at least three notable
domains — technology, work and
complex global challenges —with
major implications for education.
Within each of these domains there is
promise for a better future where the
world is more connected, efficient,
and equal.
6. The fact that Millennials or Generation
Z do not see any distinction between
the digital economy and the regular
economy. To them, they are one and
the same. They shop digitally, get
news digitally, communicate digitally,
and take pictures digitally. As policy-
makers, we have to be propelled by
this and plan accordingly. We have to
be conscious not only about the what
in education but the how.
In the midst of all these trends, it is
evident that apps or applications are the
oxygen of the Internet and the Internet
economy. Imagine if we had these fabulous
bodies, but could not breathe, what would
be the use of our bodies? Mobile apps have
become part and parcel of daily life for
hundreds of millions all over the globe and
we in the Caribean Community (CARICOM)
are in that group.
CXC® Connect App – Technology Meets Education
Honourable Nicolette HenryHonourable Ronald Jones

Many of us here today may recall that
the most popular phrase in the industry a few
years ago (-coined by Apple around 2009
and now trademarked by them) was ‘there’s
an app for that’.
The industry is huge and growing daily,
and there is no end in sight. Today, there
are a staggering five million mobile apps
available — almost equally split between the
Apple and Google environments. These of
course range from the useful to the sublime
— from life- saving, to funny, to ridiculous, to
useless. However, we can all agree that we
are always seeking to find apps which will
enhance our lives, help us save time and
provide a central, accessible repository for
vital information.
CXC Connect is one of those apps. I
can easily see it fitting into all aspects of
my life.
As a parent, it means that I can
access vital information (not least of which
will be grades for examinations). As a
teacher/educator, there is the blessing
of having syllabuses at my fingertips. As
a government/ministry official, the app
helps to demystify the dates and timings of
examinations results, and lessen customer
visits to examinations divisions, etc. As a
lifelong student, the possibilities could be
endless — e-books, links to other essential
sites and apps, e-learning modules and the
list goes on and on.
The name of the app appeals to me; in
fact, it was an ‘aha’ moment for me when I
first saw the name. The word connect just
conjures up linking, associating someone
with something and linked with CXC our
premier education and examinations body
— fantastic!
Connecting is one of the things we do
best as a CARICOM people. Each of us has
experienced the joy of meeting two Trinis
anywhere and instantly being part of a ‘lime’.
Hearing the first beat of a Montano soca or
the first line of a Bob Marley musing and
there is instant connection.
This fabulous and apt location on the
East Coast of Guyana — the Giftland Mall
— is a fitting space for the launch of the
app, as since the opening of its doors it has
been a place for connections — old, young,
infirm, differently abled connect over food,
shopping, movies or a good old-fashioned
‘gaff’.
Connectivity is a critical part of the
fabric that binds us as a Caribbean people.
The World Bank in 2009 used the acronym
ICT – to denote innovate to connect and
transform. Dating apps tell a similar story
— people seeking connections of various
kinds.
CXC interacts with some 10,000
stakeholders across the region. I am
confident that this app will increase that
stakeholder base exponentially. There are
also some three hundred thousand and
counting Internet users in Guyana as of
March 2017.
In 2016, a national survey conducted
in the United Kingdom involving 19,000
children found that nearly 50 per cent of
four to seven-year-old children say they are
using a Smartphone to get online. Sixty-six
per cent of Year-7 pupils and 89 per cent of
Year-10 pupils use a Smartphone, which is
the most popular method of accessing the
Internet; and over 50 per cent of six-year-
olds use a laptop to get online.
Those numbers are instructive and I
urge the CXC to keep them in mind as they
continue to develop the app. Nursery school
children need to be linked more and more
with their possibilities for secondary school
at an earlier age.
It was heartening to find that in
2014/2015 the most searched terms for
NEWS
L to R: Cleveland
Sam, Gabrielle Abed,
Honourable Ronald
Jones, Stephen Savoury

students between ages 13 and 18 were
school and homework. This avenue
provides opportunities for stakeholders in all
CARICOM countries and should be explored
by the CXC Connect.
There are also lessons from Harry
Potter, as CXC continues to develop the
app, to assist students in this process of
greater self-actualization. Academic learning
at Hogwarts is hands-on and applied, and
has conjured new tools to understand and
structure student learning.
CXC has consistently been one of
the regional institutions which pushes the
envelope with regard to linking ICT and
education to provide essential service
products to its customers, launching an early
website and continuing to update the site as
well as providing e-books, e-syllabuses and
most recently e-testing.
I take this opportunity to make a public
service announcement regarding two
important initiatives being undertaken by
the CARICOM Secretariat and which link
strongly with the launch and utility of CXC
Connect. The first is the Single ICT space,
a major transformational project for the
CARICOM region. It will provide and support
the digital layer of the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy (CSME). Apps which
provide and use CARICOM content are of
singular importance to the single ICT space.
The second is the Human Resource
Development (HRD) Strategy 2030. Early
in the discussions on the strategy, the
commissioners shared this conclusion: “That
education is the only guarantee of future
survival and sustainability of our societies
and that the more difficult things become,
the more necessary it is”.
The HRD Strategy recognizes that
education is a sector in major transition and
flux, and is intended to provide the basis for
converged, united action by Member States
on all things to do with human resources
serving all spectrums of people.
If my research holds true, CXC is the
first regional organization to produce an
app. So CXC has emerged as a leader
amongst our regional institutions, blazing
the trail for the rest of us to follow. As two
lines from the CARICOM Song say, “We look
to a brand new horizon. The future now
firmly in our hands”. Game on CXC!
CXC Connect must not be an app just
for the sake of it. This app is a marketing
tool. This app is about sharing knowledge
and information, communicating efficiently,
building learning communities and creating
a culture of professionalism across
governments.
Believe it or not, the most popular non-
game app across several platforms — for the
past year — is NETFLIX. So CXC and every
regional app developer has to view Netflix
as a main competitor — scary, but we are
up to the challenge as Caribbean people.
At the global level, gaming apps
dominate both the Android and iOS (Apple)
markets. Education apps are the second
category for Android and third for the Apple
environment; CXC Connect is therefore in
good company.
Caution and Food for Thought
Forrester Research advises businesses
to design their apps only for their best and
most loyal or frequent customers, because
those are the only ones who will bother to
download, configure and use the application
regularly.
In 2014, the Prime Minister of Grenada
(who has lead responsibility for Science
and Technology including ICT) said the
Caribbean needs to find “practical, tangible
ways within ICT to reach our people in the
early stages of any initiative so as to get them
on board, because if we do not move fast in
enacting ICT to modernize our services, we
will be marginalising our children, based on
where the world is right now”.
This app is a very tangible and real
response to the social, economic and
environmental challenges facing the CXC
and many regional organizations today. These
include being headquarted in one country and
having stakeholders and main clients in 17 or
more territories. There is also the fact that
there will never be enough money to have
offices or people in all the territories and a
real requirement to lessen the carbon footprint
and support green economies by producing
less paper documentation and less travel by
CXC examiners.
This is an example of an electronic
government, specifically an e-government
solution (a government entity or agency
extending its services online). This will extend
efficiency and access beyond the workday
and will put more ‘power’ in the hands of CXC
customers and stakeholders. It also speaks to
transparency and equity across governments,
and will force ministries across the region to
redeploy staff.
We in Guyana have long held fast to the
adage/motto/belief/ethic “buy local, eat local”.
In the context of CARICOM, CXC is a local
institution; this app is a local product. This is a
SMART solution and I am confident it will make
a difference in the education and ICT systems
of the region. We are duty-bound to support
the CXC by downloading the app, using it,
spreading the word and providing feedback.
I also want to leave with you that
technology and education are important
instruments — central to our CARICOM
regional development and progress. The
marriage between the two (as with this app) is
not the next big thing — it is the NOW big thing!
Click the links below to view coverage of the launch
http://guyanatimesgy.com/cxc-launches-1st-interactive-mobile-app/
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/99254/cxc-connect-officially-launched-guyana
http://www.capitolnewsgy.com/2017/07/31/cxc-mobile-app-launched-to-improve-communication-with-stakeholders/
http://gina.gov.gy/cxc-connect-officially-launched-in-guyana-education-sector-to-benefit/
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/99254/cxc-connect-officially-launched-guyana
http://www.rdproductiongy.com/news/guyana-gets-cxc-mobile-app-to-improve-communication-with-stakeholders/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gvdRaJ2S7k
CXC® Connect App – Technology Meets Education

The Caribbean Examinations Council
(CXC) utilizes a range of question types on its
examinations; these include multiple choice
questions, structured questions and essay
questions. These questions are developed
by teachers and other content specialists
who write to specifications agreed with the
Council’s Examinations Development and
Production Division.
In 2018, CXC plans to commission a
new application for the secure authoring
and management of questions which will
be used to build its tests. This application
will facilitate the authoring and validation
of several thousand additional multiple-
choice questions (MCQs) and constructed-
response questions (CRQs), which will be
required to support the provision of papers
for all examinations, and the strategically
planned on-demand testing. Ultimately,
these developments will improve access
to better quality examinations in a timely
manner.
Currently, MCQs are validated mainly by
pre-testing, while CRQs are quality assured
by content specialists who construct and
review questions written by teachers and
other content specialists. Both of these
approaches have limitations which have
restricted the development of the large,
robust item banks that CXC requires to
sustain its long-term testing programme.
Major pre-testing challenges are related to
the following:
(i) sourcing private candidates and
getting school candidates who
are as motivated as they would be
for a live examination from which
scores and certificates derive; these
challenges mainly manifest in poor
attendance and in poor completion
rates on the tests. These factors in
turn depress the resulting question
statistics and distort the conclusions
which are made about the questions’
NEWS
Dr Yolande
Wright is the
Senior Assistant
Registrar –
Examinations
Development
and Production
Division.
LIVE Pre-TestingBy Yolande Wright, PhD
robustness. The distortion is
increased if the pre-test candidates
have not had the opportunity to learn
and master the content that is being
examined.
(ii) cost and logistics of administering
and marking the tests:
Administratively, it is challenging
and costly to secure the questions
during pre-tests. The processing
of the MC pre-test items is largely
automated and not very complex.
However, the marking of constructed
response pre-test items presents a
greater challenge as this requires the
engagement, standardization and
monitoring of markers (teachers) who
are required in a discrete session to
mark at the standards usually utilized
in live sessions for which the stakes
and motivation are higher.
(iii) disruption of school routine:
Scheduling of current pre-tests is
challenging and, from the perspective
of the school, the pre-testing is
disruptive as normal instructional time
is interrupted for the administration
of the tests for which no subsequent
performance reports are provided.
In satisfying its renewed commitment
to utilize robust (pre-tested) questions from
well- maintained question banks, CXC has
explored its options for validating items and
has decided to use a methodology that is
tried and tested and in use by other large
testing systems. This approach is known as
live pre-testing and involves the integration
of pre-test questions on tests of operational
items that count towards certification. The
pre-test items can either be added to the
live test items and testing time be increased,
or, pre-test items can be substituted for
some operational test items and the test
be done in the usual time. CXC proposes
to pilot both approaches in 2018/19 by
substituting pre-test items on one CSEC
MC paper and adding new MC items to one
CAPE paper and proportionately increasing
the testing time. In both cases, no more
than six questions will be added to the MC
papers. The piloting of live pre-testing on
constructed-response papers is planned
for 2019, using similar approaches and the
lessons learned in 2018.
The benefits of live pre-testing
approach include facilitating;
(i) access to well-prepared, motivated
candidates without disrupting
instructional time
(ii) the derivation of robust test statistics
which will allow for better test
construction and more efficient
analysis of candidate achievement
and most importantly
(iii) the provision of superior quality
operational test items to test-takers.
Live pre-testing will commence in
the 2018 May/June examination with
multiple-choice questions. Multiple choice
questions to be pre-tested will be subjected
to the same quality control procedures as
operational items and candidates should
therefore be unable to differentiate between
the two sets of high quality items. Interest
will be in the difficulty of the questions and
the way different groups of candidates
perform on the items.

CSEC Portuguese
The introduction of Portuguese to the
suite of Modern Languages adds another
language, which has the potential to further
connect persons from the English-speaking
Caribbean with persons from the Americas
and further afield. According to the Modern
Languages syllabus, the study of Portuguese
along with Spanish and French provides
“an opportunity for students to develop
an understanding and appreciation of the
cultural and historical context of societies
in the Americas”. Whereas Spanish and
French have been staples of the CXC CSEC
offerings, 2017 marks the first year that
students would have sat examinations in
Portuguese. Sixty-five candidates registered
for the examination. Of these, approximately
79 per cent gained the acceptable grades,
I—III. Candidates’ performance in all profiles:
Profile 1, Listening; Profile 2, Reading;
Profile 3, Speaking and Profile 4, Writing
was commendable. However, performance
on Profile 4, Writing, was below that of the
others.
CAPE - Animation and Game Design
The CAPE Animation and Gaming
syllabus was introduced in September 2016,
with the first examinations being offered in
the 2017 May/June sitting. According to the
syllabus, “Animation and Game Design is a
course of study that focuses on the process
Performance of
CXC® NEW SUBJECTSBy Hamilton Jemmott, PhD
During the 2017 May/June sitting of CXC examinations, several new and revised subjects were
examined for the first time. These New Generation subjects are based on syllabuses that are
designed to contribute to the development of the attributes of the Ideal Caribbean Person
and to develop individuals who can matriculate seamlessly into entry-level occupations in a
wide variety of careers and post-secondary institutions. This article provides a brief glimpse
of the aims, structure and performance of these New Generation subjects in their first sitting.
of creating motion and shape change
illusion as well as the art of applying design
and aesthetics for animation and game
development”. The study of Animation
and Game Design is expected to help
the student facilitate the achievement of
21st Century outcomes such as mastery
of information, media and technology
skills, life and career skills, and learning
and innovation skills, much of which are in
concert with the characteristics of the Ideal
Caribbean Person.
The syllabus in Animation and Game
Design aims to:
1. develop a fundamental understanding
of the principles and practices of
animation and game design;
2. foster an appreciation of the value
of animation and game design to
society;
3. encourage the development of
dynamic, creative, and sustainable
solutions relevant to economic,
educational, cultural and social
contexts;
4. engender critical thinking, leadership
and management with entrepreneurial
skills and competencies necessary for
functioning effectively in the current
as well as future animation and game
design environments; and,
5. facilitate the acquisition of relevant
knowledge, skills and competencies
through authentic learning
experiences, in preparation for a
career in the animation and games
industry.
The subject is organised into two units.
Each unit comprises three modules, each
requiring 50 hours.
Dr Hamilton Jemmott

Approximately 60 per cent of the time is
dedicated to practical work. Given the nature
of the discipline, teamwork is mandatory for
students. Each unit can independently offer
students a comprehensive programme of
study with appropriate balance between
depth and coverage to provide a basis for
further study in this field.
The subject is organized into two units
as follows:
UNIT 1: Fundamentals of Animation
and Game Design
Module 1 Understanding Animation and
Game Design
Module 2 Drawing and Layout
Module 3 Story and Character
Development
UNIT 2 Interactive Design and Game
Development
Module 1 Introduction to Interactive
Design
Module 2 Game Design and
Development
Module 3 Animation for Games
Animation and Game Design is only
the second subject offered fully in an online
environment. One hundred candidates
registered for Unit 1, ninety-five per cent
of the candidates achieved Grades I—V.
For Unit 2, two candidates registered for
the examination, and earned acceptable
grades – II and III. For Unit 1, performance
in Modules 1, 2 and 3 was very encouraging,
with an average of 95 per cent of candidates
achieving Grades A—E across the modules.
CAPE - Financial Services Studies
The CAPE Financial Services Studies
(FSS) syllabus was introduced in September
2016, with the first examinations being
offered in the 2017 May/June sitting.
According to the syllabus, Financial Services
Studies is “a course of study that focuses on
the knowledge and skill sets related to the
provision of economic goods and services
within the finance industry”. It is envisioned
that candidates pursuing Financial Services
Studies would be prepared to “access an
untapped market space and contribute
to the development of more competent
international offshore financial experts in
an area which is poised for high profitable
growth across the Region”. The CAPE
FSS syllabus was designed to provide
the appropriate knowledge, skills and
competencies that are required for further
studies in Financial Services, as well as
for the world of work; to produce citizens
who will be more aware of developmental
challenges in the Caribbean region while
finding solutions that will lead to sustainable
development and economic growth.
The aims of Financial Services Studies
are to:
1. promote an awareness of the
international importance of the
offshore financial services industry;
2. create awareness of the impact of
offshore financial service policies on
the Caribbean;
3. help students understand the impact
of globalisation and the global
offshore financial industry on the
Caribbean;
4. help students understand the value
of the customers and information
systems in the offshore financial
services industry;
5. develop the capacity for critical
thinking, creativity, problem-solving,
leadership and management, positive
cooperative behaviours, emotional
intelligence, entrepreneurial skills and
technological competence through
authentic learning experiences; and,
6. integrate information, communication
and technology (ICT) tools and skills.
Organization of the Subject
The subject is organized into two units
as follows:
UNIT 1 Conceptual Issues in Financial
Services
Module 1 Introduction to Financial
Products and Services
Module 2 Portfolio Management and
Investment
Module 3 Governance, Regulations, and
Ethics
UNIT 2 Customer Value, Information
System, and Financial
Services
Module 1 Offshore Financial Services
Environments
Module 2 Compliance, Legislation and
Statutes
Module 3 Financial Reporting
Eighty-seven candidates registered
for Unit 1, with 71 per cent of the candidates
achieving acceptable grades. No candidate
achieved Grade I. No candidate presented
for Unit 2. For Unit 1, performance in
Modules 1, 2 and 3 was moderate, with
an average of 63 per cent of candidates
achieving acceptable Grades A—E across
the modules. Though the performance
across modules appears to be reasonably
good, the best performance occurred
at Grades C to E. Hence the majority of
candidates earning overall grades between
III—V.
CAPE - Green Engineering
The CAPE Green Engineering syllabus
was introduced in September 2016, with
the first examinations being offered in the
2017 May/June sitting. According to the
syllabus, “Green Engineering is defined as
environmentally conscious attitudes, values,
and principles, combined with science,
technology and innovation directed towards
improving local and global environmental
quality”. Green Engineering students are
taught the design of materials, processes,
systems and devices with the objective of
minimizing overall environmental impact
over the entire life cycle whilst meeting
required performance, economic and
societal constraints.
The aims of Green Engineering are to:
1. enhance students’ awareness of
the broad environmental, social and
economic impact of engineering;
2. create an understanding of how
to incorporate the principles of
sustainability into engineering
practices;
3. promote an understanding of the
principles of Green Engineering and
Industrial Ecology;
NEWS

4. develop an understanding of the
interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary
nature of environmental problems
related to engineering;
5. promote awareness of the global
challenges related to the environment
and the impact of our decisions on
present and future generations;
6. apply the principles of Green
Engineering and Industrial Ecology
to manage and solve environmental
problems related to engineering in
the Caribbean context;
7. apply Scientific, Technological,
Engineering and Mathematical (STEM)
principles to improve the environment
at local, regional and global levels;
8. design solutions to address
environmental problems related to
engineering;
9. develop the capacity for critical
thinking, creativity and innovation,
problem solving, contextual
learning, collaboration, emotional
intelligence, entrepreneurial skills and
technological competence through
authentic learning experiences; and,
10. integrate information, communication
and technological (ICT) tools and
skills.
The subject is organized in two (2) units,
with three modules per unit.
UNIT 1 Introduction to Green
Engineering
Module 1 Concepts and Issues
Module 2 Theoretical Framework of
Green Engineering
Module 3 Green Engineering in Practice
UNIT 2 Application of Green
Engineering Principles
Module 1 Utilization of Sustainable
Materials and Energy
Module 2 Sustainable Designs
Module 3 Green Engineering Solutions
Seventy-four candidates registered
for Unit 1. Eighty per cent of the candidates
achieved Grades I—V, with one candidate
achievingGradeIandnocandidateachieving
Grade II. There were no candidates
registered for Unit 2. For Unit 1, performance
in Modules 1, 2 and 3 was moderate, with
an average of 87 per cent of candidates
achieving acceptable Grades A—E across
the modules. Though the performance
across modules appears to be high, the best
performance occurred between Grades C to
E, hence the majority of candidates earning
overall Grades between III—V.
REVISED SUBJECTS
A number of CSEC subjects were
written in the 2017 May-June sitting that
utilising revised syllabuses with names and
structural changes.
CSEC - Industrial Technology
Industrial Technology consists of a
core section and three options: Option A,
Electrical and Electronic Technology; Option
B, Mechanical Engineering Technology
and Option C, Building and Furniture
Technology. The core focusses on the
following: Fundamentals of Industry, Design
Principles and Processes, and Information
Communication Technology. The revised
syllabus was introduced to the schools in
September 2015, with the first examination
in the 2017 May/June sitting. Several major
revisions were made to the structure of the
syllabus.
Though Option A, Electrical and
Electronic Technology and Option B,
Mechanical Engineering Technology
retained the same names they had prior to
the syllabus revision, Option C, Building and
Furniture Technology is a combination of the
former Construction and Woods options from
the former Building Technology syllabus. In
addition to these changes, the Paper 01
(Multiple Choice) is common to each option
and the questions utilized are based on the
core section of the syllabus. In this regard,
candidates pursuing one or more of the
Industrial Technology options in the same
year need only complete the Paper 01 once.
Another major change is that the School-
Based Assessment (SBA) component for
each option is aligned to selected units from
recognized CVQ occupational standards,
thus allowing candidates to be assessed
for the award of both Technical Proficiency
and for recognition of CVQ competencies.
The aims of Industrial Technology are
to:
1. acquire knowledge of both traditional
and new materials, systems, and
processes related to industry;
2. provide the students with an
opportunity to understand
the interrelationships among
technologies, equipment, processes,
materials and systems related to
industry;
3. develop competencies in the
application of manufacturing
standards, processes, equipment,
materials and tools for entry level
employment (government, private
sector and self) and life-long learning;
4. develop competencies through the
processes of design management
and communication, production
and evaluation associated with
construction and the manufacturing
industries; and,
5. develop innovative and creative
minds equipped for our knowledge
and technology driven society.
Three thousand seven hundred
and twenty-seven candidates registered
for Option A, Electrical and Electronic
Technology, compared with 3,808 in 2015
and 3,954 in 2016. Seventy-four per cent
of the candidates achieved Grades I—III,
which is improved, compared with 2015 and
2016 when 61 and 56 per cent of candidates
achieved acceptable grades respectively.
Performance on Profiles 1 and 2: Knowledge
and Comprehension and Use of Knowledge
was moderate, while performance on Profile
3: Practical Ability was good.
In Option B, Mechanical Engineering
Technology, 2,211 candidates registered for
the subject compared with 2,226 in 2015
and 2,415 in 2016. Seventy-six per cent of
the candidates achieved acceptable Grades
I—III compared with 66 per cent in 2015 and
Performance of CXC® New Subjects

67 per cent in 2016. Performance on Profile
1: Knowledge and Comprehension was
moderate, while performance on Profile 2:
Use of Knowledge was moderate compared
with 2015 and 2016. Performance on Profile
3: Practical Ability was good and compared
favourably with performance in 2015 and
2016.
In Option C, Building and Furniture
Technology, 4,311 candidates registered for
the subject. This is a much lower figure when
the 2015 (4,905) and 2016 (5,053) combined
entries for Construction and Woods are
compared. Eighty-two per cent of the
candidates achieved Grades I—III compared
with 80 per cent in 2015 and 75 per cent in
2016. Performance on Profile 1, Knowledge
and Comprehension was very fair compared
with 2015 and 2016, while performance
on Profile 2, Use of Knowledge, though
moderate, was comparable with 2015 and
2016. Performance on Profile 3, Practical
Ability, though being slightly lower, was
good compared with performance in 2015
and 2016.
Overall, the options in Industrial
Technology performed well for the first
sitting of this significantly revised syllabus.
Of note, however, is that the number of
candidates achieving Grade I was lower
across the options, particularly in Options A
and B. Additionally, in Option A, Electrical
and Electronic Technology and Option
B, Mechanical Engineering Technology,
greater effort is needed to improve
performance in Paper 02 which proved to
be the weakest component in these two
options. Performance in Paper 03 was
exceptional and candidates and teachers
should be commended on the quality of
work produced. Improved performance
in Paper 01, the core, is required in order
to increase the percentage of candidates
earning the higher grades.
CSEC - Home Economics
Home Economics is an interdisciplinary
field of study that comprises three major
options: Family and Resource Management
(formerly Home Economics Management);
Textiles, Clothing and Fashion (formerly
Clothing and Textiles); and Food, Nutrition
and Health (formerly Food and Nutrition).
The revised syllabus was introduced in
September 2015, with first examination in
the 2017 May/June sitting. Several major
revisions were made to the structure of the
syllabus.
The aims of Home Economics are to:
1. develop knowledge, skills and
attitudes that will enable students to
pursue post-secondary studies, future
careers and work associated with
family and resource management,
food, nutrition and health, clothing,
textiles and fashion;
2. develop an understanding of the skills
required for nurturing the growth of
individuals and families and manage
family life for successful living;
3. develop foundational competencies
for the effective management of the
interrelationships among nutritional
needs, healthy lifestyle practices and
the environment;
4. create an awareness of the value of
indigenous resources of the region,
aesthetics, science and technology
competencies in the improvement of
social and economic well-being;
5. provide opportunities for the
development of behaviours for active
involvement in the health and well-
being of the home, community and
workplace;
6. equip students with critical thinking,
design, analysis and problem solving
skills through authentic learning and
experiences.
Five thousand eight hundred and
eighty-four candidates registered for Family
and Resource Management, with 5,626
writing the examination compared with
6,085 in 2015 and 6,240 in 2016. Eighty-
seven per cent of the candidates achieved
acceptable grades, compared with 86
per cent in 2015 and 79 per cent in 2016.
Performance on Profiles 1 and 2, Knowledge
and Use of Knowledge was moderate, while
performance on the Profile 3, Practical Skills
was good.
Two thousand six hundred and forty-
one candidates registered for Textiles,
Clothing and Fashion, compared with 2,546
in 2015 and 2,654 in 2016. Seventy-five per
cent of the candidates achieved acceptable
grades, compared with 81 per cent in 2015
and 70 per cent in 2016. Performance on
Profile 1, Knowledge was fair compared with
2015 and 2016. Performance on Profile 2,
Use of Knowledge was moderate, though
being slightly better than 2016 but lower
than the 2015 performance. Performance
on the Profile 3: Practical Skills was good
and is consistent with performance on this
profile in 2015 and 2016.
Ten thousand four hundred and thirty-
nine candidates registered for Food,
Nutrition and Health, compared with 10,206
in 2015 and 10,962 in 2016. Ninety-one per
cent of the candidates achieved acceptable
Grades I—III, compared with 85 per cent in
2015 and 88 per cent in 2016. Performance
on Profile 1, Knowledge was good which
compares favourably with the 2015 and
2016 performances. On Profile 2, Use of
Knowledge, performance was excellent,
with a significant improvement shown
compared with 2015 and 2016. In terms of
Profile 3, Practical Skills, performance was
excellent and consistent with the 2015 and
2016 performances.
Overall, the performance of the three
subjects that fall under the umbrella of
the revised Home Economics syllabus
was good. Performance on the profiles
has also been good, particularly Profile
1, Knowledge and Profile 3, Practical
Skills. Some additional work is required
to ensure that performance on Profile 2,
Use of Knowledge is improved, particularly
in Family and Resource Management
and Textiles, Clothing and Fashion. It is
noteworthy that for each of the subjects
in the Home Economics cluster, there has
been a decline in the number of candidates
registered over the past few years, therefore
efforts have to be made to ensure that this
decline is arrested.
NEWS

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