The quality of learning achievement depends on the curriculum, teachers, facilities, management, funding and the support services. The quality of learning achievement in the school system is based on its human resource (students, teachers, curriculum specialists/supervisors and policy makers). St. Lucia has recognised that in order to achieve a reasonable level of achievement or learning outcomes, efforts are needed at all stages and level of the education system because the output of one stage is the input of the next.

In keeping with commitments of various agencies, such as, CARICOM, the goals and targets during the period under review, were to:

1. Improve quality of education at all levels;
2. Attain universal secondary education by year 2005;
3. Restructure the Secondary System to be in sync with the rest of the OECS;
4. Emphasise the reconceptualisation of the Secondary School program to include innovation in respect of program, assessment and promotion strategies;

6. Provide support services: computer laboratories;

7. Design and implement programs to build strong linkages between education and work

8. Accelerate the professional development of teachers;
9. Develop a research developmental agenda towards the enhancement of skills in problem solving at the classroom and national levels.

School based assessments, such as, teacher made tests are widely used to assess learning outcomes at the school/ institution level at all stages of the Education system. Those are of two types: subjective (essay questions, open-ended) and objective (multiple choice questions).

Teacher-made tests may be set to:

• measure mastery of the curriculum at the end of a unit of work, a particular theme or project or lesson;
• diagnose learning difficulties;
• identify students who require individual or small group assistance;
• identify students for promotion to the next level of the basic education cycle.

These tests are usually set for the core subject areas: Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

4.3.2 End-of-Term or End - of -School Year Examination

Formal test aim at mastery of a prescribed portion of the curricula maybe administered at the end or towards the end of every school term. Results are often used to inform the school or class instructional program. For instance, based on the term’s examination results, Principals and teachers adjust their school and class activities to provide remediation as necessary while embarking on the work plan for the ensuing term.

The End-of-Year Examination fulfills a similar purpose to the End-of-Term Examination. The latter is primarily an achievement examination used to select students who acquired basic skills in literacy, numeracy and life skills as indicated by a table of specifications for the examination that qualify them to the next level at the primary school.

The Minimum Standards concept was meant to denote knowledge and skills that all students at a particular grade level in the basic education cycle should possess. The need for Minimum Standards testing was recognised since 1989, in order to address the following:

1. The wide disparities existed in student achievement levels among primary and secondary schools.
2. Local and external examinations results which indicate that students were lacking basic competencies.
3. The Ministry needs for the introduction of standards or benchmarks as a means of quality control.
4. The need to raise the level of literacy in the society, particularly now that access to basic education is increasing with the availability of more primary and secondary school places.
5. The need for a greater level of public participation in the education system.

The process of Minimum Standards testing embodies monitoring, assessing, analysing performance results, providing feedback, and taking corrective action. Emphasis is being placed on providing feedback or information that tells how each student, school, district and the nation is performing in the subject areas identified for testing.

Assessment involves comparing each student’s results against specific achievement indicators for major differences, strengths and weaknesses at varying stages: Grade 3, Grade 5, Grade 7 and Form 3. Findings serve as a means of improving teaching and learning in the education system.

Nine years after the concept of Minimum Standards was conceived, the idea came to fruition. The first Minimum Standards was held in April, 1998 for all students of Grade 5 (Standard II). An initiative that materialised after extensive consultation with principals, senior teachers, students, and parents. The Consultation process lasted eighteen months. During that period, participants:

• received a comprehensive explanation of minimum standards testing, including the purpose for it;
• were afforded the opportunity to express their concerns and give feedback on the process.

eedback from the consultations and specific indicators from discussions with Education Officers, Curriculum Officers, principals, teachers and students were used to dovetail the examination to ensure validity.

The Minimum Performance Standards Tests at Grade 3 was administered for the first time, in 1998 as a pilot examination. The test designed as a diagnostic test provided schools with feedback on strengths and weaknesses in literacy and numeracy performance but also provided achievement data at the national level. Students were examined in Mathematics, English Language, and a General Paper that covers Social Studies, General Science, Health Science and Study Skills.

The 1998 Grade Five Minimum Standards Test results reflected that a high percentage of primary school students in the St. Lucia School System perform far below the acceptable standard for students at that grade level. That indicated that the problem of poor performance of students in the school system was much greater than was anticipated. Of the three thousand, three hundred and thirty (3,330) students who wrote the examination, Figure VII illustrates that the percentage performance of students in each of the subject areas was below the criterion level of 60.00%. Mathematics registered the poorest performance with a national average of 33.8%. District averages in each subject area were far below the 60.00% minimum requirements.

FIGURE VII

Table XVIII indicates that of the total number of students who wrote the Minimum Standards test, eighty-three (83) scored within the range of 80-100% in English Language; the highest score attained in the subject was 94.00%. Eight hundred and forty-six (846) students met the criterion level of at least 60.00%. That number represented approximately twenty-five percent (25.00%) of candidates who wrote the examination. About forty-three percent (43.00%) of students who wrote the examination obtained a score of 40 and less. Students’ best performance, however, was English Language.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations, 1998.

Part 1 of the Mathematics Problem Solving paper contained one problem each on money, Time, Basic Operation, Measurement and Fractions. In Part 11, students were expected to study a graph and answer five questions. Table XXII below indicated the number of students scoring zero in the two- part Mathematics Problem Solving paper. Students appeared to score worst on Part 2.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations,1998

Of a total of three thousand, three hundred and thirty students (3330) who sat the Grade Four Minimum Standards Test, it was observed that one thousand, five hundred and thirteen (1513) or forty-five percent (45%) attained a score of zero (0) in the English Comprehension. Three hundred and twenty (320) students or ten percent (10%) attained zero (0) in the Picture Composition.

The performance of students at the 1998 Minimum Standards Test indicates that a large number of students who sat the examination in English have a serious literacy problem meriting investigation. Of the three thousand, three hundred and thirty (3,330) students, one thousand, one hundred and twenty-one (1,121) students scored between 0 and 9 out of a possible 30 marks. Of those numbers three hundred and twenty-six (326) students scored zero (0), two hundred and eighteen (218) scored between 0 and 4 and five hundred and seventy-seven (577) scored between 5 and 9 marks.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations, 1998

The Minimum Standards as a measure of student achievement available at the national, Grades 3 level indicates that achievement was low in literacy and numeracy. The minimum standard was set at 60% overall for both literacy and numeracy.

The overall results showed that just 12% of the pupils achieved the minimum standard or above. Performance in Mathematics was below that of English and performance of girls was significantly higher than boys, a trend that continues through to the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) at the end of the secondary cycle. The table below provides a breakdown by gender and reveals that girls outscored boys in every test.

Source: Education Development Plan (Draft), 1999-2005 and beyond.

There was a clear indication that any programme to raise boys’ achievement would need to start on entry to school and continue through the primary and secondary systems. Therefore, a sound intervention plan must be incorporated into every school work plan at the beginning of the academic year. The scores in the above table could form a baseline from which to set future targets for literacy and numeracy in the education system.

Teachers attributed low performance achievement of students in the primary school system to several factors. The key contributing factors as perceived by teachers that impacted on students’ learning at the primary level included:

• lack of physical space to implement individual special needs programs;
• inability of some teachers to cope with students of varying abilities in the same class;
• most lack expertise in remediation;

• large classes render teachers unable to attend to the needs of low performers.

Notwithstanding the arguments, schools that strive to operate a student-centered programme regardless of their shortcomings, usually achieve better results.

The Common Entrance Examination (CEE), institutionalized in the St. Lucia Education System for over three decades remains the most practical method of selecting students from primary schools, nationwide, to fill the still limited places available at the Secondary Schools. In spite of the obvious effort towards the attainment of universal secondary education by the year 2005, that examination remained a highly selective one. It is the principal mechanism for assessing the effectiveness of the school program at the end of Grade 7 and by extension, the effective functioning of how each school operates.

The Common Entrance Examination results have been used to inform:

• what aspects of the primary school curriculum should be emphasized at what school;
• who should be assigned to teach certain classes;
• groups and individuals who needed special attention and in what areas;
• the methodology that needed to be employed in instruction delivery.

Specifically, the analyses of the CEE for any year provide some direction and guidance in some of the areas that the Ministry of Education in general, and the District Education Officers and principals in particular, should pay attention to in their efforts assisting schools in their improvement efforts. The analysis in addition, points to some possible areas for research. These included:

• Male vs. female student performance;
• Performance of Individuals at the Common Entrance vs. the same individuals at the CXC;
• Performance of private students vs. public students;
• Effectiveness of large schools vs. small schools;
• Performance of rural schools vs. urban schools.

The Common Entrance Examination, over the years, had undergone numerous changes both in terms of content and format. At the earlier stages, the Common Entrance Examination was purely objective and comprised of papers in Arithmetic and English. By 1976, Composition was introduced because it was felt that examiners needed to test the students’ competencies in Essay Writing. Mathematics (Problem Solving and a General Paper were later introduced in that examination.

By 1993, the CEE changed its format (one that remained consistent throughout this decade) and comprised Mathematics A (multiple choice); Mathematics B (Problem Solving); English Language A (multiple choice); English Language B (main Idea and Composition; and a general paper.

The Mathematics Paper A comprised of 50 items. The concepts tested in that paper were: Proportion, measurement and Geometry, Time and Money. The Mathematics B paper for which a total of 50 marks was awarded, consisted of 5 problems to be solved in fifty minutes.

The English Language A paper consisted of 50 items. This paper was made up of Spelling, punctuation, Word Usage, Vocabulary, and Reading exercises. English Language B, for which a total of 50 marks was awarded comprised Main Idea and Composition. Main Idea and composition were allotted 10 and 40 marks, respectively. For the Composition section, students were instructed to write between 150 and 200 words on one of five given topics. These essay topics included Narration, description, Exposition, Imagination and Opinion. For the main idea, students were given a paragraph and ere instructed to write the main idea in one sentence using their own words. Students were expected to complete that paper in 55 minutes.

The General paper contained sixty (60) objective type items, and the subject areas tested in that paper were General Science, Social Studies, health Science and Study Skills.

Mathematics and English language Multiple choice papers were of one hour duration while the General paper was of fifty minutes duration. The entire examination is taken in one day.

Students have two opportunities to take the CEE before the age of 13 and the results are used to assign students to secondary education. Those who fail remain in the senior section of the primary school, or transfer to one of the two Senior Primary Schools, where they have a further chance, at present, of gaining a place in a secondary school via the Common Middle School Examination. The following tables provide a synopsis of CEE results over a five-year period.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations, 1999

The data indicate a slight increase in the percentage of students scoring at the national mean (an arbitrary cut off point). That increase was indicative of a slight improvement in general school performance. However, the Minimum Standards test in 1998 highlighted many areas of concern at the Grade 5, or lower Junior level of the primary school that must be addressed.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations: 1977

For the five year period, the highest mean score in Mathematics (A) multiple Choice was registered in 1997. Also, performance in Mathematics (B) Problem Solving increased in 1997 over 1996. In 1997, Reading and Essay Writing and Summary were two areas in which performance declined. Performance in Reading had been declining from 1994 but the lowest mean since 1993, was experienced in 1997.

The Common Middle School Examination(CMSE) started two decades ago. It is taken by students who fail the Common Entrance Examination and had to continue their education at the All-Age Primary Schools and those who were transferred to the two Senior Primary Schools. Those students had a small but further opportunity to enter secondary education via that examination. Students who succeed the examination enter secondary schools in Form 3. Overall performance by schools usually vary considerably with the two Senior Primary Schools obtaining 59% of the 450 places available in 1997.

That examination should end in 1999 and would be replaced in the short term for selection purposes by performance in the Standard Six School Leaving Examination. That too should be phased out as Universal Secondary Education is achieved and there is free flow from primary to secondary education.

The CMSC examination was made up of two segments. The first consisted of English Comprehension/Composition and Mathematics Problem Solving. The second segment comprises multiple choice items, encompassing the five subject areas of English, Mathematics, Social Studies, General Science and Study Skills. Table XXVII gives an indication of the performance of candidates on the Common Middle School Examination over a two year period.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations, 1997

The Standard Six School Leaving Examination is taken by students at the end of their primary education. It is a single subject examination and the first to have been instituted in the St. Lucia Education System to measure achievement outcomes. The table below presents the percentage passes in the seven subjects offered at the Standard Six Certificate Examination for the years 1993 to 1997.

Source: Office of the Registrar of Examinations: 1997

The 1997 best performances were registered in Social studies (50.7%) and English language (49.9%). While performance in Health Science was over 50% from 1993 to 1996, there was a significant decrease in performance in 1997. Performances in Mathematics and General Science also declined. Worth noting, was the marked improvement in Agricultural Science. In 1997, an overall 24% pass rate was registered.

Primary Schools follow a national curriculum which is currently under review by the OECS Education Reform Unit and the Ministry of Education Curriculum and Materials Development Unit. The curriculum comprises four core subjects: English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Other subjects are Religious Education, Music, Physical Education, Art and Craft, home Economics and Agricultural Science. The teaching of French in primary Schools is being piloted.

Curriculum development is undertaken by the Curriculum and Materials Development Unit (CAMDU) and is responsible for selecting and or designing teaching materials as well as co-ordinating curriculum reform. The Unit currently has fourteen (14) specialists, some of whom are engaged in revising the core curriculum to capture the latest trends in educational developments. The new curriculum is will be piloted in 1999 and implemented in all schools from September 2000.

Teachers are provided with guides for the current curriculum and students could obtain workbooks that supplement those guides on the book market. The Curriculum Guide is structured as follows:

• Objectives
• Content
• Learning outcomes

• Activities

Parents currently provide textbooks. The Government of Saint Lucia also supplies texts at no cost to needy children. Parents perceive textbooks as a priority and try their best to provide their children with the required quota.

Available data on student achievement levels point to the need for improved performance throughout the primary school. It is anticipated that in keeping with the thrust of the Ministry of Education restructuring efforts, the OECS Education Reform Strategy and the CARICOM Human Resource Development 2000 Strategy, the developmental goals and targets towards improved student performance for the year 1999-2005 and beyond would be:

• screen of all children on entry for hearing, sight and speech disorders, and nutrition levels;

• diagnose and develop literacy skills;
• diagnose and development numeracy skills;
• provide support services to address specific needs;
• develop procedures for continuous assessment of students and programs.

Some Schools initiated School Development Plans. It is now a requirement that all primary and secondary schools to develop Improvement Plans to be implemented in the new school year 1999-2000.

Assessment is not included in the current curriculum in use in primary schools. Consideration would be given to that dimension as a vital element in the national assessment process. The changing focus from teacher centered to learner centered classrooms require that Curriculum Officers among other personnel directly involved in curriculum development and implementation be trained in order to offer differentiated activities, and individualised learning.

The Ministry of Education signals its intention to introduce Information Technology in all sub-sectors within the period 1999-2005. The millennium project should implement wide spread computer technology throughout the primary and secondary school system as both a tool for learning across the curriculum and also to provide computer literacy.