Young people who struggle with learning and educational challenges now have a dedicated resource designed to support their development, as the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill launched its new Educational and Psychological Assessment Unit (EPAU).
The unit aims to provide a clear pathway from classroom concerns to a deeper understanding of students’ learning strengths and needs.
Erin Mahon, EPAU coordinator, told Barbados TODAY that the unit primarily supports primary and secondary school students who may have learning gaps.
“The main people that the unit has been set up for are our students, so children and adolescents from nursery right the way up to, for the most part, the end of secondary school,” she said.
Mahon also explained that the unit hopes to extend its services to university students.
“Ideally, we would like to expand into being able to do assessments with adults, particularly because we want to be able to serve the university. Right now, if a university student is having difficulty with learning or accessing education, they go to student services and are outsourced to a private psychologist. The organisation would like student services to be able to send students to us for assessments.”
The EPAU was established in a retrofitted facility at the Cave Hill campus with $200 000 in start-up funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
The unit will primarily serve the Ministry of Education through a referral system but will also work directly with schools and families, Mahon said.
“We’re more than just providing psychoeducational assessments,” she said. “Where full assessments aren’t necessary, we also offer screening and consultation for individuals and groups.”
As part of a school improvement project, the unit is conducting literacy and maths screenings across multiple first form classes to identify students who may need further assessment.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean the school knows what to do with that information, so we help them make sense of the reports and implement the recommendations,” Mahon explained.
The EPAU’s assessments are culturally grounded in the Caribbean context, she added. “It’s very important for the assessments that we’re doing to be culturally grounded — for them to be interpreted within the cultural and linguistic context of our learners, and for whatever recommendations we make to be realistic for small island developing states.”
The Ministry of Educational Transformation welcomed the new unit as part of a broader strategy to support students across the nation.
Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer Bradshaw, speaking at the launch, said the EPAU aligns with the ministry’s Every Child Barbados initiative and strengthens assessment capacity.
“The ministry services are always in high demand, and the need for psychosocial support continues,” said Dr Bradshaw. “This educational psychological assessment unit will offer critical support where our systems are most stretched. Even with an expansion of our student support services from 12 to over 40 over the past six years, there is still a need to reach more children, particularly vulnerable students.”
Dr Bradshaw emphasised the importance of a referral system to avoid duplication.
She said: “As the Ministry of Educational Transformation, we already have a referral system, expanded from one senior psychologist to now four psychologists. With EPAU on board, we will refine the system to make sure all our children are catered to.”
The EPAU will also provide workshops and training for teachers and principals, helping them interpret assessment reports and support students with learning difficulties.
“You can’t assess everybody, but we can provide teachers with tools and skills to help learners who might be struggling in the meantime,” Mahon said.
The unit has partnered with specialists including Jamelle Roberts, a speech and language pathologist, and Tanisha Morris, an early childhood specialist, to support communication skills and early learning.
“Jamelle will help us assist learners with communication-related concerns, and Tanisha is setting up early childhood learning centres,” Mahon explained.
Dr Bradshaw noted that building a strong assessment system is essential for students’ academic success and psychological well-being.
“It’s necessary to build a system where students are prepared for the now and the future. We speak about passing exams and earning degrees, but we also need to ensure our children are psychologically well. This unit will play an important role in making that happen.”
The education chief stressed the need to fill capacity gaps for students requiring assessments.
“The resources available to help learners who need to be assessed are limited. There aren’t enough people to assess them, and that’s the main goal of this unit.”
The post New UWI unit to boost learning support for struggling students appeared first on Barbados Today.