The Barbados National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations has backed the postponement of continuous assessment for secondary school placement, saying the extra time should ensure teachers, schools, parents, and students are ready for the new model.
“Our message is simple: we support the transformation, but we must make sure that the transformation is ready for our children,” the BNCPTA said in a statement.
“The BNCPTA supports the government’s broader education transformation agenda and recognizes the importance of moving towards a more holistic and equitable approach to assessing our children. However, transformation of this magnitude must be implemented when the system is ready.”
The council noted that, after engaging and listening to parents, teachers and other interested parties, the ministry determined it needed more time to “properly” implement this aspect of transitioning the nation’s children from primary to secondary schools.
The BNCPTA said it supported the decision because it was child-centered and prudent.
“The BNCPTA views the additional time not as a retreat from reform, but as an opportunity to get the implementation right. We are saying that readiness must come before implementation. The time should be used to prepare teachers, schools, parents and students; to pilot the system; strengthen the assessment and moderation processes; and address any gaps before our children are placed into the new system.”
The council said adequate preparation was essential to ensuring the new system was fair, transparent and capable of delivering the intended outcomes of the education transformation program.
“We also believe that parents must remain active partners in this process. Families need clear information about what the new assessment model will mean for their children, while teachers and schools need the appropriate training, resources and systems to implement it effectively.
“The BNCPTA therefore encourages the ministry to use this period purposefully to continue stakeholder engagement, strengthen implementation arrangements and ensure that schools, educators, parents and students are adequately prepared for the eventual transition,” the statement suggested.
The parents and teachers’ representative body said it remained committed to constructive partnership with the Ministry of Education Transformation, educators, students, parents and other interested parties as Barbados continued work to build an education system that was equitable, relevant, inclusive and responsive to the needs of every child.
On Friday, Minister Chad Blackman announced the postponement of continuous assessment for secondary school placement after parents and other interested parties raised concerns about the ministry’s planned rollout.
Students entering Class Three this school year will no longer be the first cohort to participate in the two-year pre-secondary course, initially announced earlier this year, as education authorities move to end placement through the high-stakes, one-shot Common Entrance Examination.
Instead, the transition to the new placement model has been postponed. While continuous assessment will become part of primary school teaching and learning this academic year, it will not be used for secondary school placement, Blackman said in a ministerial statement.
More than 400 parents and guardians signed a petition requesting that the revised curriculum and assessment framework begin with students entering Class One.
According to a letter from the group, the change “would allow for a phased implementation, providing sufficient time for teachers, education officers, schools and the ministry to prepare for the changes, refine implementation processes, provide training and support, and ensure that the necessary systems are operating effectively before the assessment becomes high stakes”.
The ministerial statement said the ministry had listened to concerns raised by parents, teachers, and other interested parties.
(EJ)
The post BNCPTA supports delay in new secondary school placement model appeared first on Barbados Today.
