Minister of Education Announce Changes to End of Year National Assessment

Basseterre: St. Kitts, May 13, 2021: In an address to the nation on May 14, 2021, Minister of Education, Honourable Jonel Powell, announced that their will be no test of standards in 2021, however, schools will be responsible for designing their own assessments.

“There will be no Test of Standards for the primary schools this year. All primary schools will be responsible for the development and implementation of their End of Year Assessment under the guidance and support of the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU)”, he said.

Minister Powell also explained that the same method of placement used for students transitioned from primary to the secondary schools last year would be used for the placement of children who will enter high school in the 2021-2022 school year.

“The approach that will be used will involve the review of student’s academic record for grade five and the existing grade six record for the current school year. In addition to this, there will be a process of consultation between grade six teachers and secondary schools to allow for complete review of students’ performance”, he said.

The Curriculum Development Unit will still be responsible for providing secondary schools with Common Examinations for first to third form students. 

“At the secondary level, the Common Examinations which are developed by the CDU will be done. Secondary school students in forms one to three will sit the end of year common examinations in the following areas: Communication Studies, Mathematics and Integrated Science. These examinations will be administered during the period of May 27, 2021 to June 18, 2021,” noted Minister Powell.

Minister Powell encouraged students to maximise their efforts in order to produce results they would be pleased with.