School leaver exam results drop from peak
(CNS): A data report released by the education ministry reflects a decline in external exam results of Year 11 students at government schools over the last three years, with standards in mathematics dropping back to 2017 levels in 2022, despite the significant investment that has been made in public education.
The report shows that at the end of Year 6, only 43% of girls reached the expected standard in maths, while boys struggled more with reading and writing. Only 27% of all students at Key Stage 2, when they leave primary school, had reached the expected standards in all three core subjects of reading, writing and maths.
Department of Education Services (DES) Director Mark Ray pointed out that more than half the Year 6 cohort reached or exceeded the expected level in grammar, punctuation and spelling (GAPS). However, only 46% of students demonstrated proficiency in writing, and just 42% reached the expected level in mathematics or reading. Only 1% of Year 6 students exceeded the expected standard in reading.
Just over half of Year 11 students (54.5%) passed at least five Level 2 passes at Grades 1, 2 or 3, but only 155 (37.5%) achieved the expected standard of five passes at L2 when this included English and mathematics. However, of those high achievers, most of them (136 students or about one-third of the entire cohort) passed seven or more exams at L2, including maths and English.
A comparison graph of Year 11 achievements over the past seven years shows little or no overall improvement in most indicators, with the notable exceptions of the high achievers (those passing seven or more subjects at L2, with and without maths and English) and entire cohort passes in science, which is now about two-thirds. However, even allowing that 2020, the year of the COVID pandemic, may have been an outlier, gains made in 2018 and 2019 appear to have disappeared, and results have dropped back to 2016/2017 levels.
Ray stressed the need for schools to improve to ensure that some less capable students are not left behind. “We have used information gleaned from the data report, school improvement plans and other reports on school and student progress to determine the action plans for schools and are working on collating the action plans into a cohesive document to guide the next steps,” he said.
Opposition spokesperson for education, Barbara Conolly, said she was concerned that the pace of improvement in Cayman’s public schools has begun to slow and has been particularly concerned about the poor maths standards. She recently asked a number of questions in parliament about what the minister was doing to support improvement.
The report shows that the number of Year 11 students achieving Level 2 in mathematics slipped at least three percentage points from 2021 to 2022. “As I have repeatedly warned, the low attainment rate in mathematics is holding back the level of achievement of the national standard of five Level 2 subjects, including English and mathematics,” Conolly said in a release from the PPM.
“It was obvious to me from last year’s data what the problem was. It is only now that the ministry draws the same conclusion,” she said. “As a country, we must take action to raise levels of attainment in mathematics. I have consistently urged the minister to devise and implement a new national strategy for mathematics. She has told me that the action being taken by the ministry is sufficient. The ministry’s own data now tells us otherwise.”
In parliament last week, Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said specialist maths teachers were being introduced at the primary level.
“This is welcome, but it is not enough,” Conolly said. “What about our students now in Cayman’s high schools who will take their exams over the next few years? Are they to be left without the support they need to succeed? There can be no more excuses. With every delay we risk failing another cohort of Caymanian students. Now is the time for the minister to act.”
See the full report in the CNS Library.
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Category: Education, Local News
But they score high on bible knowledge.
Remove the mandatory religious part of public schools .
that’s why Montessori and CIS score so high .
We, as athiest parents, can not afford these secular schools.
We now have to deal with the dilemma of our children being indoctrinated by a fundamentalist christian public education system.
Children need to have a choice, which they are capable of, when they reach the age of reasoning.
A 4 year old will believe anything an adult says, simply a natural surviving mechanism.
These christian child molesters, or any other belief system, take advantage of that vulnerability.
It is disgusting.
Are we in fuc.ing afganistan ?
I wonder what the useless minister of youth, culture and heritage has to say about the s*it stain these grades are leaving on our reputation as a country and a people, not to mention the risks these kids present to their own future and that of the country. Not to worry, it’s a rhetorical question, Bernie.
He will not give them a five cent.
When will we hold parents accountable for their kids’ educational success? Failing in school ought to be akin to child neglect and parents should be prosecuted as such.
Not when the curriculum is designed by people who don’t know and better and taught by people without access to the most up to date knowledge and resources, not to mention when the education ministry is led by someone who shows up to work at most 2x per month.
You don’t need the “most up to date knowledge and resources” to teach basic literacy and numeracy. You need parents who care and teachers who aren’t there solely for the paycheck.
When? Never! Never in a history of human existence were parents held responsible for their children’ “educational success”, because it is absolute nonsense.
It’s not schools, it’s parents. Cayman school receive far more money than even the richest countries in the world. See previous discussion about this: https://caymannewsservice.com/2023/04/lawyer-urges-govt-not-to-stop-pr-process/comment-page-1/#comment-590220
In summary,:
– Unsuccessful children are the way they are because of low calibre parents (often including absent fathers). Parents should be in a stable, married relationship, children must be actively supported, they must be infused with a disciplined attitude to education, and they must refrain from crime.
– How *do* societies prevent multigenerational failure? One simple solution: stop breeding out of wedlock. We know that kids raised outside of stables marriages perform appallingly. Successful societies are those with powerful disincentives to unmarried reproduction.
Religious BS.
It has nothing to do with religion. Countless studies show over and over and over again that children from a stable home vastly outperform those from chaotic, usually single parent homes. Of course there exceptions but the truth of what Realist is saying is plain as day for anyone with eyes. Alternatively produce just one single study showing children from single/multiple partner households outperform or even equal those from stable married families.
Leaders that are employed on the basis of religion, family, nationality, sexual relationships and/or political affiliation leads to very poor decision making and total incompetence.
Basic numeracy below 60% was the peak? Wow. For the second best funded education system on the planet that is utterly dire. Sounds like a big axe needs to swing through the Department of Education.
I wonder how much Ganga, etc have affected students….??
If I didn’t smoke weed in university I would’ve jumped from my 10 story apartment building’s balcony from the stress, and I mean that.
Here I am, a medical cannabis card holder with a Master’s degree working back home in Cayman as a civil servant.
It’s not the plant, it’s the user. Alcohol kills many on our roads, while cannabis cannot be overdosed on.
You’re an idiot. Regular ganja use CAUSES anxiety and depression! Besides you’re not doing your masters degree now you’re in the CS so what’s your excuse now. I’d have more respect if you just admitted you enjoy it. No wonder dealing with CIG is so painfully slow.
Are you a doctor? I’m prescribed cannabis to TREAT those symptoms, idiot! My yearly performance reviews are above average also.
Go smoke ya tobacco cigarette with your blind eyes.
That’s funny. Dealing with CIG is very much like dealing with someone baked out their tree.
Following your logic, we can conclude that the private sector must definitely be coked out of their noses since they operate SOO much better than CIG.
Unna “devil’s lettuce” old farts make a medically prescribed plant out to be crack while ignoring the fact that I can take smoke breaks to go puff tobacco on gov time, and no one is mentioning all the lunch time margaritas the dartbots enjoy in camana bay.
But yea, I should go take over the counter sleeping tablets that gives me vivid nightmares instead of taking the medical herb a doctor gave me for insomnia that works fine for me just because you don’t like it. Idiots!
What? What a fine advert for the civil service you are.
Your childish response proves the point.
Proof positive.
Correct. Published four days ago, a new high quality study confirmed what has been bl–dy obvious for a while – new genetically modified super strong cannabis is causing incurable mental health conditions in young men who habitually smoke weed:
“Association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia stronger in young males than in females”, Psychol Med, 4 May 2023;1-7. doi: 10.1017/S0033291723000880, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37140715/
A poor interpretation of the study. Try actually reading it. And research unbiased studies not funded by right wing high school drop-outs. Oh wait, my bad, you are probably one of the geniuses that repeatedly elects a Minister who didn’t finish High School.
First day in the job as teacher in Cayman high school – a year 10 asked me the time – I pointed to the clock on the wall – she didn’t know how to read it. Yes you did read the correctly.
I do not blame the children. In the school I knew of and/or experienced – management found sleeping in their offices, sexual harassment by male staff, teachers grooming and abusing students, social workers turning a blind eye to child abuse when reported, bullying, gaslighting, animal abuse, teachers selling merchandise to students on the side, rife homophobia even amongst pastoral departments, zero interest in actual welfare of kids, absolutely crazy stuff – awful place. Staff only there for the money.
I appreciate your incite and comments, but I will sadly add: Your sentence structure, spelling, basic grammar is also sub-par; especially for a High School Teacher. I do not point out this fact to demean you or the context of your observations, just to indicate that it is another indication of how poor the Cayman education system is.
LOL. Incite. I take it you graduated from Harvyard.
“Harvard”
I believe it’s called sarcasm.
That’s OK. He/she/it/they/them didn’t actually refute the context, just one word. I’m good, my point was proved.
The only point you made successfully is that you are arrogant, pompous and not nearly as bright as you think you are. Good post. Point well made.
Insight
*insight
Hit a nerve? It’s ‘insight’ by the way.
..and THAT is what you get from that comment? wow
Ditto
5:41 smack on!
The negative comments are a chuckle. Guess folks don’t want to look in the mirror. Poor education of the basics is NOT a good foundation for a High School teacher, but hey – they got me for a spell-corrected word. The got me, they ‘Got the Tater’…
After reading this comment 5 times I still don’t understand it
Not surprising.
Are you sure you’re a teacher?
World-Class school buildings (and facilities), World-Class delays, world-class opening ceremonies, WORLD-CLASS budgets…….!! + World-Class decline in education standards which were already world-class low = World-Class Disgrace!!
This is Cayman. Blame the electorate. Elect clowns, wait for the circus – Oh, it is here! Enjoy the show for those you elected. Looking in the mirror for those to blame must be awful.
When you have amateur exorcists running schools, what can you expect? Reap what you sow.
Truth.
How many MP’s send their kids to public schools?
The inspectors paid by CIG to inspect and publish the inspections seem to love government schools.
The ministry of education wants to open and run their own preschool and they also want government to offer preschool to 3 year olds in addition to the 4 year olds they have now.
What could possibly go wrong here? Is this a prudent use of funds or woukd they do better and save lots of money by offering the parents $1,000 monthly vouchers?
The same inspectors telling schools to stop wasting their time singing the National Song?
I am a teacher in a government high school. Most of the competent (English qualified) teachers are leaving because they can only cope with so much of the nonsense that comes down from DES before they lose their minds.
All are being replaced by Jamaicans. In fact the job vacancies were only advertised in the Caribbean (despite the roles involving teaching BTEC – an English governing body qualification). Interestingly, every person who has been employed within the last two years has been a 7th day adventist – clearly that is the most important qualification, not standard of teaching
Handy for exorcisms.
There used to be a much higher percentage of UK teachers. They don’t stay around because the system sucks, incompetents get promoted way above their ability level, and there’s a lack of effective support for some of the most needy, or extreme, children.
the same is happening in the US. Also, children are unmanageable today. Who in the world wants to be a nurse or a teacher today. Societal breakdown is coming.
I see things have deteriorated even further – some the things I witnessed and/or experienced in Cayman Public School – sexual predator teachers getting reinstated and promoted, dangerous buildings, high staff absenteeism, sexual harassment, homophobic counsellor, bullying, gaslighting, social services turning blind eye to child sexual abuse, the list goes on. Zero regard for the kids.
Maybe a few names and more details would help…?
This is what Roy (Bodden) and Truman wanted. Can’t say they weren’t warned.
Care to elaborate?
Sure, since you’re new. They wanted us to be more Caribbean.
Here we are.
“since you’re new here”
Fam i am born and bred caymanian. i was asking for more information in addition to the vague comment so I could understand where the commenter was coming from. no need to get snarky.
That said, your “elaboration” didn’t provide any information either. Why did you waste your time typing it? Wtf is wrong with you people? You might as well have said nothing at all.
“They wanted us to be more Caribbean.”
Are people supposed to read that and know what you’re talking about? Make sense or shut up.
They took an excellent UK based system and replaced it with a Trinidad based system. They got rid of excellent UK and Canadian teachers, and replaced them with teachers from Jamaica and Trinidad. Some are good, but a large number are awful. The system has gone to shit.
they took excellent uk qualifications and then plaguerised them into a home grown version, recognised by nobody. In my case,r Bodden did us no favour.
Trinidad’s educational system is way better than Cayman’s… my two hundred year old high school has more international scholarship winners yearly than Cayman combined. I can safely say that within the last decade… students without Tertiary education qualification simply don’t want it…And just to burst your bubble Trinidad is far more wealthy than Cayman but we do not behave entitled like Caymanians or obscenely proud like Jamaicans.
Bruh, pay attention. Read the news every now and again. Try to keep up. I know it’s hard having to show up to your Civil Service job three days a week while running all your side businesses at the same time but a little effort wouldn’t hurt.
Agreed, many here are more interested in stirring the pot than being constructive. I am also waiting for more clarification.
Them wanting us to be more Caribbean I took to mean learning more Caribbean history, development and literature. Our exposure to those things are limited by doing a strictly British curriculum.
One sure way of climbing the ladder is to fail in your assigned role and/or buy a cheap PHD from Walmart.
Doctorate in religious studies
Interesting. I was not aware of the 7’th day adventist cartel being so crucial to the education of the Cayman youth. Explains much, sadly, very much. I grew up with friends of that faith, but would never send my children to their schools or teachers exposing that faith. Fine for their families, not for mine, not for public education.
I mean, is anyone surprised by this?
Not in the least. This also dispels the common talking points that the Caymanian workforce is being oppressed by expats.
Fix the culture at home, fix the schools. Until then, remember no expat is oppressing the Caymanians. It’s generational culture failure.
The ones that make it out of the public education system with a solid foundation and work ethic excel in work and are gems.
This is a golden comment. I agree 1,000%.
And they do so, in spite of the education system, not because of it. Maybe that is why intelligent educated caymanians seem to be outliers and not the norm.
The jargon makes it difficult to understand what the results mean? What is “expected level”? Is it “L2”? What percent are expected to hit the expected level? 50%? 75%? If we’re talking “bare minimum Pass” or the like, shouldn’t 90% hit the mark? I suspect that these figures are covering up how dismal the results really are.
The level achieved is relative to a baseline already established. So, 100% of students should be hitting their own target. Low ability students will have lower expected levels, and so on. This is a mess.
Go back to school
Sheesh, it was an honest question; I also wondered for an explanation Try to be helpful instead of cynical.
I blame the lack of free birth control.
You know what though, we should build a new high school in West Bay and one on the Brac, that will solve everything!
WOW! That will solve everything… NOT. And how will building new schools improve the qualifications of the teachers? And the connection with birth control to educational test evaluations is a much larger conversation than just providing birth control (I’m a fan, but it is not a fix for the low scores. i.e. birth control will assist women/girls – not as much for men/boys. So the effect is much less that 50%, probably closer to 20-25% of the students).
Just wanted to add that birth control is free at the government clinics, please take advantage of this.
Do not despair school leavers, I give you Exhibit A. Six Ministers, only one of whom holds a university degree of any value.
Ministers:
Hon. Bernie A. Bush, MP, Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage
Hon. Kenneth Bryan, MP, Minister for Tourism & Ports
Hon. Andre M. Ebanks, MP, Minister for Financial Services & Commerce and Minister for Investment, Innovation & Social Development
Hon. Johany S. “Jay” Ebanks, MP, Minister for Planning, Agriculture, Housing, & Infrastructure
Hon. Sabrina Turner, MP, Minister for Health & Wellness and Minister for Home Affairs
Hon. Dwayne Seymour, MP, Minister for Border Control & Labour
University education isn’t the be all and end all, but this makes a great case for it.
If you flip it though, it also sends the message that yes, you can earn plenty of money and influence even if you flunk everything, and aren’t afraid to say stupid things in public to people with a similar IQ.
THAT is the key correlation: Low IQ Ministers – Low IQ Electorate. However, even Low IQ Candidates have been VERY successful in getting the Low IQ Cayman Electorate to vote them in.
birds of a feather flock together
Has this been fact checked? I am surprised that Andre is in this bunch.
Andre is a Minister, hence his inclusion in the list, and yes he is the only one with a recognized education of any kind.
Interesting…… but sad.
Pretty sure Andre has a law degree
Perhaps he is the one with the uni degree. I rate Andre. We need more like him.
He’s the one with the worthwhile degree.
The degree isn’t the problem.
It’s the lack of common sense, cojones and faith in the electorate.
And
Bowing to the self serving incompetent education civil servants.
Absolute failure across the board. The solution is to fire everyone from top to bottom and start over again from scratch. Those who deserve to be rehired can be and the rest can go fly a kite.
The best educators have left the building and retired. Some of the most committed and innovative educators left because they were passed over ignored or seen as a threat. Now that is what you get! The system has been hijacked by people who run things based on religion, nationality and membership. Just check the origin of their so called doctorates. 😆
Degrees in religious studies
Build more buildings Julie, das how you improve the quality of education… d@mn f00l.
Obviously building more buildings does not improve the quality of education, otherwise, after clifton hunter and john gray schools were built, Cayman would be getting straight A’s
The donkeys in charge of education only construct new buildings because thats how you get money to your political sponsors. They dont get money from our children getting
good grades
No that’s how ministers get you know what passed under the proverbial from padded budgets on big construction projects that take a decade to complete.
Until you start getting better teachers and hold the parents accountable nothing will change.
Good job they’ve all got laptops, otherwise I’d be worried!
..leaver…this word is rarely used in real life
CNS: I presume you’re American. “School leaver” is a very common phrase in the UK and this is a British territory. Here it is on the BBC.
thumbs up for cns. Americans love to move here and think the whole world revolves around them.
How to show you are an American. Where everyone who leaves school gets applauded, goes through a stupid graduation ceremony, and wears a silly cape like they passed a degree or something. All it means in the USA when someone ‘graduates’ is that they managed to stay in school long enough without getting expelled. Means nothing in terms of academic achievement.
School leaver is a much more accurate and informative term.
School leaver means nothing.
as it should
Actually you have to pass to graduate in the USA. At least the school I went to unless things have changed since then.
Heads pushed for curriculum to be completed.Stop teaching curriculum and teach children.
another glorious day for our world class civil service.
more pay increases and awards franie!!!!…..
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
CMR generation encouraged by Panton. What else did you expect? It will only continue to get regress under a Catron led government.
Perhaps better results would have been seen had some of the massive amount of funds spent on education over the years been diverted towards improving the social dynamics at the homes of these children. Students need support, motivation and role models outside of the school environment in order to thrive and succeed.
Perhaps parents should accept and embrace the responsibilities of ‘parenthood.’ Yes, students need ‘support, motivation and role models outside of the school environment in order to thrive and succeed.’ This should not be a ‘CIG Paid Position.’ Only in Cayman do parents want to be paid to be proper parents. Da.n this is appalling. Shame on you.
“Shame on the commenter” for suggesting that funds be spent on improving the broken homes and family environments that many of these kids come from? Clearly you are a product of the broken system yourself…
The whole education system should be replaced with $1500 monthly vouchers and let parents choose the school they want their child to attend.
This would get better results and save lots of money since public schools are likely 3x as expensive as private schools.
A win win for Cayman. Better education and better value for money.
On average we spend 60% more per pupil in public schools here than it costs, on average, to send them to private schools! The problem with your idea is that all the private schools already have huge waiting lists!
Congrats to the Diseducation Ministry for plumbing new lows! Quite a feat!
A lot of Marl Road muppets were getting all hyped up with the results judging by the reaction emojis. Luckily a couple of the sharper readers managed to make sense in the comments.
Seriously, these are woeful results, but it’s not all on the schools. A lot of this is cultural, beginning with a lack of caring from parents, many of which are not educated and don’t value an education.
It is nearly impossible to get educated these days.
“We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.”
I am sure you are aware WHAT Google Search IS these days.
Search Engines are Totally Useless Now…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8P6MTOQlyk
Agreed 5.03 added to 3rd world teachers, feral single mothers and absent baby daddies.
But don’t worry, Kenny Saunders Seymour and Mac’s NAU hand outs will drag us into a broken society cess pit, not school leavers who can’t read and write.
it begins and ends with the parents/guardians.
Rubbish. Do your jobs.
Let teachers TEACH!
Teachers are not accountants and strategists. Stop idling them with reports and paperwork.
Let them teach!!
Not to make excuses, but I expect that there is some correlation between the disruption caused by the Pandemic and these lower results. Cayman was thankfully open for the most part during the peak of Covid-19 but it still had a massive impact on students.
Sorry to tell you our schools in cayman are lacking severely even before covid.
It is a relative comparison about back-sliding against previous results. Cayman isn’t world-class by any stretch of the imagination, but this isn’t a comparison against any other jurisdiction.
Looooong before. Been hearing this for decades. Sad thing is many moons ago we did used to have school leavers ready for the workplace. Now they’re like gold nuggets.
I blame hurricane Ivan.
Not to make excuses – yet you are doing exactly that. So explain then the equally awful results before Covid hit, or for that matter the fact that the results got better in 2020?
There is going to be a lag and the 2020 school year was mostly complete prior to lock-down.
You also need to remember that this is an internal comparison.
I crap on the gov’t all the time and don’t disagree that education here is lacking, but Covid-19 impacts are real and happening around the world.
You left out Hurricane Ivan. It’s to blame too, remember?
Let’s blame Grace for their fall from
Considering the amount of government money spent on education on such a small island, these results are absolutely shocking. Our kids enter the workforce on the back foot- no wonder they struggle to compete!
I’m sure schools in rural africa have comparable results
Maybe those dark sunglasses Juju been wearing lately are blinding her from the truth
‘I’m sure schools in rural africa have comparable results’
I think you’ll probably find most African kids will destroy Caymanian kids education wise. With far fewer resources. Because they actually want to learn and get on and don’t have legislation practically handing them a job.
Wasn’t Juliana minister of education for a good portion of the last few years and even beyond that? It sounds like this is your fault Juliana, but even so let’s work at getting it fixed now.
I said many times that raising up teachers starting pay to $ 5,000 ci would not help. you either have good teaching ethics or you dont
.
Either you have students who want to learn and make an effort or you don’t.
Maybe, just maybe, teachers aren’t the problem. Could it possibly be the students and their family culture?
Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s a combination of the two. The biggest problem however lies in the Ministry of Education.
Amennn.
They refuse to engage with good parents…and good teachers.
Teaching is a job that you have to love. Some teachers are there for the pay while others will do everything in their power to assist the children to pass their exams. The majority of the teachers at Layman E Scott High School go way beyond what is required of them.
I am sure that the reason that the grades have gone down is because of the pandemic. They went from a few hours a day to full day classes. They had less assignments during the lockdown.
I do not understand how she keeps getting elected. Where is the long-term vision and strategic plan for the education system. What are her desired outcomes and goals, key priorities and objectives. What is her comprehensive plan to achieve them. And finally what are the performance metrics she is holding herself to?
There is going to come a time where future caymanians will resent her for wasting generations of potential. It’s almost as if the politicians want to keep our education level below a certain threshold so they can pull bs like pushing for infrastructure development without EIAs with as little resistance as possible.
Sadly, she is not elected based on her performance as Minister of Education. But instead for her role as bringer of favors and handouts to her minute constituency on the Brac.
7:26, Unfortunately the Caymanian voters on Cayman Brac are not that educated just like the Caymanians in West Bay who continue to re-elect McKeeva.
Stupid rules here.
What about the ones who elect Kenny, Jay, Dwayne….
Don’t forget The Bern.
ignorance rules here…
She can pave the way…