Students get three more weeks to study for CXC exams
(CNS): The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) has announced that the written portion of the 2022 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations will begin on 23 May, three weeks after the previously scheduled start date of 2 May. The decision followed a special emergency meeting with regional governments to discuss the timing of the exams. The deadline for the submission of School-Based Assessments (SBAs) to CXC has also been extended by two weeks.
The Department of Education Services said they would keep local parents informed as they received more details from CXC, including the broad topics to be assessed on Paper Two before the start of the examinations.
“The Council has not yet provided all the specific details,” said DES Director Mark Ray, who attended the virtual meeting. “However, we will notify parents, students and teachers of the outcomes once more details become available.”
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Education, Local News
Hon. Juliana O’Connor Connolly, Minister of Education, at a recent education seminar:
“Ok Cayman’s public school educators, MY Ministry is charged with improving exam results, let’s do whatever we can to dumb-down all facets of our curriculum. Any suggestions?”
Frustrated educator who stop caring long ago:
“Minister, through the Director of Education, may I respectfully suggest giving extra time to study for the exams? We’ve done EVERYTHING else to make the exams fail-proof, but many kids are still missing their mark”.
Minister: “OK, that’s an option. Anything else?”
Another public educator, who has been threatened by parents for discipling a student and has no will to serve but is under contract for the next 2 years:
“Why don’t we just scrap CXC exams and just release the students to the public in July without any formal qualifications. Those exams aren’t worth the paper they’re on anyway.”
Minister O’Connor-Connolly: “Oh Lord no! (whispering to self – God forgive me for calling your name in vain). We have to have something to give them at graduation, at least to please the Chamber. So are you suggesting another form of exam system – like Cambridge ‘O’ & ‘A’ levels like the old days?”
Director of Education: “Minister, we could consider that but that might look like we’re encouraging over-achievement. I don’t know about that.”
Minister: “You’re right. We can’t go back to the successful and proven British system because that would not please some in our Cabinet and our Speaker. We have to stick to a Caribbean exam system.”
Bored educator: “So let’s create our own exam system, one which is approved by the Deputy Governor and acceptable for the Civil Service.” All contents of the curriculum could be virtual, kids can work from home indefinitely and they would not even have to be trained or tested for anything.”
Minister: “Bingo, that’s it! I’ll be sure to give your name to the DG for his next awards!”
I have long been suspicious of grade inflation, particularly of the school-based portion of the CXC exam.
I did O’Levels some 50+ years ago and if you got five passes you were a very good student. Now we have students graduating with 13 subjects at CXC and for many of them writing a good sentence is a challenge.
Can we have more focus on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic throughout primary school?
At the other end, I looked online at Rutgers University’s English Composition 101 (first half of first year English Composition) and they have set as a prerequisite a basic English class in which students must do nothing but writing IN CLASS. why in class? Plagiarism or online purchase of essays or other purchases are rampant.
There is a lot of that going on right here in Cayman. So students graduate with As. But if you check out their writing—usually well below standards you expect based on resume.
So equivalent to O-levels, but not really…..?
GSCE replaced O-level over 30 years ago. I was in one of the first years to get practice O-levels but take the GCSE exam. The GCSE’s were MUCH easier. Even back then an O-level B grade was an easy GCSE A and since then they have got easier and easier, evidenced by rampant grade inflation and the introduction of A* above A grade. The CSEC is equivalent to a modern GCSE, so trivial compared to an old O-level.
OK then. Let’s have GCSE’s in our schools and for our children. They should get the same opportunities and educations as their peers at Cayman Prep and St. Ignatius. The Caribbeanisation of our education systems and civil service is destroying us.
No argument from me. Not sure whose brilliant idea it was to give our kids qualifications no one has heard of outside Jamaica!
Roy Bodden. And Truman.
O levels have been dumbed down as it was considered racist to try and lift our students to first world standards.