Part 3
I continue the defence of CAC in SEA because of the inherent merits in this system of assessment. It is significantly superior to the previous forms of testing and assessment of Standard Five primary school students for entry to Form One at secondary schools.
It is important for the citizenry at large to be wary of the surreptitious manner in which several ministers are operating, and the unilateral changes they are initiating. Modus operandi of the Government is to promise consultations on one hand and introduce changes before consultations.
The latest example is the Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee-Scoon and her approach to the roll on roll off car industry. Those who are interested in the best interest of our students at the primary school must resist any effort to undermine the CAC and the value it brings to the average child in primary school.
We must review and emphasise the strengths of the CAC. The first is the capacity of CAC to ensure the validity of the full spectrum of our primary school students’ talents and abilities. The primary school curriculum consists of a minimum of seven core subjects which the students are expected to study and master on a daily basis.
How then can it be fair to assess and test students in only Mathematics, Language Arts and Science? Students are expected to study Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Agricultural Science, Character and Citizen Education etc.
It is well known in the education system that validity of any subject is cross referenced against the tests and assessments that are related to the disciplines taught. It is foolish for anyone to believe that if any subject is not tested at SEA it will be considered a serious subject.
In education the intangible benefits as well as the tangible that are to be derived from the “lesser subjects” is enormous. An education system will fail if its intention is to recognise the efforts of students solely on a few subjects at a one-time final examination. Good health will find traction in an education system that treats physical education seriously.
The focus on socially conscious citizens will be achieved through subjects which are ethics- and-civics-driven. The focus on agriculture will encourage a love and affinity with the earth.
The focus on Visual and Performing Arts will generate another generation of writers and performers who will be able to achieve sustainable livelihood from the publishing and music production industries. For far too long, at our great expense, we have refused to acknowledge and recognise that there are careers with great income potential outside the streams of doctor, lawyers, engineers etc.
We have either consciously or unconsciously stifled the careers and dreams of many of our talented children by this focus on “prestige” careers. The CAC focus on a wide range of subjects will facilitate what Howard Gardener describes as multiple intelligence. For all aspects of the students’ personalities to flourish, it is best that they are taught and assessed in a variety of modes suitable to their abilities.
The CAC has another very specific advantage. It recognises different learning styles and rates among our students. It is evident that students are successful when they encounter a wide range of teaching styles—chalk and talk, videos, acting, group discussions, etc.
When there is developmental assessment, students have several opportunities to remedy their weaknesses through the immediate feedback and support which they receive. Teachers also have the opportunity to integrate assessments into a larger educational philosophy. Teachers learn the value of assessment in a true educational sense.
Sadly and very irresponsibly, the general notion of assessments by many teachers as well as parents is the establishment of those who are “bright” and those who are “dunce” based on selected assessments scores. We must urgently remedy our thinking in this regard. Tests must not only be a selective discrimination, it must also be developmental with reference to our students’ challenges.
CAC allows this philosophy of assessment in a beneficial manner to our students. Because CAC starts at the Standard Three level, opportunities abound for teachers, principals and other education leaders to understand students’ progress, and even more importantly, plan, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate strategies that are designed to assist students with unidentified difficulties.
The developmental approach allows students to build on their strengths in a paced manner. The SEA examination on the other hand has little value to students. By the time results are released they would have already left the primary school system. The CAC is what educators consider a “fair, valid and reliable authentic assessment.”
The apparent constraints of CAC are much easier to remedy. Issues such as gaps in the provision of physical resources, more clerical time as well as support, additional and enhanced teacher training, better oversight, etc, can be solved through skill and resourcefulness.
Such differences should never be allowed to compromise the great advantages CAC presents to primary school students. Baal Vikaas is the strongest example of the integration and value of the entire primary school curriculum for the discerning.
Next week: Part 4