The Ministry of Education said measures have been put in place to assist students at both the primary and secondary levels who scored less than 30 per cent in this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam.
As the new academic term heads into its third week, Minister Anthony Garcia said students under 13 who are repeating Standard Five, will be exposed to an enhanced curriculum which will focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills.
Of the 18,180 pupils who wrote the 2017 exam - 2,170 scored below 30 per cent, of which 803 pupils were under 13.
Garcia said curriculum officers and clinical supervisors have been assigned to assist teachers in the classroom, but to also monitor and review the progress of the students.
He revealed that periodical reports would be submitted to the District School Supervisor and forwarded to the ministry so individual and school progress can be recorded and analysed.
When the results were first announced in July, Garcia stressed, “It is not a case of we can’t find places for them. It is in the interest of those children to build on their foundation.”
Dubbed the Form One Initiative, Garcia said efforts at the secondary level included curriculum reform; increased emphasis on literacy and numeracy; special needs teachers; guidance officers and counsellors.
Adding that greater attention was being paid to areas such as sports, music, and visual and performing arts as one way to increase a student’s learning capacity, Garcia explained, “While we want them to learn in the classroom, it is equally important to provide other options which can peak their interest and create an enhanced environment for them at school.”
Garcia said the Student Support Services Division was charged with ensuring these students also receive personalised attention.
Defending the ministry against the public outrage that came its way when Form One teachers were given a “day off” on the second day of the new school term, Garcia said workshops had been organised across both islands in order to inform and update teachers on the new developments and ensure everyone clearly understood the revised position of the ministry regarding these students.
The Form One Initiative was conceived in response to data from the 2016 SEA exam which identified students about to enter the secondary school system with numeracy and literacy deficits - and found it was spread across 56 secondary schools in the seven education districts.
Diagnostic testing conducted to identify the specific content and skill gaps among pupils in Mathematics, English Language and Creative Writing found a total of 2,478 students with English Language deficits; 2,619 with Mathematics deficits; and 1,794 with both English Language and Mathematics deficits.