SEA set for May 3

THE Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams will be take place on May 3 and this will be the last year that SEA will be written in the third term of the academic year, says Education Minister Anthony Garcia.

A Ministry of Education release said the SEA will then revert to March, or the second school term, as was done previously.

Commending the work that has gone into the preparation for the SEA by teachers, parents and students, Garcia said, “The efforts and involvement by parents and teachers are reflected in the continued increase in student performance when results are released.”

He urged “all parents to give their children the necessary support to ensure their success at the SEA and beyond.”

The 2018 SEA exams will consist of English language arts writing, mathematics, and English language arts.

There will be no change to the three papers compared to the SEA 2017. The mathematics and English language arts papers will be based on the content of the Primary School Curriculum Guidelines (2013) which are currently being implemented.

With the SEA being written in March from 2019, the ministry said, the benefits will include papers being marked during the two-week Easter vacation and thus there will be no need for temporarily closing the secondary schools selected as marking centres.

Teachers chosen as markers by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will not be required to be away from classes, CXC will process SEA data earlier, and the timely submission of results to the ministry will facilitate the earlier completion of nationwide placement.

The possibility of an earlier date for releasing the SEA results to schools will also facilitate an earlier start and completion of the query and transfer process, the release said.