Principal hits SEA English marks

The Ministry of Education (MoE) stands by the results of SEA 2019, Education Minister Anthony Garcia maintains even as several parents, teachers and principals have been questioning the marking of the English Language Arts (ELA) writing scripts.

“From the perspective of the Ministry of Education we are quite satisfied with how SEA was administered and marked. We are also satisfied with the exam’s results for 2019,” Garcia said when asked whether there was a discrepancy with the rubric used for marking the examination.

The revised ELA writing rubric contained four elements: content, language use, organisation and grammar/ mechanics which required students to display different writing styles based on whether they were given a narrative or a report. Each of these elements were marked out of five, resulting in the total mark being 20. In SEA, ELA writing accounts for 40 per cent while ELA carries 60 per cent.

Lynette Lalla-Chote, principal of Specialist Learning Centre, has voiced her concern about the marking in a Letter to the Editor, published in yesterday’s Newsday, where she expressed her view that the marking of the actual examination was nothing short of a disaster. It has been alleged that the rubric teachers were asked to use in the classroom was not the same one used for marking the examination.

“Teachers who assisted in the marking of the papers have discussed with their colleagues the unfairness and injustice of what took place as students were penalized twice for the same spelling errors,” noted Lalla-Chote. While there has been no criticism on the curriculum, the marking of the ELA writing scripts have come under fire from some parents and teachers.

Educators using online platforms like Writers Plus have been voicing their concerns on this matter. Sherry Ann Maraj-Lakhan stated, “Something was definitely wrong with the marking of scripts this year. The discrepancy was too glaring. I was also told the rubric we were given in the workshops was not used. I do feel we are owed an explanation.”

Ann M L Jacob in response online queried, “Does one have to be a marker to ask for an explanation on why the rubric used to mark SEA deviated significantly from the one that teachers were trained to utilize? Does one have to be a marker to ask the MOE to account for the poor performance of students in ELA Writing for SEA 2019? Is it wrong for concerned parents to ask why students who were performing well above expectations in school were given failing grades for SEA 2019?”

Asked about the procedure to query marks, Garcia said, “It usually takes three to four weeks because Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is the entity that deals with SEA queries. The cost attached to this procedure is 25 Bajan dollars per subject.”

“If the query shows that there is a difference in results (upgrade in marks) then the MoE will have to adjust the placement of the child. This exam was specifically designed to look at the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students.

CXC sets the criteria for making the exam. I am certain that the rubric used to mark the students was the same rubric administered to teachers to assist them in preparing their students for SEA 2019. Teachers had two years to prepare their students, the MoE also provided the assessment framework for the Secondary Entrance Assessment 2019-2023 in September 2017.”