Moderators move to complete SBA review

PRESIDENT of the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools Ronald Mootoo said the protest over police killings in the capital city and other areas last week may have affected the work being done by moderators reviewing the School-Based Assessment (SBAs) submitted by students writing CSEC and CAPE.

“I have not received any direct response to it as yet, but last week we had moderation going on and the schools in the Morvant area where the riots were taking place, for two to three days there was not any (moderation) so I don’t know how that is going to set them back, if at all.”

He said while 99 per cent of students have submitted their SBAs there are still a couple of areas which are outstanding because of the nature of some of these subjects.

“The majority are finished but there are still one or two subject areas which the schools would have negotiated with the Ministry of Education and the local CXC Registrar for an extension.”

That extension is July 31.

"Because of the nature of some of the subjects, like the science lab books for instance, these could not be submitted to the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) online.

“All of the science subjects (including human and social biology and home economics), draughting, VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) and other subjects that have a practical component, those SBAs would not be going to Barbados (CXC headquarters) so the ministry and CXC would have appointed on-site moderators to verify the work done. That process is ongoing."

The moderators are tasked with verifying the work was done, that the SBAs are up to standard and that teachers markings were objective and within the standard required.

Recognising the impact of covid19, CXC has revised its examination strategy and rescheduled the CAPE and CSEC examinations which were originally scheduled for May/June 2020. The examination is now scheduled to begin on July 13 and end on August 14.

The examination process has also been modified and marks will be awarded based on a combination of one multiple choice assessment paper and the SBAs, except for students writing modern languages, HSB and visual arts. The latter three categories of students will be required to complete additional components.

Mootoo lauded teachers who worked during the stay-at-home lockdown to assist students with completing their SBAs in time for the June 30 deadline. He said, overall, teachers have co-operated with the instructions to assist their students.

He said there were few complaints but the teachers were not really the problem.

“You would not believe the problem was not the teachers, it was the students not wanting to come onto the Zoom or whatever platforms teachers were using. Granted some students were disadvantaged because they did not have access to the internet or a computer, some children refused to access what the teachers were teaching or do assignments."

In terms of preparation for the July 13 return to school, Mootoo said, “most of the schools are in some stages of readiness.”

“The ministry has provided some resources, hand soap and sanitisers, tissues and disinfectant, one of which had to be recalled, but many schools are still in varying stages or ‘unreadiness’ if I may use that term.”

Some schools still require the establishment of hand washing stations and the non-contact digital scanners to measure temperatures.

Mootoo, principal of the San Fernando West Secondary School, said government schools like his are always at a disadvantage, “but we always try to beg and get the resources we need.”