EDITOR, The Tribune.
In The Tribune of August 28th Dr Ruthmae Sears of the University of South FLorida stated unequivocally in her Letter to the Editor that the BGCSE annual “national average” is “merely an illusion...a poorly defined construct.”
She supports her thesis with a long discussion of how an arithmetic average is calculated in the real world. She did this...apparently...without knowing much about just how the BGCSE exam is structured. It appears that she has never examined the Testing & Evaluation Section's “Grade Descriptor Manual” nor a “Syllabus” for a specific subject.
However, she concludes that the A, B, C, D, E, F, G and U grade levels ought to be “better explained” and “a rubric for the letter grades ought to be provided”. This is a valid observation.
Let's look at some specifics...like the BGCSE standards for mathematics.
• For an “A” grade the candidate should be able to “relate a percentage to a multiplying factor and vice versa” and to “manipulate algebraic equations – linear, simultaneous and quadratic”.
• For a “C” grade the candidate should be able to “solve simple simultaneous equations in two unknowns”.
• For a “G” grade the candidate should be able to “Continue a straightforward number sequence” and “recognize and name simple plane figures and common solid shapes.”
• For a “U” grade the candidate exhibits no substantive knowledge.
Writing an exam that tests to such standards and grading are extremely difficult tasks. And reporting those results in a meaningful way to Parliament is a true challenge for a Minister of Education.
But is the BGCSE exam “merely an illusion” or a “silly thing”? NO...it is not.
One has to look at a number of things –
• The BGCSE exam has been a rough and imperfect measure of academic achievement that has consistently reported “dismal” scores.
• At the same time the Public School system has produced similar dismal results as measured in the number of school leavers who do not earn a diploma on leaving school or who have already dropped out...and...
• Private industry employers have interviewed those school leavers and report similar results. For years they have sought a meaningful audience with Government and an upgrade in the quality of Bahamian labour.
The bottom line is that the status quo is unacceptable; and the Department of Education has not yet presented and pursued an effective remedial programme.
Unfortunately...the BGCSE test results are not an illusion.
RALF J MASSEY
Nassau,
August 29, 2012.
Comments
ruthmaesears 11 years, 8 months ago
Dear Mr. Massey,
I do believe it is important, that I introduce myself to you, to ensure, that you gain a perspective from which I speak. I am not an outsider looking in, rather, I was an active participant in the educational system, and have diligently chosen to pursue knowledge in an effort to implement changes that can correct issues within the educational system, especially in mathematics.
I am an educator and a researcher. In The Bahamas, I was a former secondary school teacher, an invigilator, a national examiner, advisor for the National Teacher Cadet program, a shop-steward, and a member of the National Science Council for the Bahamas. Additionally, I have engaged in national research pertinent to the written and enacted curriculum, as well as evaluated the impact curriculum materials have on students learning.
I have published and presented nationally and internationally at highly ranked research conferences on curriculum issues, reasoning and proof and technology. Hence, I have years of experience with assessment practices, and mathematics curriculum as a whole.
Hence, based on my experience as an educator and researcher, it is my argument that the manner in which the B.G.C.S.E. national average is reported is wrong. Adhering to fundamental principles of research, a Type 1 error exists when it is reported that something exist, when it actually may not be. If the method use to generate the report is flawed, the claims made can be fundamentally challenged.
I am not asserting that our system is perfect, I am saying however, the means in which it is done does not adhere to fundamental constructs of research.
That is why I argue before strategies can be used to combat the ills, accurate reporting is needed to identify where the challenges exist, and the extent to which they exist.
Kindest regards.
Dr. Ruthmae Sears
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