Deputy Secretary Teaching and Learning, Ms. Linda Wate says the selection process for students is fair.
Ms. Wate made this assurance following the completion of the school placement results for 2022 for forms 4, 6 and 7.
Speaking to the Press, Wate says she is confident the school placement results for 2022 are fair and justifiable.
“The selection process that we are using is built into the software that we use in the office. It is based on the current Education Act. It has three categories. First one is the choice that a student makes, second is on space that is available and finally on the aggregate marks that a student has. The selection process is based on that”, Wate says.
She says another contribution to students' displacement are their choices in schools.
“Usually the students have four choices. If there is no more space available in the schools they chose then they won’t be able to go there because it is already full. And if their marks are below the school’s aggregate mark, then they will be displaced”.
In addition Ms. Wate assures parents that the focus of the assessment on students for placement is based on student’s individual scores only. She says students' placements are not based on their school or classroom performance.
“In terms of SBA, individual marks belong to the student and it does not affect the whole class. But in terms of moderation and making sure that the marks are not too far from what is expected, there is a lot of compliance that is in place”, Wate says.
SBA stands for School Based Assessment. SBA is any assessment that is carried out or done in schools. This includes summative, formative or diagnostic approaches in conducting assessments. Related SBA of learners’ progress should be a daily task of the teacher. The teacher asks children and students in the class whether or not they understand and appreciate what is being and has been taught and the responses provide an indication of the teaching results.
According to the principles set out under the SBA procedure, teachers play a crucial role in ensuring learners understand what they are being taught in the classroom.
However, to date, teacher absenteeism is still a complaint raised by students and parents alike, affecting the performance of students in academic learning.
“We have an internal process where we deal with teachers who were not able to send in their students marks. We have a verification process so that teachers can always tell their side of the story. This process takes time”, Wate says.