www.cxc.org OCTOBER 2014 5 The Caribbean Examiner IN THIS ISSUE CCSLC® – Measuring Up to Standard 06 UK NARIC’s Benchmarking of the CCSLC®: A Review By Dr Yolande Wright 10 What is Benchmarking and Gains from Benchmarking CCSLC® By Dr Charles Mayenga 12 CCSLC® as a vehicle for addressing the needs of a larger population of P26 secondary school students By Professor Stafford A. Griffith CXC® News 14 A Case for CCSLC® By Hector Stephenson 22 New Generation CAPE Subjects well received 16 CCSLC® – Summary of Revised Syllabuses English By Cherryl Stephens 26 Farewell Dr Didacus Jules Mathematics By Alsian Brown-Perry CXC First Paper-Less Modern Languages By Cherryl Stephens 28 Exam Returns Excellent Results Integrated Science By Alsian Brown-Perry Social Studies By Dr Annette Piper 30 e-Marking Goes Live! 33 The Future of Exam Marking is Here – It’s Digital P33 By RM Results 34 “Awesome” Visual Arts Exhibition in Anguilla 36 Building Stronger Ties with Africa CXC Hosts Delegation from Lesotho 38 Overall CSEC® performance continues upward trend 39 CXC and Columbus sign agreement THE CARIBBEAN EXAMINER is a publication of the CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL © (CXC) EDitor-IN-CHIEF: Mr Glenroy Cumberbatch • EDitor: Mr Cleveland Sam Line EDitorS: Dr Sandra Robinson, Dr Victor Simpson, Mrs Maureen Grazette Please send your comments to: THE CARIBBEAN EXAMINER, CXC, THE GARRISON, ST MICHAEL, BARBADOS Website: www.CXC.org • E-mail: [email protected] • ISSN 2071-9019 www.cxc.org OCTOBER 2014 5 The Caribbean Examiner CCSLC® – Measuring Up to Standard UK NARIC’s Benchmarking of the CCSLC®: A Review By Dr Yolande Wright 6 OCTOBER 2014 www.cxc.org www.cxc.org OCTOBER 2014 7 The Caribbean Examiner UK NARIC’s Benchmarking of the CCSLC®: A Review Seven years after its first examination of THE UK NARIC MetHODOLOGY Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level The study spanned two major undertakings: (CAPE®). Undergirded by CARICOM’s vision Competence® (CCSLC®), the feedback to the firstly, a review of the components of theCCSLC of an “Ideal Caribbean” person to increase Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) and identification of opportunities for their social and economic development, and global and its stakeholders is that “The CCSLC can be improvement; and secondly, a benchmarking competitiveness, the CCSLC was developed in considered broadly comparable to successful evaluation against education systems and response to the regional imperative to provide completion of Key Stage 3 (Year 9) in the UK and standards in Canada, the United States of universal secondary education. With these Year 9 in Australia, Canada and the USA.” This is America, Australia and the United Kingdom. catalysts came the need (i) to provide learners the view of the United Kingdom’s national agency Information sources included available of a wider range of abilities with certification responsible for providing information and expert programme documentation, school visits, to identify their level of competence and (ii) opinion on qualifications worldwide. The United interviews with education officers from two to prepare students better to undertake CSEC Kingdom National Recognition Information CCSLC® Participating Territories, meetings and programmes and so increase success rates and Centre, UK NARIC, came to this conclusion after interviews with key CXC staff, and the review returns on investment in education. conducting an extensive benchmarking study of of custom-designed student texts for CCSLC The CCSLC is jointly awarded - by CXC the CCSLC in 2014 on the request of CXC. English and Mathematics. and local ministries of education - to learners “UK NARIC is satisfied that the programme Employing UK NARIC’s methodology for who successfully complete CCSLC English, provides suitable preparation both in terms of the components’ review, the analysis examined Mathematics and three eligible optional subjects subject knowledge and general competencies the aims and purposes of the programme within a five-year period. Assessment for the [and] that students will be suitably prepared and reviewed entry requirements, duration, CCSLC comprises formative, summative, to progress to the subsequent year of study in programme structure and content, learning internal and external elements. Formative each of the four countries examined,” stated the outcomes, modes of learning and assessment, assessment is central to the CCSLC and is UK NARIC report entitled Benchmarking the associated outcomes, and quality mechanisms. integrated with teaching to guide teachers in Caribbean Examinations Council’s Caribbean The comparative analysis of the CCSLC® making decisions about learners’ readiness for Certificate of Secondary Level Competence against the targeted systems necessitated the summative assessment. School-based assessment (CCSLC) . identification of appropriate reference points in comprises five summative module assessments Benchmarking studies of this type are each. In order for these points to be identified, per subject and accounts for 50 per cent of each consistent with the CXC vision of “ensuring the the systems in each country and the province or subject’s assessment. The external assessment human resource competitiveness of the Caribbean state of interest were first detailed at generic and component is developed and administered by through the provision of quality assurance in subject levels. The subjects of interest sampled CXC and comprises multiple choice items which education and comprehensive certification.” from each system were English and Mathematics are electronically scored. Candidate performance The study provides a comparative analysis of (CCSLC® core subjects), a science-based subject is summarised in a composite score and is the CCSLC and fulfils wider benchmarking for comparison with CCSLC® Integrated Science, reported on a three point grading scheme as objectives of measuring the quality of its policies, and an arts-based subject for comparison with shown in Table 1. programme, and strategies by comparing these CCSLC® French. Table 1: CCSLC Grading Scheme with similar measures of best-in-class systems to determine where improvements are required and THE CCSLC: PurpOse anD Structure Composite score Grade possible to achieve higher performance. TheCCSLC is currently sequenced third in 75 - 100 Master This article presents a synopsis of the UK the CXC suite of products and is superseded by NARIC findings from an exercise designed to the flagship Caribbean Secondary Education 50 - 74 Competent ® ® promote regional and international understanding Certificate (CSEC ) then by the post-secondary 0 - 49 Developing Competence and recognition of the CCSLC. Employing UK NARIC’s methodology for the components’ review, the analysis examined the aims and purposes of the programme and reviewed entry requirements, duration, programme structure and content, learning outcomes, modes of learning and assessment, associated outcomes, and quality mechanisms. 6 OCTOBER 2014 www.cxc.org www.cxc.org OCTOBER 2014 7 The Caribbean Examiner CCSLC® – Measuring Up to Standard HiGHliGHts OF THE Table 2: Characteristics of Core components REVIEW OF THE CCSLC The UK NARIC review of the CCSLC Core components Findings and Characteristics identified characteristics, strengths, and Aims and purpose To prepare learners for further study, training and entry- challenges or opportunities for improvement, level employment. In particular, to increase the number in dimensions which included: core components, of students leaving mainstream education with a formal individual syllabuses, school-based and external qualification certifying the knowledge, competencies, assessments, marking and grading systems, and attitudes and values that all secondary school leavers quality mechanisms. Highlights are as follows: should have attained (see Tables 2-4) Entry requirements No formal requirements although the learners would The report contains many other extracted generally have completed six or seven years of primary examples and illustrations of school-based and education external assessment tasks and mark schemes; Duration Being competency-based there is no specified duration; the additional examples of recommendations and average student will complete in three years of secondary opportunities for continual improvement are schooling, and the more and less able in two and five years as follows: respectively. Programme structure and content Compulsory CCSLC English and Mathematics plus three COmparatiVE analYsis other subjects from optional sources which include other Whilst earlier stages of the benchmarking CCSLC subjects, CSEC offerings from TVET, business, exercise focused on describing the CCSLC, the creative/expressive arts options, subjects from other second half of the study focused on determining boards, and eligible locally certified options which reflect key similarities and differences between thisCXC national priorities and interests programme and comparable programmes in Learning outcomes The CCSLC programme is underpinned by generic and Australia, Canada, the USA, and UK. Breadth and subject-specific competencies; the former cut across the depth of subject content, learning outcomes and five CCSLC syllabuses and the latter across specific subjects assessment methods were compared across the as illustrated in Table 3 below. five systems. In the first three countries, and to a Modes of learning and assessment A student-centred approach is supported by suggested much