Global drive

BARBADOS’ PLAN to rename classes and forms to grades is just designed to help students align with international standards, says Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw.

Addressing a news conference at the Ministry of Educational Transformation on Constitution Road, The City, yesterday, she said that as Barbadian students step out into the world, the naming of grades will help international partners and other institutions around the globe to better understand their educational levels.

“We want to ensure that it is in line with the international standards. I’ve been in meetings with several schools, universities and organisations overseas, and almost every time I have to explain to them what Form 4 is, and when I say Class 4, then I mean Grade 6. So as to ease the discussion, so as to ensure that our students’ grades are understood when we send them overseas . . . we have to be able to be forward-thinking.

“We must recognise that this is not just little Barbados anymore and little Barbados’ education system. We have students who travel overseas. Here as a ministry, we engage with all kinds of partners internationally to seek the same funding, to discuss how we can collaborate on programmes. To have the name changed eases all of that in terms of the discussion, in terms of the funding, in terms of the understanding, so that we can move forward and be a global force to be working together,” she said.

The change in system, mentioned last Tuesday by Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman during a Ministerial Statement in the House of Assembly, has been criticised by some members of the public as a mere copy of the American system.

Archer-Bradshaw said the grade format was not a sole American structure but recognised internationally.

She also sought to clarify the introduction of a hybrid system to replace the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Exam, also known as the Common Entrance or 11-Plus, by 2028.

The Chief Education Officer explained that the new continuous assessment framework will allow students an opportunity to showcase what they can do, instead of the present “one-shot method” where they are graded on results from one day of examination.

“We know how it goes with the Common Entrance. Some students can have a very good day on that day, or some students might have a very bad day. And we know that if we are moving towards a more equitable approach, there is a need to allow students to showcase what they can do over time, and that is the reason we want to approach it in that way,” she said.

“That means that we will be looking at the marks and their performance at Classes 3 and 4. During those years as well, the students will get an opportunity to write what we call their standardised paper pencil test. They will write these tests in Class 3 and Class 4,” she said, adding that this new approach will also assess their performance in social studies, citizenship and science, alongside the traditional mathematics and English subjects.

New seven-year structure

“The focus of the transition is to allow students to demonstrate their full potential using a variety of methods and a variety of approaches. The minister spoke about the fact that we will be assigning 50 per cent of the marks to the standardised tests and 50 per cent of the marks towards the continuous-based assessment.

“It is on that basis that students will transition from class 4 to first form at secondary school. So we want to do away with the one-shot exam,” she said.

Students will also have the opportunity for an additional two school years under a new seven-year structure, wherein they can redo CXCs, pursue CAPE and broaden their learning and opportunities.

Archer-Bradshaw said efforts to tackle the literacy level of students and adults across the country will be increased with changes to the curriculum at primary level and significant investments made in the teaching of reading.

“Before, reading was taught using an eclectic approach. What we did over the past year and a half was to put a more structured approach to it. As a result, we had exposed over 300 teachers to the Linda Mood Bell approach and the Snappy Sounds programme.

“Initially, we were focusing on Infants A and Infants B, and that had the potential to impact about 5 000 students. What we’re going to do from September 2025 is that we’re going to expand the teaching of reading to teachers across all levels at the primary level,” she explained.

The ministry will also target adults who are unable to read or have reading deficits, pairing with the Criminal Research Justice Unit to address that gap.

Another aspect mentioned by Archer-Bradshaw was the improvement of infrastructure to make schools more inclusive for people with disabilities, with up to ten primary school plants scheduled for refurbishment to include ramps and adequate lighting.

“There’s the belief generally in Barbados that if you have a child with a disability, that child should be at a special school because he or she has a disability. What we want to do [is] include our students with disabilities and those who are gifted as much as possible within the mainstream school.

“It is only in very severe cases where the student may not be able to cope, that we will have the child pulled out and they will receive some special attention,” she said. (JRN) Please see also Page 4.