Fixing a failed system
published: Wednesday | November 17, 2004

THE EDITOR, Sir:

THE RECENT revelations by Dr. Ralph Thompson about the CXC results while shocking, are even more so when one considers that these students are the first fruit of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) system. The GSAT which replaced the Common Entrance Examina-tion was supposed to be a more effective assessment tool which would allow for the early identification of weaknesses in students and as a result ensure more literate, numerate and functional individuals.

If this first set of results is any indication of the success of the system then we are in serious problems. It is for either of two reasons that we are seeing these dismal results: The GSAT system is ineffective in its mandate or the secondary system has undone the work of the primary system under GSAT. I suspect it is the latter.

The question remains; if we saw this coming, why were we allowed to spend so much of taxpayers' money plus parents' funds? Why weren't these funds put into remediation instead of CXCs? The last analysis of CXC results led to a lot of finger-pointing. I hope this time the same scenario does not occur and instead we focus on what is needed to fix a failed system.

I am, etc.,

RICARDO SMALLING

rhamim@mailja.com

2c Mahoe Drive

Kingston 11

Via Go-Jamaica