The Ministry of Education’s curriculum officers are reviewing the Mathematics syllabus with a view to possibly reducing the number of topics, as results from this year’s 11-plus exam showed students continue to face challenges in the subject.
Senior Education Officer responsible for examinations Glyne Price said during a press conference on Tuesday that adjusting the syllabus would help students better grasp maths concepts.
“Instead of trying to cover 20 topics, we may reduce them down to say 15, to give you the same time but more contact time per topic. I think at the secondary school, we are also looking at a similar approach
“Not that we are watering down the syllabus in order to increase performance, but we are trying to give the students a better opportunity in terms of being able to master the foundation,” Price said at a press conference at the Ministry of Education where the results of the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (BSSEE) were released.
Minister of Education Kay McConney announced that the national average for Mathematics this year was 57.5 per cent, compared to 55.6 per cent in 2021, and 58.2 per cent in 2020.
Two students – the 2022 top overall student Renelle Best of St Gabriel’s School and Madison Smith of St Paul’s Primary School – gained full marks in the subject. There were 37 students who scored full marks in Mathematics in 2021.
Minister McConney said that this year, the girls outdid the boys in the subject, performing above the national average with a mean of 59.7 per cent. The boys, meantime, performed slightly below at an average of 55.5 per cent.
“I have to say, too, that getting better outcomes per student, not just in Maths and English but in many other areas of studying that are helping to prepare them for life, not just for school and not just for an exam, we really need to look seriously at how we teach certain subjects,” the Education Minister said.
“As we do more research, as we read more, as we see different experiences, we understand that sometimes the outcomes have to do not only with the subject matter or the curriculum or the amount of time that’s invested, but it also sometimes has to do with how we teach the subject.
“We recognise that different students learn differently and not all of those teachers or facilitators of learning are able in every case to cater to all of those different ways in which children learn. And that has to be a part of what we consider going forward,” McConney added.
She indicated that the overall national mean in English for 2022 was 69.7 per cent, compared to 66.3 per cent in 2021, and 69.3 per cent in 2020. Three students, including Best, BSSEE top male student Azario Gooding of St George Primary School, and Isaak Headley of St Stephen’s Primary School, had a perfect score in the subject.
“Again, generally, the scores in English were slightly better than last year,” McConney said.
Best, who achieved full marks in both Mathematics and English and an A in Composition, scored 242.91 overall, while Gooding who gained 97 in Mathematics and 100 in English scored 241.33.
Meanwhile, Aaden McClean of Charles F Broome Memorial School, who scored 241.02 and obtained an A in Composition was the third top overall student. Hindsbury Primary School’s Amira Henry, who scored 240.65 and A in Composition, took the fourth spot.
The top four students are all headed to Queen’s College when the new school year begins in September.
Deputy Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson said parents who want their child’s result slip reviewed must visit the examination section at the Ministry to fill out a request form, no later than Friday, August 12.
Additionally, she said that while parents and guardians have the right to request a transfer, the Ministry will assess all applications before any decisions are made.
“It is not first come, first serve. Your request may or may not be granted. It depends on the spaces available, if we can facilitate, or if the student performs within a particular range. All requests will be made online, you do not need to come into the Ministry to make that request. You only need to come in to make the request for script review,” Adamson explained.
There were 3 086 students registered to write the 2022 BSSEE, 250 fewer than in 2021. However, 27 students did not sit the examination on July 5 due to medical reasons, compared to 60 who were absent last year. This year’s absent students were given the opportunity to be assessed, using an alternative paper, on July 19.
Twenty-three students were granted permission not to take the exam this year, compared to 47 in 2021, 54 in 2020 and 42 in 2019. (AH)
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