Basseterre: St. Kitts, Thursday, March 31, 2022: Minister of Education Honourable Jonel Powell has announced the reintroduction of the Primary School National Assessments at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.
“I am pleased to announce today that the Ministry of Education has made the decision to reintroduce national assessments at the primary level this year. National Assessments will be administered in grades four and six for Language Arts and Mathematics during Term three,” he said.
Outlining the difference between the traditional ‘Test of Standards’ and the 2022 National Assessments, Minister Powell said,
“National assessment in 2022 will differ from the discontinued “Test of Standards” in several significant ways. (1) The new assessments are designed to provide feedback to the Ministry of Education on the effectiveness of the Enhanced Curriculum in Language Arts and Mathematics. (2) The assessments will allow children to demonstrate what they know and what they can do. In addition to the traditional written paper, the assessments will include school-based performance tasks which will be completed during regular class periods in the weeks leading up to the assessment paper. (3) The results of the assessment will not form part of a student’s term or final grade and will not be placed on report cards. Nor will it be used for the purpose of student placement in Form I classes in secondary schools.”
The 2022 National Assessments is a precursor to the full rollout of the Key Stage Assessment of Learning (KAL) in 2023.
“It is important to note that the scheduled 2022 National Assessments serve as a precursor to the further development and implementation of our new national assessment entitled “Key Stage Assessment of Learning” or KAL. It is anticipated that all subjects which are being taught using the enhanced curriculum will have some form of Key Stage Assessment of Learning in 2023,” he said.
Emphasizing the purpose of the assessments as a tool to aid in the evaluation of the curriculum and inform decision-making in the education sector, Minister Powell called on parents and guardians to allow the children to just be themselves and not to add any pressure to the learning experience.