REGIONAL – St Lucia to retire common entrance

(Source: St Lucia News Online) – Several countries in the Caribbean, including Saint Lucia, have decided to retire the Common Entrance Examination, and implement the enhanced Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA).

The CPEA, introduced by CXC in 2012, will improve the quality of education in primary schools and enable increased literacies necessary for students to benefit fully from secondary school education.

Patterson Abraham, education officer for testing and evaluation at the Ministry of Education, elaborated on the measures being taken in the preparatory process.

“We are presently undergoing a two-week training program with our primary school teachers from grades 4 to 6. In the first week, we host sessions with teachers from the northern district, and in the second week, we meet with teachers from districts five to eight,” Abraham said.

The CPEA will be implemented in September beginning with Grade 5 students and will consist of both an internal and external component.

The internal component will include peer assessments, teacher-made tests, practice skills, book reports, and projects.

Under the CPEA, students will also be continuously assessed for the duration of the project component. The internal component of the CPEA contributes to 40 percent of the overall grade.

The external component, a test given by Caribbean Examination Council, will contribute 60 percent of the overall grade at the end of the program.