#BTColumn – The 11-plus exam education inequality

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Walter Edey

The high stakes 11-plus exam continues to place enormous pressure on students, teachers and parents. It is a test which, if failed, that too many students are made to believe is the end of the world.

The problem is that the test is not the only way to measure a child’s ability and potential. But at the same time, it draws attention to other factors such as a child’s social and emotional development.

The reality is that the exam has simply magnified existing education inequalities. Changing how the exam results are announced and reported, can and will shift the focus on improving low student performance rather than the sorting of children into different schools based on an exam that has academic usefulness.

For students who have worked hard and achieved success, the announcement of 2022 results is a time for celebration, and rightly so.

Especially since the exam was delayed and students had to familarise themselves with the online learning format. But for those students who have fallen short, it is a time of discouragement, deep anxiety and dismay.

It is therefore important that everyone – leadership, teachers and parents go the extra mile and support these low performing students.

Express compassion and empathy for them in the coming months and years.  While it is essential to recognise and reward academic achievement, it is also important to provide support and encouragement for those who need it most.

ure to be among the top performers is not a death or work for life sentence.

Point to all the artists, sportsmen, artisans, tailors, chefs, dancers, entertainers etc., that enjoy similar lifestyles as professionals. Reinforcing upfront, the fact that every society needs all types of performers, is an intangible investment in the nation’s future.

Therefore, when leaders announce these type of test results with sensitivity and care, they show that they value all students and are committed to their success.

When education leadership and the media focus on the top students and the schools they attended alone, this focus reinforces the misinformed narrative that the 11-plus exam is all about the school that students are transferred to and not striving to attain national standards.

There is no denial that facilitating a high-quality education is one of the most important responsibilities of any government.

This priority requires the development of policies and plans to guide and direct government and private education institutions in general. Specifically, it is an obligation of government to provide education pathways for students of lower economic and social circumstances.

By establishing, communicating and enforcing national standards, a government can monitor student and teacher progress in a measured and scientific way as the COVID experience has shown.

Non-compliance with standards will also show where resources are needed; address teacher and administrative accountability for education delivery; and they can, with targeted interventions like individual student help and diagnostics, promote student responsibility for learning.

In addition, clearly defined national standards help to level the playing field between different schools and geographical areas.

Poor school environments can be identified and enriched. Furthermore, schools and teachers can be rewarded for improving the performance level of low performing students.

By ensuring that all students are held to the same standards, governments can help to close the achievement gap by means of testing and other widely used methods.

Ultimately, national standards can help to prepare students for the workforce and signals to the private sector what kind of student to plan for.

Furthermore, foreign investors pay close attention to published national education standards.

Performance standards are necessary in order to ensure that students are meeting the objectives of their education. In fact, performance standards are also widely used in the workplace and sport.

Now some critics of the 11-plus exam argue that the current system places too much emphasis on individual test scores, especially top performing students. And they posit that this can lead to an unhealthy and misplaced focus.

However, given that standardised tests are part of a group of essential tools for measuring student achievement and performance, the way forward is finding common ground. Changing the manner in which test results are reported and announced is that common ground.

So what if CXC, the examining body, by way of request and discussion, results in using a four-level scoring system instead of the percentage format? And what if a level 1 says that a student is not meeting standards; a level 2 student is meeting standards, and level 3 and 4 students are above standards? And what if each level had three subdivisions indexed as minus to plus?

Clearly this type of reporting the results while maintaining the essay format would shift the conversation towards national standards.

Moreover, it would provide a more accurate picture of student achievement by school and direct remediation. It would make it easier for parents and educators to identify areas where a student may need additional help. It would set a benchmark for summer school programs and incentives for teachers who realise the level of student performance in the lower levels.

If compassion for low performers is not expressed now, the question is when and how. National standards in education is best intervention.

Walter Edey is a retired maths and science educator in Barbados and New York.