Students have mixed reaction to P.S.E.

Taking the P.S.E. in two sessions may make sitting the test easier, but it also means two days of stress instead of one. Tonight, whether they cruised or struggled, the big test for Standard Six students is at least over. News Five’s Patrick Jones sampled opinion at the testing centres.

Patrick Jones, Reporting
Over six thousand boys and girls from across the country sat down today to complete the last two papers in the Primary School Examination. A quick poll of candidates taken between the math and social studies tests show that most were ready for the challenge.

Johann Lin, James Garbutt Primary School
?It?s easy, but you have to study to get through it.?

Patrick Jones
?How much studying did you do to prepare for this exam??

Johann Lin
?I don?t think I did enough, I still find it a little bit hard.?

Heather Baizar, Grace Primary
?Challenging at some parts and at some parts not because of my teacher Miss Castillo. If we didn?t understand she reviewed with us until we did. I really thank her for that.?

Patrick Jones
?How much preparation went into getting to today??

Heather Baizar
?A lot. Everyday we would review maths or social studies. And if we didn?t understand she would make us try it until we get it.?

Bryton Small, James Garbutt Primary School
?It was slightly easy and difficult both in one; it was kind of challenging.?

Patrick Jones
?What was challenging about the exam??

Bryton Small
?The maths especially, mathematics.?

Patrick Jones
?What exactly was challenging about mathematics??

Bryton Small
?Well, the problem solving. It was a lot of hard questions on it.?

Patrick Jones
?But didn?t you prepare for it or how much preparation went into it??

Bryton Small
?Hundred percent.?

With the conclusion of the mathematics and social studies paper, today marked the completion of the second year of split dates for the P.S.E. Programme Manager for National Examinations, Yvonne Davis, says the decision to separate the tests is benefiting the children.

Yvonne Davis, Programme Mgr., National Examinations
?Judging from last year, we felt that splitting the exam over the two day period had given the children a better chance. And from what we have been hearing, the anxiety level lowered so the children were more relaxed when they sat their exams last year. So if that is one of the reasons for the spike in performance last year, then we could anticipate that this year we would see more or less the same result or higher.?

But while that is the optimistic view, there were other factors that have teachers, students, and parents waiting anxiously for the test results.

Yvonne Davis
?Well you know that this year we have had quite a bit of interruption to the school system and so I am very worried about the performance this year. The children, their school year had been interrupted more than once and I believe that that will have some impact on the performance. It is too early to tell, but we anticipate good results but I know–I feel that we might see some change in the performance because of the interruption this year.?

The multiple choice papers will be marked electronically, which should not take much time. A team of trained evaluators will begin scoring the English and mathematics tests this weekend. Davis says the full P.S.E. results are expected to be published in mid-June.

Yvonne Davis
?We?re getting to see more and more how the system is performing. We are able to identify specific areas where there are real weakness and where there are strengths. And because the children are more relaxed over the two-day period, we get a better look at how they are able to cope with the concepts that are tested.?

2005 is the sixth year since the shift from the Belize National Selection Examination to the P.S.E. Davis says this way of testing the children?s competency is helping to indicate their level of preparedness for the next level of their education.

Yvonne Davis
?We have seen a bit of improvement in the way children are processing in math and basically because of the math problem solving paper. The table of specification is the same since 2000 and therefore the teachers are well aware of what the concepts are and what the ability level is in the math problem solving paper. So that they know what to expect because every year more or less it?s the same concepts, just that the–of course the wording must change.?

Martin Jimenez
?Well to me it was challenging, it was very good. And I hope my classmates can do very well on it too.?

Patrick Jones
?Feel nervous in there??

Martin Jimenez
?No.?

Patrick Jones
?So you think you will ace this exam??

Martin Jimenez
?Yes sir.?

Patrick Jones, for News Five.

The Belize District fielded the most P.S.E. candidates followed by Cayo, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Corozal, and Toledo.