Top Ranked Schools in Belize City Share Their Tips for Academic Success
The Ministry of Education’s P.S.E. report also details the top performing schools in the country. According to the report, the schools are ranked based on a methodology called the School GPA. This is determined by using the number of students who achieved overall grades of A through E and multiplying those numbers by a factor according to scoring where A is allotted four points, B gets three points, C is awarded two points, D is assigned one point and E gets zero points. The cumulative score is then divided by the number of students from the school who sat the exam. The ministry noted that while all schools may not have students in the top twenty-five, they still ranked high overall because all or most of the students performed well. This year, several public schools out district made the top twenty-five and also made the top schools’ list. We spoke with two principals from top ranked schools in the city about methods they employ to achieve academic success.
Shery Ali
Shery Ali, Principal, Bernice York Institute
“For our school, it is always early childhood education. It is the area we always focus on for students to have that initial foundation. It is the stepping stone for all levels. With a strong early childhood education that is where the success comes. All the students you spoke with a little while ago are products of our early childhood program. Again, maintenance of standards which leads to our success is a strong team that is really essential because at our school we maintain that standard through our cooperation and team work with all the teachers. So, it doesn’t happen at the middle or upper school, it actually happens at the lower down in the pre-school and infant divisions.”
Andrea Polanco
“Is there any special preparation that the students undertake when they get to upper division to prepare for the P.S.E.?”
Shery Ali
“Well, at the upper division, of course, you aim for excellence so you will push a little harder and do more work. We do additional studies, additional classes and mock exams.”
Andrea Polanco
“Is there any specific way that Bernice York engages with the parents to get them involved in their education?”
Shery Ali
“As parents, they are immersed in their child’s education because we have an open door policy where parents come in and speak with teachers and vice-versa. We also have technology in the classroom where parents can communicate directly to us through our classroom apps. They can access home works in real time, as it is posted parents can access it so parents have access to class work in their drive and in their classroom app, as well.”
Collin Estrada
Collin Estrada, Principal, All Saints Primary School
“It is the culmination of all the years of work. All the teachers that the children have encountered. So, it is a team effort that takes place. It also takes parents and the students to be able to be able to do the work.”
Andrea Polanco
“Talk to us about the culture here at the school; what do you to foster learning among the students?”
Collin Estrada
“One of the things that we look at, there is dedication on the part of teachers and they go above and beyond in terms of helping out. We also try to identify where will be some of our needs in terms of where we will need to work on so that we can be better prepared for the following year. So, like what I said, it is a culmination of years of students being with the teachers from through-out the years. The performance from BJAT you will be able to know what are some of the things and strategies or intervention you need to do to get your students at a certain level.”
Andrea Polanco
“How do you build off of this success going into next year?”
Collin Estrada
“It is just to look at what we are doing right and see what level of improvements we can have because we are not at a hundred percent. So, it is going back with the teachers to look at what we have achieved and the areas of concern and building from there. It’s also about asking parents to help us and asking students to do their part.”
Bernice York ranked as the top school with seven to fourteen students who sat the P.S.E.; while All Saints Anglican Primary School ranked ninth overall in the category of schools with fifty or more students who took the P.S.E.
