MOE Says School Work During SOE Not Meant to be Assessed for Grades

Cecilia Smith

And continuing on the matter of education, Cecilia Ramirez Smith says that the lessons and work being given to students from the pre-primary, to high school levels must not be assessed for grades. She says that the work itself is to keep students engaged and to help reinforce important skills but not meant to be structured, formal work that would require long hours of work and elaborate projects.

Cecilia Ramirez-Smith, Deputy Chief Education Officer

“We do not expect that students at this level will be assessed formally in any way during this period. It is the very reason why we have gone ahead and cancelled the national standardized exams at this level because this is not the time for that. We do want to keep them engaged but we are not concerned about making sure they get a particular grade on a particular subject at this time. So, what we want teachers at the pre-primary and primary level are to make sure that you are in touch with your students. One of the things we don’t want to hear at these two levels is students working on major projects. When classes were called off in March, the Ministry opened a hotline to allow us to engage with the population to find out how they are doing and what challenges they are facing all with the intention to help them work through this difficult time and many of the complaints we received for students at the primary level is that they had to engage on elaborate projects; they had to build solar system; and none of that is necessary during this time. What we want to do is for students to continue to learn in a fun and interactive way that will appeal to their senses during this time because it is a difficult time. So, we want teachers to remember that.”

Again when it comes to the secondary level, Smith says that the approach may be a little different and there is some flexibility in how students are engaged.