Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Holness, Henry-wilson

THE MINISTRY of Education is to conduct a technical review of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), with particular focus to be given to the marking scale for science and communication task, Andrew Holness, minister of education, announced yesterday.

At the same time, the ministry is to establish a committee to deal with GSAT queries by parents. An appeal process will also be facilitated.

Holness, who yesterday tabled a ministry paper on the GSAT in the House of Representatives, said it was time for a review. The education minister said that of all the tests, the scores for communication task have improved the most, and it was now time to raise the standard and change the scale.

Growing controversy

Currently, the science test has 60 questions with a value of one raw score on a scale of 0 to 60, while communication task has a short-answer question and an extended writing ques-tion, with a subjective score on a scale of zero to 12.

There has been growing controversy over the GSAT. The education minister's intervention follows an insistence by some school administrators, teachers and parents for an explanation of the method used to arrive at the top performers.

Parents have been using the percentages in each subject to determine their children's final overall performance, but Holness said this method was incorrect. He noted that the scores have to be standardised because different subjects are given different values.

The education minister, however, did not fully explain the placement and marking process in Parlia-ment, yesterday, noting that it was not something that could be fully detailed in the House.

In her remarks, Opposition spokesperson on education Maxine Henry-Wilson said there should be a review of the entire examination, including content and placement.

Cumulative test

"After 10 years, the entire examination needs to be reviewed and make the process as participatory as possible," Henry-Wilson said.

She also suggested that the GSAT be a cumulative test, where grades from previous years go towards the final examination.

The former education minister said students would benefit more, as the two-day GSAT is too intense.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com