Caribbean Examinations Council

The Caribbean Examiner
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
CXC and UWI Institutions Sign MOUs
DThe Caribbean Examinations Council and
two departments of the University of the West
Indies signed Memoranda of Understanding
(MOUs) in July this year.
The MOUs were signed with the School of
Education at the UWI Mona Campus on 8 th July
and the Institute of Critical Thinking at UWI’s St
Augustine Campus one week later on 13 th July.
Benefits to Graduate Students
The MOU with the School of Education will
benefit graduate students at the school and CXC
staff. It enables UWI students conducting postgraduate
research to access CXC’s examinations
data base and receive other forms of support
from CXC.
In particular, students enrolled in the
recently-launched Master of Education in Educational
Measurement will be able to access the
CXC database in undertaking their research. Under
the agreement, graduate students will benefit
from the supervision or joint supervision of their
research work by CXC staff approved by UWI.
Benefits to CXC Staff
The agreement also makes provision for the
UWI School of Education to provide opportunities
for CXC staff who satisfy matriculation
requirements, to pursue courses and accumulate
credits towards graduate degrees offered by the
School. In addition, CXC staff will also benefit
from attachments to the School of Education,
where they will be able to use the School’s facilities
to undertake research from which both the
School and CXC will benefit.
In signing the Agreement, Professor Zellyne
Jennings-Craig, Director of the UWI School
of Education said “the agreement with CXC will
strengthen the programme by providing students
with opportunities to undertake research of a
new type aimed at improving practice in the field
of Psychometrics.”
Professor Jennings-Craig noted that the idea
was the brainchild of Professor Stafford Griffith
who worked assiduously in the development of
the Master of Education in Educational Measurement
for delivery both on-line and face- to-face.
Professor Jennings-Craig added that the first
batch of on-line students started the programme
last September while the first batch of face-to-face
students will begin the programme in the new
academic year.
Dr Didacus Jules, CXC Registrar, who
signed on behalf of CXC, said “CXC has 30 years
of Caribbean student’s performance data which
Signing the agreement are Professor Zellyne Jennings-Craig (second from left), Dr Didacus Jules,
and Glenroy Cumberbatch. Professor Stafford Griffith (left) looks on
if interrogated appropriately could better inform
teaching and learning practices in Caribbean
schools”.
Dr Jules expressed the view that the MOU
will strengthen the ties between the Council
and the UWI. The Vice Chancellor of the UWI,
Professor Nigel Harris, is the current Chairman
of the Caribbean Examinations Council.
A joint CXC-UWI monitoring team and
other mechanisms that will help to give expression
to the many clauses of the MOU have been
put in place. In discussing the way forward after
the signing, Professor Griffith said that he hoped
that long before the five-year period of the MOU
expires, the progress made in its implementation
and the mutual benefits derived by UWI and
CXC will lead to an amendment to the agreement
to strengthen and expand the nature of the
collaboration between the School of Education
and CXC.
Critical Syllabus Review
The MOU between CXC and the Institute of
Critical Thinking will see the Institute conducting
a comprehensive review of 10 syllabuses for
the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate
(CSEC) and one syllabus for the Caribbean Advanced
Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Dr Jules, signed for CXC while Dr Bhoendradatt
Tewarie, Pro Vice-Chancellor Planning
and Development and Director of the Institute,
signed on behalf of the UWI.
Dr Tewarie indicated that the mandate of
the project was “to conduct a comprehensive
review of all syllabuses examined by CXC and
to make recommendations for the redesign
and reconfiguration of the examinations and
evaluation system for each subject with a view
to ensuring that pedagogical approaches to
preparation for examinations are infused with
critical thinking”.
11 Subjects
The pilot project would be conducted
focusing on 11 subjects: CSEC Mathematics,
Physics, Biology, Integrated Science, Economics,
Caribbean History, Geography, Social Studies,
Principles of Business and English Language,
and CAPE Literatures in English.
Dr Tewarie stated that the Institute will
seek to draw on subject experts and education
specialists from the University with a view to
engaging teachers from the secondary system
over the next year, following which they would
“work with Dr Jules and his CXC team as they
review the recommendations, proposals and
specific measures to implement the actions and
initiatives agreed upon.”
Dr Jules said that he welcomed the partnership
with the Institute of Critical Thinking
and saw this partnership as long term in nature,
beginning with the pilot of these 11 exams, to
take CXC and education in general to a higher
level in the region.
The Pro Vice Chancellor welcomed the
confidence shown by CXC in the University of
the West Indies in general and in the Institute of
Critical Thinking in particular.
Additionally, he said that “upon implementation,
the entire process will be reviewed for each
of the 11 subjects and adjustments, modifications
etc, as may be required, will be made in the context
of stakeholder consultations to strengthen
approaches and processes for each subject as a
follow up to the initial pilot.”
Dr Tewarie stated that because the education
system in the region was so examination
centered it was important to begin to change
education with a review of examinations.
Dr Jules indicated that he and Dr Tewarie
had worked on projects before and after about a
year of discussion had come to an understanding
about how the infusion of critical thinking into
examinations, pedagogy, syllabus and curriculum
could be achieved.
A joint monitoring team would be established
to ensure that the pilot meets its stated objectives
and would provide written semi-annual
reports on progress.
34 OCTOBER 2009 www.cxc.org