CXC Examiner May 2012 - Caribbean Examinations Council

The Caribbean ExaminerRECOGNITION OF CXC QUALIFICATIONSCaribbean students are among the most mobile in the world; therefore,students need to know that the qualifications they earn from CXC are apassport to enable them to pursue tertiary education anywhere in theworld. This section samples the recognition of CXC’s qualifications by variousinstitutions and documents the testimonials of some past students.ECE on CXCQualificationsBy Melissa GaniereEducational Credential Evaluators, Inc.(ECE) is a private, non-profit credential evaluationagency established in 1980 in the United States.We prepare reports that identify the United States’equivalents of academic qualifications earned inother countries to facilitate educational exchangesand aid in the mobility of students. ECE has beenpreparing evaluation report for students holdingvarious Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)qualifications since its inception.The Caribbean Secondary EducationCertificate (CSEC) is widely considered to bethe equivalent of a US high school diploma.As a recognised examination scheme usedprimarily as an admission tool throughout theCommonwealth Caribbean, CSEC results arealso relied upon for matriculation into highereducation institutions in the United States. CSECresults are viewed as an accurate assessment ofstudent performance and a barometer of futuresuccess in a collegiate setting. Students who havetaken the CSEC tend to have little resistancewhen applying to colleges and universities, whilethose who opt not to sit for the examination mayfind their opportunities for studying abroadsomewhat limited. Generally, it is the CSECresults that are used in calculating the overallsecondary school grade point average.The Caribbean Advanced ProficiencyExaminations (CAPE) are considered by ECEto represent the US equivalent of post-secondarylevel study. Successful CAPE candidates oftentransition into US bachelor’s degree programmeswith significant advanced standing. Becausethe two-year CAPE programme coincides withtwo-year, 60-credit or more, associate degreeprogrammes offered by Caribbean communitycolleges, ECE recommends nine semester hoursof undergraduate credit for each CAPE unitacheived. (A curriculum of seven CAPE units isrequired to earn a CXC Associate Degree).Since CAPE was developed as a regionalreplacement for traditional British Advancedlevel examinations, there is some confusion inthe US surrounding the difference in meaningand purpose of the CAPE Associate Degree andAdvanced Proficiency Diploma (comprised ofsix CAPE units) as they relate to A-Levels. USinstitutions often recommend up to one yearof advanced standing in degree programmesfor A-levels, but as educational structures inCaribbean countries have shifted away from theBritish tradition to be more aligned with a USassociate degree/bachelor’s degree system, upto two years of advanced standing credit maybe considered for the CAPE programme. Aconsistent approach at US universities andcolleges is lacking with respect to where or howto place students with a two-year associate degreeearned at Caribbean community college versus30 MAY 2012 www.cxc.org