CXC Examiner May 2012 - Caribbean Examinations Council

The Caribbean ExaminerRECOGNITION OF CXC QUALIFICATIONSAESon CSECand CAPEAcademic Evaluation Services (AES) is basedin Florida and consequently has a large number ofapplicants from the Caribbean region. Thus, AEShas made it a special priority to keep abreast of thelatest developments in Caribbean education. Ourshared language and historical background and thecommonalities between the US educational systemand that of the Caribbean can make it difficult for a USadmissions counselor to decipher credentials submittedby applicants from the Caribbean. The superficialsimilarities between the two systems – from high schooldiplomas to bachelor degrees, from the use of the A-Fgrading scale on many transcripts to the increasinglycommon US-style associate degrees – mask somesignificant differences, the most prominent of whichare the examinations and credentials offered by theCaribbean Examinations Council (CXC).Our philosophy in evaluation is to hold studentsto the standards expected of them in the educationsystem in which they study. Therefore, the primarycredential that we look for when determiningthe equivalency of US high school graduation isthe Caribbean Examinations Council’s SecondaryEducation Certificate (CSEC), rather than diplomasfrom the high schools attended. We explain on ourevaluation reports that high school diplomas, whilevaluable for entry to the workplace, are not sufficient foruniversity admission in the Caribbean region, and thatsitting for the CSEC – and passing the examinationsat a certain standard – are required for universityadmission.AES goes into great detail on our evaluationreports when the CSEC is submitted. We list eachindividual examination, whether it was passed atthe General, Basic or Technical proficiency level, thegrade received and whether the grade was considered“with credit” (Grades I, II and III) or “without credit”(grades below III). We also specify whether or not theexaminations for English A and Mathematics werepassed with credit, that is Grades I-III, as these gradesare normally required for university admission in theCaribbean. While such details can be time-consuming,we have found that the recipients of our evaluationreports appreciate knowing how we arrive at ourfindings and respect our methodology.Increasingly, students from the Caribbean regionare sitting for the Caribbean Advanced ProficiencyExaminations (CAPE) after successful completionof the CSEC. At AES we encourage holders of theCAPE to order a course-by-course analysis to receivepotential undergraduate transfer credit for theseexaminations. We recommend up to five semesterhours of undergraduate credit for each Unit successfullyachieved on the CAPE, that is, Grades I-V. As with theCSEC, we discuss the CAPE in detail on our evaluationreports to explain our methodology and rationale. Wehave found that the undergraduate transfer credit werecommend for the CAPE is usually honoured by therecipients of our evaluation reports.AES seeks to obtain the most accurate and up-todateinformation available for our credential evaluationresources and for Caribbean students; we have nobetter partner than the CXC. We appreciate the CXC’spresence at international conferences such as NAFSAand make sure our evaluators attend their informativesessions where the latest trends, updates and changes inCaribbean education are discussed. We have also foundthe staff of the CXC to be extremely helpful wheneverwe have need to contact them with general questionsor questions about specific examinations. With thegrowing number of Caribbean students taking theCSEC and CAPE, and with the increasing numbersof Caribbean students pursuing further education inthe US, AES is looking forward to a long and fruitfulpartnership with the CXC.Academic Evaluation Services (AES) is Floridabasedagency which provides US educationalequivalencies and translations services.32 MAY 2012 www.cxc.org