CurriculumUnit Purchases "Test Bank"
A recent software purchase will allow theEducation Department to undertake new projects and research inthe field of testing and assessment.
Senior Education Officer (Curriculum andTest Development) Herbert Crawford and Education Officer (Assessment)Delroy Alleyne co-ordinated the acquisition of test-developmenttechnology from industry leading firm Hamlet Computers in theUnited Kingdom. A Hamlet trainer is presently leading a weeklongtraining session for assessment officers that began April 15.
The benefits of the Hamlet package are many,Mr Crawford says.
"It includes everything we need tocreate tests, assess results, provide feedback to schools andeven produce certificates for students. While in training, staffwill learn to input data and conduct statistical analysis in relationto their specialised areas."
The capability to conduct wide-spread assessmentof students and report on their achievements was encouraged byconsultant Anthea Millett in her review of the department twoyears ago.
Many international organisations, such asthe International General Certificate of Secondary Examinations(IGCSE) Board, the Caribbean Examinations Certificate (CXC) Headquarters,as well as the Jamaican and Bahamian Student Assessment Units,operate similar Hamlet test banks. The department and CXC havealready agreed to exchange related technical knowledge and information.
During a recent visit to the UK, Mr Crawfordand Mr Alleyne visited Hamlet's computer operations base and theAssessment Qualifications Alliance (AQA). Located at the Universityof Surrey, AQA is responsible for key stage testing of the UK'snational curriculum. This process evaluates whether students'performance at three-year intervals meets pre-determined standardsof achievement. It was introduced In Cayman in summer 2001.
From there Mr Crawford and Mr Alleyne travelledto Malta for the second conference of the Association of CommonwealthExamination and Accreditation Bodies, which was attended by 134delegates from 21 countries.
These discussions covered a range of topics,Mr Alleyne says, including differences in gender performance andprovisions for special education in small states. Both he andMr Crawford are interested in using presently available data toexamine the gap that exists in the Cayman Islands between girls'and boys' academic achievements. He notes that this problem existsin many countries around the world.
Also of interest, was a presentation bythe World Item Bank, a University of Manchester based organisationthat collects and distributes test questions to countries aroundthe world. Cayman intends to deposit locally written items withthe bank in order to withdraw other questions as these becomeneeded. Mr Alleyne notes that all such items will be pre-testedhere before they are entered into Cayman's bank.
On a regional level the Education Departmentis also spearheading the reactivation of the Caribbean Examinationsand Assessment Authority. Cayman's representatives discussed thepossibility with the six other regional delegates at the Maltaconference. They believe this will ensure that assessment issuesrelevant to the English-speaking Caribbean are addressed.