Gaps identified in diagnostic tests show teachers yet to grasp content to effectively teach - Foster Allen

 

Elaine Foster Allen, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, has said the gaps in knowledge identified among grades 4 to 6 students from the recent Diagnostic Tests, suggest that teachers may not have grasped the content and learning objectives to be able to confidently deliver the lessons.

 

Mrs Foster Allen said the teachers should at this time be reviewing the tests and looking to see where the gaps occurred. 

 

"I would one, look at the scores and there is a document called the interpretation document. What the principal and the teachers ought to be doing must be they should be looking at the score against each item. How did children do on this item? Did they do well enough? Why didn't they do well enough? Where are the gaps in learning in this particular area of the curriculum? And begin to reteach, maybe undo some of the preconceptions that the children had, and teach the thing properly," she recommended.  

 

Mrs Foster Allen said schools should team up virtually and share teaching techniques in order to widen the knowledge of students.

 

Last week, the Ministry of Education disclosed that average scores for students from grade 4 to 6 were well below 50 per cent across all subject areas on which they were tested.

  

Starting this month, it is proposing to spend $173.4 million on a remedial intervention programme. 

 

Mrs Foster Allen said parents need to be reassured about the Ministry of Education's intervention plan.

 

She said the first step is to clearly communicate the strategy to all stakeholders, including parents, to say "we understand what needs to be done. We understand how to do what needs to be done and we're confident that we will do what needs to be done."  

 

Mrs Foster Allen was speaking Tuesday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica programme.