Education Minister admits to gaps in testing children for learning deficiencies

 

After the Gleaner highlighted a literacy crisis at the Pembroke Hall High School in St. Andrew, Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon has conceded that there are glaring gaps in the testing mechanism administered across the local education system.

 

It was revealed that more than 70 per cent of grade 7 pupils at the secondary school are unable to read or can only do so at the third grade level. 

 

With students at the primary level undergoing three rounds of testing, the Grade 3 Diagnostic Exam, Grade 4 Literacy and Numeracy Exam and the Primary Exit Profile, the minister admits that the existing framework has not effectively identified learning deficiencies in children matriculating to the secondary level.

 

In light of this, Dr. Morris Dixon says plans are in place to ensure early detection of learning disabilities that could likely be affecting a number of students in their early early learning years.

 

"We are starting a little bit earlier than the Grade 3 test and we are training our teachers to be able to pick up issues. And what we say to them is that when you pick up any challenges, you need to encourage the parent to come into the ministry and get a diagnostic test. Obviously, that's one area that we have to improve on because there is a long waiting list. And that's why we are building a new facility which will be opened this year in order to do more diagnostic tests," she explained. 

 

"We've also said to UWI, you need to work with us in terms of delivering more people who can do the diagnostic tests. But we need clinicians who can actually work with the children when it's diagnosed," added Dr. Morris Dixon. 

 

In the meantime, the Education Minister has called for the boards of primary schools to be proactive and work with the ministry to improve literacy levels. 

 

She said through intervention programmes in primary schools, some progress has been made in improving literacy rates.

 

"We even had a new one which we started last year, which was for every student at grade 5 that was seen as underperforming at the level. We did diagnostic tests for 2,000 of them last summer. And this summer we're going to do it. So all of them that we find that are underperforming will now get a diagnostic test over the summer holiday. 

 

"And so there are more interventions like that that we need to do. But we also have to work with the school leadership because we do have a board, we have a principal in all of these schools. And it's very important that we showcase the schools where they have a problem at grade 3 and you see by grade 6, it has been addressed. And what that means to me is that it can be done," she acknowledged. 

 

Dr. Morris Dixon was speaking Wednesday at a post-Cabinet media briefing.