Students not performing at grade level will no longer advance automatically

By Racquel Porter   

 

Come September, the practice of moving students from one grade level to the next, regardless of academic development, will be discontinued.

 

The announcement was made by Chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC), Dr. Adrian Stokes.

 

"Students who are not at the requisite level will be placed on a pathway that allows them to remediate the learning challenges they are experiencing. Individual learning plans will be developed for these students to ensure proper targeting of learning challenges," said Dr. Stokes, who was addressing the committee's quarterly press briefing on Wednesday. 

 

The ETOC chairman said some high schools face a serious challenge, as some students transitioning from primary school are not academically prepared to undertake 10 subjects in grade seven.

 

Consequently, they will only be required to do six subjects in their first year of high school. 

 

"These students, some of them are placed in what is called the Pathway 3 by the ministry. They require focused attention to correct fundamental issues with literacy and numeracy. Therefore, I am happy that come this September, students who require academic assistance as indicated by their Pathway 3 grouping, will do only six subjects in grade 7, instead of multiple subjects some are currently undertaking," he noted, adding that this targeted approach should better prepare them to end secondary school successfully. 

 

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said the number of subjects pursued by each student will increase based on their progress. 

 

Last month, the Gleaner reported that more than 70 per cent of the roughly 220 grade seven students at Pembroke Hall High School are unable to read or do so only at the grade-three level.