There are a few changes related to the 2018 Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) but there’s no need to fear.

This is the sentiment expressed by Bernadette Greaves, Senior Education Officer for Exams and Assessment in the Ministry of Education.

External Assessment of Social Studies

From next year, Social Studies will be externally assessed for the first time, so students will take final exams in four subject areas rather than three: Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. As a result of this, the exam period has been extended to 2 days, May 17 and 18. The exams will be administered in the morning only, with Mathematics and Social Studies on day one and Language Arts and Science on day two.

There will be nothing different about the structure of the Social Studies exam. As with the other literacies, the Social Studies component will be a 50 item multiple choice test. The Ministry of Education has circulated a specimen paper to all schools for the attention of the Social Studies teachers. The document shows that the exam is based on content that is already a part of the Social Studies syllabus.

Social Studies Workshop for Grade 6 Teachers - Oct 2017

The Use of Internal vs. External Assessors

The multiple choice component of the CPEA will comprise 60 % of students’ final score and will be assessed externally. The other 40% of the students’ score will be a reflection of their performance on their SBAs.

CPEA Training for Educators - 2014

Previously, samples of students’ work were sent off to Barbados for assessment, but from next year, local assessors will examine and grade the students’ work internally. Retired teachers, principals and education officers with CPEA experience will be employed as internal assessors and all Grade 6 teachers are expected to have students’ work ready and available for internal assessment in 2018.

The CPEA is the assessment model that has replaced the Common Entrance Examination. Over 1700 students are registered for the summative assessment next year.