Schools Making Progress in Raising Standards

The Ministry of Education is reporting progress by schools in implementing the recommendations put forward by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) to improve performance standards.

The recommendations followed the NEI’s assessment of 135 primary and secondary schools during the period September 2010 to March 2011, which found that several institutions were struggling in key areas.

Portfolio Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, in a report in the House of Representatives on December 11, informed that to date, at least 80 per cent of these schools are “progressing steadily” in making improvements.

He noted that the other 20 per cent are being provided with the guided support to bring them up to the required level.

As part of the remedial action, an intensive three-day workshop for teachers of English Language and Mathematics will be conducted from December 11 to 13 for the lowest performing schools. A total of 400 teachers will participate.

The NEI assessment was conducted on public schools in regions one and two, comprising the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary.

 It focussed on eight key indicators of school effectiveness; leadership and management; teaching and support for student learning; student attainment; student progress; students’ personal and social development; human and material resources; curriculum and enhancement programmes; and student safety, security and well-being.

Minister Thwaites stated that the results from the evaluation were “at best mediocre with some very striking deficits indicated”.

Of the 135 schools inspected, 35 per cent were rated as unsatisfactory and four per cent were in need of immediate support in the areas of leadership and management. Three per cent of the schools were rated as exceptionally high; 22 per cent as good; and 36 per cent as satisfactory.

In the area of teaching support, 13 per cent of schools were rated as good and 45 per cent satisfactory. At the same time, 40 per cent were rated as unsatisfactory and two per cent in need of immediate support.

Student progress was rated as good to exceptional in nine per cent of the schools inspected, with 36 per cent satisfactory, 53 per cent unsatisfactory, and two per cent in need of immediate support.

As it relates to student attainment, the report showed that 11 per cent of schools were above the national average in Mathematics and English and the Ministry of Education targets. However, 19 per cent were at the national averages and 63 per cent were categorised as being below the national average in the two subject areas.

In the area of personal and social development, 31 per cent of schools were rated good, 47 per cent as satisfactory, and 22 per cent unsatisfactory.

The NEI rated 24 per cent of schools as good in the use of human and material resources to support students’ learning, 40 per cent as satisfactory, and 36 per cent unsatisfactory.

In addition, 31 per cent were good in meeting students’ needs in terms of curriculum and enhancement programmes, 42 per cent were satisfactory, and 26 per cent unsatisfactory.

As it relates to safety, security, health and wellbeing, this was judged to be good in 22 per cent of schools, satisfactory in 44 per cent, unsatisfactory in 33 per cent, and one per cent in need of immediate support. 

The NEI, in its report, pointed to the importance of leadership in the successful operation of a school, stating that principals must possess a wider range of skills and competencies to be effective leaders.  It recommended that principals and middle managers need to take personal responsibility for their continuous training and development as well as make use of the opportunities afforded to them by the Ministry.

“In this regard, it should be mandatory for them to access the relevant professional development through the National College of Educational Leadership and the Jamaica Teaching Council. The frequency with which school management teams access these opportunities should be monitored by the Jamaica Teaching Council for future registration,” the report stated.

The NEI also recommended that the recruitment and selection of board members should be streamlined to reflect the expertise required to support schools towards continuous improvements.

“School boards should also be mandated to set and monitor school improvement targets that are aligned to the sector targets set out by the Ministry, and as such, should be required to report on the improvements to the Minister of Education and other stakeholders,” the report stated.

The NEI said that students’ safety and wellbeing should be given high priority and, as a first step, schools should form community partnerships to implement safety measures, including erecting boundary walls.

The Ministry of Education, for its part has mandated the schools to implement the recommendations for improvement, and produce an action plan, which is to be made available to the regional offices.

The education officers are required to monitor performance and give support to ensure progress in implementing the recommendations.

The next cycle of inspection, in March 2013, will report on the progress made by each school, particularly those deemed to be unsatisfactory.