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Recent Comments
In the Tribune of August 28, 2012 Dr. Ruthmae Sears of the University of South Florida stated unequivocally in her Letter to the Editor that the BGCSE annual “national average” is “merely an illusion...a poorly defined construct.” She supports her thesis with a long discussion of how an arithmetic average is calculated in the real world. She did this...apparently...without knowing much about just how the BGCSE exam is structured. It appears that she has never examined the Testing & Evaluation Section’s “Grade Descriptor Manual” nor a “Syllabus” for a specific subject. However, she concludes that the A, B, C, D, E, F, G and U grade levels ought to be “better explained” and “a rubric for the letter grades ought to be provided”. This is a valid observation. Let’s look at some specifics...like the BGCSE standards for mathematics.
Writing an exam that tests to such standards and grading it are extremely difficult tasks. And reporting those results in a meaningful way to Parliament is a true challenge for a Minister of Education. But is the BGCSE exam “merely an illusion” or a “silly thing”? NO...it is not. One has to look at a number of things -
The bottom line is that the status quo is unacceptable; and the Department of Education has not yet presented and pursued an effective remedial program. Unfortunately...the BGCSE test results are not an illusion.
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Comments
Rick Lowe - 4 September 2012 08:35- Are we being solution driven?
- Thank you Mrs. Brown.
But are we quibbling while the problem gets worse?
I have no objection with Dr. Sears suggesting the way the results are measured is incorrect. Seems this measurement changes all the time. Mr. Massey was explaining the grading system in his response it seems to me.
The overriding concern of respondees is Mr. Massey's mistaken suggestion that Dr. Sears apparently did not understand the way our system worked here. Obviously she does, but my concern is the results and the impact on our kids and their future.
Is there really a need to tweak the measuring of what the results are for those children that leave school functionally illiterate before improving the system for those that follow them? We know we're failing some kids already without tweaking the grading system don't we?
I can't see changing the measurement again as a solution to the grades being achieved by many students. Sure fix the measurement if it's wrong, but will our kids be functionally literate as a result?
No one seems to answer my question as follows: Would we be having this discussion if the results were better?
We've all got our "feelings" off our chest, now can we move to being solution driven?
As I said previously in this comment thread, all we are asking is to see improvement in public education so our kids obtain an education that will help them in the future.
It does not matter if the the ideas (longer hours, school choice/vouchers, charter schools) other educational professionals have suggested are used as long as the results are improved.
I have never belittled people in the educational field. I have belittled the results and the policy however.
What is being done to our children is simply unconscionable.
We would be delighted to receive an article from you with your solutions to this problem.
Mrs. L. Brown - 4 September 2012 08:13- Change in clothes, but not change in heart....
- Having heard about the comments from peers, I decided to read them for myself.
I am pleased that Dr. Sears reiterated her stance that the calculation is wrong, and that other individuals highlighted the negative perception individuals of this organization have in the public due to their resistance to alternative ideas.
I must say the practice of bashing individuals and the government is clearly not working and is further promoting the viewpoint that your viewpoints are not welcome and may not be warranted (as depicted on the caption of the picture on http://www.bahamasuncensored.com/Sep_10.html ).
Furthermore, Mr. Lowe, you cannot demand solutions immediately, if you do not know what is wrong. That is like asking a doctor to operate, without knowing the exact cause of the problem. Hence, Dr. Sears rebuttal " before strategies can be used to combat the ills, accurate reporting is needed to identify where the challenges exist, and the extent to which they exist", makes sense.
Please attempt to humble yourself, and change your heart and thinking, rather than merely your clothes.
If you change your approach, then perhaps, you can explore, more effective and positive means to improve the quality of education.
Rick Lowe - 2 September 2012 09:27- We need more suggestions for improvement please
- Thank you for visiting and commenting Sandy. (Sorry to address you informally, but your full name was not included with your comment).
At least you offered a possible solution and that's where the discussion needs to be.
Our readers can decide who is attacking whom.
I must state that my reference about job applicants not being able to find simple percentages confirms your point that "the skill of finding a percentage is rather procedural, and is considered lower-level cognitive domain". Surely a student that has "graduated high school" should be able to complete this simple exercise without a calculator?
The other point is that so many of our young people cannot complete a simple job application form. This tells a great deal about us and our unwillingness or inability to find solutions to provide better public education.
Let me go back a little further in time. I guess it was around 1996 or 1997 I served on the board of the Bahamas Vocational and Technical Institute. It was known then as the Industrial Training Centre (ITC). Sadly most of the young men seeking training there after high school did not have basic skills in reading, writing and maths. So the ITC had to first get them up to speed in those areas before they could even consider training them in basic mechanical, carpentry or electrical skills.
I understand the situation is very much the same today.
A travesty.
I invite you to read the publications (pdf) on education posted at the "Available Reports" link on the right side bar of the web site if you have not yet done so.
The two most pertinent reports are Bahamian Youth; The Untapped Resource and The Learning Crisis.
Please consider the people involved. It must have been quite a feat to achieve consensus among such a diverse group.
The Nassau Institute was not involved with these, but support many of the conclusions and suggestions.
One of our missions is to circulate policy ideas that might help improve our country. These may rub some people the wrong way, but you should not confuse our purpose and concern for a better Bahamas.
Dr. Sears and the general public are not excluded from our meetings or submitting essays for our consideration.
Should you or Dr. Sears or any of the other folks that commented here wish to submit an essay, please visit the "Support Us" link on the left side bar of our site.
The possibility exists to post them under a nom de plume, like your comments, but our board would have to be satisfied with your real identity.
Thanks again for commenting, now let's move beyond the ad hominem attacks and get down to some work offering more solutions please people.
Sandy - 2 September 2012 08:49- Professional development- means to improve the system for teachers
- Dear Mr. Lowe,
Having read many of your writings, and other members of your organization’s, I have developed the perception that your organization automatically changes gears to an attack mode, if an alternative viewpoint is presented. Therefore, I was not surprise that Mr. Massey was swift to provide such crude and boorish remarks. Fortunately, the discourses on this discussion board, reflected that his argument was not merited, and was just a malicious ploy to distract individuals from the underlying gist of Dr. Sears’s argument, which was the calculation of the average for core subject matters, such as mathematics.
It appears most individuals agree the calculation for core subject averages is wrong, yet, every year these results continue to be released in the local media. Mr. Bannister, although you objected to “national averages,” for the time you served as Minister of education, “averages” for the core subject matters were still reported. So please avoid the temptation to use this board to play with words, since the calculated of averages were done and reported to media while you served.
Mr. Lowe, you are correct with the idea that these discussions arose from the reported results. However, I am concern that the examples you used on your blog and this website to suggest students are not adequately prepared, may not necessarily be ideal. I am referring to your references that students are unable to find percentages. Because we live in a technological era, finding the percentage should not be the ultimate means to assess whether or not our students are adequately prepared for society. Frankly, such calculations can be generated rather quickly with a phone, calculator, on a computer or using the Internet. Hence, the skill of finding a percentage is rather procedural, and is considered lower-level cognitive domain based on Bloom’s level of taxonomy. According to the taxonomy, there exist six levels, knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. If we seek to address the dilemma facing our public school, I do believe we need to reform the curriculum to develop critical thinkers that can facilitate students’ engagement in higher-level cognitive domain activities.
From my perspective as a teacher in the private school environment, we can combat the problem by promoting continued teacher development, and utilizing effective assessment practices. Teacher development provides teachers greater opportunity to learn how to teach their subject matter well. Additionally, since Dr. Sears reference the distinction between the core and extended groups, we can simply report exam results separately for the groups. Or we can explore, having a standardized test like the S.A.T, that only seniors write, such that we can obtain a better picture of the current educational state of individuals completing a high school education in The Bahamas.
It is recommended that you and your organization should explore building a relationship with Dr. Sears, since she is evidently a highly trained Bahamian in education, more particularly mathematics. Her contribution to your group will improve the quality of the arguments presented. We must be realistic; it just seems asinine to seek to form a group to positively transform education, without having a qualified educator on board.
G. Pinder - 2 September 2012 08:43- Re: Response to Mr. Bannister - Not a focus on semantics...
- Dear Mr. Bannister,
I read your interesting comments and thought I should do some investigations of my own. I know most politicians seem to have an innate tendency to adjust the truth (or argue semantics), hence I am slow to accept the claims you made in its entirety – “Under my leadership, the so called national average was discontinued…. At no time during my tenure as Minister of Education was a national average published.” Having been appointed in December 2009, the time period of focus would be in years 2010 and 2011.
With that said, a simple, yet effective, internet search revealed articles that support your claim that you were opposed to national averages; however articles were found where averages were reported during your term in office. Hence, her statement is correct. Due to the fact her argument was about the calculations – and not the twisted semantics of “national averages” vs “averages”. So if you sought to distance yourself from such practices, the record states otherwise, because “averages” for Mathematics and English, along with other subjects, were presented via the local papers and debated annually.
In the Bahamas Information Services press release (Education Minister announces 2010 BGCSE results, August 5th, 2010) it opened with “Minister of Education the Hon. Desmond Bannister said he was “extremely pleased” to announce that 16 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) subjects in 2010 showed an improvement in Grade Point Average when compared to 2009.” It then continues to list the subjects and reported “averages”.
Additionally, on August 4, 2011, the Nassau Guardian published an article titled, “Poor education results continue - Students average D in English and E in mathematics”. It read: “Student performance declined in more than half of the 27 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exam categories, with students continuing to average D’s and E’s, respectively in English language and mathematics, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Education”.
Therefore, it was evident Dr. Sears did her homework and is indeed correct, because the reporting of averages (whether by you or released by the Ministry of Education) continued, despite your initial objections. Since, Dr. Sears challenged the manner in which the averages were calculated, you are still link to the dreaded practice as it continued during your term.
In the future, can we instead focus on improving the quality of the system and assessment practices, rather than making semantics the focal point.
Sincerely,
G. Pinder
Desmond Bannister - 1 September 2012 14:16- National Average
- This is a very interesting discussion. I commend you for providing a forum where these critical issues may be debated. It is a critical step in the sharing of ideas, and ultimately improving educational opportunities for our children.
My views are well known, hence I resist the attempt to enter the debate at this time. However, notwithstanding my agreement with much of what Dr Sears proffers., I must correct her erroneous comment that "yet it was under his leadership that the construct continued..."
Under my leadership, the so called national average was discontinued for the very reasons stated by Dr. Sears. During my tenure as Minister I sought to bring attention to the shortcomings of the construct, and was severly criticized for discontinuing the publication of this meaningless statistic. At no time during my tenure as Minister of Education was a national average published. On this point Dr. Sears is wrong.
Rick Lowe - 1 September 2012 12:21- Just improve the results for our kids Mr. Scott T.
- No problem Mr. Scott T.
All we are asking is to see improvement in public education so our kids obtain an education that will help them in the future.
It does not matter if the the ideas other educational professionals have suggested (that's where the ideas come from by the way) are used as long as the results are improved.
I have never belittled people in the educational field, I have belittled the results.
What is being done to our children is simply unconscionable.
As I keep saying, we all need to put our collective egos aside (you and me included) and improve the results. If the teachers, administration and politicos don't do that, the slide will continue.
Maybe there's a saving grace. We're getting older so won't be here for too many more decades to witness it.
I repeat my question; if the results were different would we even be having this discussion?
Finally, you are correct, there are no utopias, but the present system is a failure to far too many of our children.
Scott T. - 1 September 2012 11:52- Re: Response to Mr. Lowe
- Dear Mr. Lowe,
Due to the careless remarks on your site (http://www.weblogbahamas.com) (regarding Mr. Makia Gibson’s stakeholder interest), and Mr. Massey’s hasty accusations of Dr. Sears having any knowledge of “how the BGCSE exam is structured”, or inclination regarding syllabus in The Bahamas, a rebuttal about qualifications was obviously needed to clarify that they are in a better position to speak to the matter of education than most parties.
Furthermore, you and your cohorts constantly, and consistently, argue that people are “defending the status quo”, when they do not agree with your positions. Quite frankly, just because someone may not agree with your viewpoints does not dictate that they are siding with the “status quo”. Both Dr. Sears and Mr. Gibson have stated alternative solutions, which did not align with what you have suggested, and you inevitably interpreted as siding with the status quo. This, however, is not the case.
Clearly, we ALL AGREE that the exam results are dismal. However, one should not have a myopic, and utopian, point of view to think that the only feasible, (or as Mr. Gibson suggests not grounded in research in the Bahamian context) solutions are a system of charter schools or a voucher program.
I implore that both you, and Mr. Massey, be respectful to individuals that participate in the educational system; or at the very least collaborate with educational researchers within their respective fields. We need to improve schools, but it is not practical to constantly belittle the true experts within the discipline of EDUCATION.
In the future, I strongly encourage you to network with educators, who are knowledgeable of the system and research within their field. If you, and by extension your organization, consists of a group that lack the training in education, then your perceptions will be, evidently, skewed. Thus it can be concluded, that your viewpoints are just an opinion, and ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
Sincerely,
Scott T.
Rick Lowe - 1 September 2012 08:56- Ratings used to cloud results
- Thank you Dr. Sears and Robert E.
If the results of our public educational system were not so dismal, would we even be having this discussion?
I don't think so.
The problem is the so called "experts" in education spend far too much time defending the status quo and blaming everyone else for the results.
The government, in its wisdom, "owns" the public education system. The results have been declining for decades and our kids are suffering. Many of them can't even complete an employment application, nor determine what 20% of $300 is in their head.
Surely we need all sides to bloviate less about their qualifications and get on with improving the public educational system?
Rick Lowe More discussion here... http://www.weblogbahamas.com/blog_bahamas/2012/08/solutions-to-education-problem-misguided.html
Robert - 1 September 2012 08:24- Will the real expert in education, please stand up!
- This letter was submitted to the letter to the editor. I do believe a response to Mr. Massey's article is required.
Dear Editor,
I have read letters to the local newspaper that have attacked the quality of education in The Bahamas, especially within government schools. It appears many of the commentators perceive themselves as an expert on education, without actually being qualified to speak with such authority on the matter at hand. Therefore, it was a breath of fresh air to read Dr. Ruthmae Sears argument relevant to the underlying calculation of how the national average is reported.
Based on her academic title, and a google search of her scholarly work and professional engagement with education, and most importantly the quality of the argument she presented, I was confident that she was indeed qualified, and competent to speak to the matter of national average, since her argument were clearly based on her area of expertise.
With that said, I was appaled by Mr. Ralph Massey response to her on August 31, 2012, which read:
“She supports her thesis with a long discussion of how an arithmetic average is calculated in the real world. She did this...apparently...without knowing much about just how the BGCSE exam is structured. It appears that she has never examined the Testing & Evaluation Section's “Grade Descriptor Manual” nor a “Syllabus” for a specific subject.”
Afterwards he proceeded to state grading rubric for A-U.
It became quite evident that Mr. Massey was not informed (or did not engage in an internet search) about Dr. Sears’ knowledge of the Bahamian education system, and have completely missed the merit of her argument. Mr. Massey’s remarks about her lack of knowledge of testing highlighted he did not research Dr. Sears involvement in Bahamian education, or was unaware of her professional training.
Furthermore, his reference to a rubric, emphasized that something is terribly wrong with the current assessment measures. Reason being, after the C grade, it became evident that the students obtaining grades less than a C knows little mathematics, and will experience great difficulty to solve tasks posed. It just does not make sense to me, why do we need so many grades (E, F, G, and U) to suggest students are failing. Hence, his rebuttal further highlighted the merit of her argument, that it is unclear what we can deduce about the current reporting of the national grade average.
Additionally, I am concerned that Mr. Massey is prepared to accept poor statistical practices, which ultimately clouds the overall results. This practice, is almost similar to eating fruit of a poison tree. Since Mr. Massey’s training is in economics, you would have expected him to question the numbers as well. So it invokes questions about his ultimate agenda with education, if he don’t mind if the numbers tell a lie. Mr. Massey, obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics, but yet he attempted to assert himself as the expert of educational assessment practices, without actually, having any advance training within the discipline of education. I guess, that is why it is difficult for him to appreciate the merit of her argument, or the need to explain in detail (which he calls a “thesis”) why the reporting of the BGCSE national average is merely an illusion.
I implore the real experts in education to stand up. With that said, Mr. Massey, please remain seated, and allow Dr. Sears to stand up, and other educators who are experts within the discipline of education.
Sincerely,
Bahamian citizen concerned with the educational preparation of our nation’s future.
Nassau, Bahamas
Dr. Ruthmae Sears - 31 August 2012 21:47- RE: Response to Mr. Massey's argument
- Dear Mr. Massey,
I do believe it is important, that I introduce myself to you, to ensure, that you gain a perspective from which I speak. I am not an outsider looking in, rather, I was an active participant in the educational system, and have diligently chosen to pursue knowledge in an effort to implement changes that can correct issues within the educational system, especially in mathematics.
I am an educator and a researcher. In The Bahamas, I was a former secondary school teacher, an invigilator, a national examiner, advisor for the National Teacher Cadet program, a shop-steward, and a member of the National Science Council for the Bahamas. Additionally, I have engaged in national research pertinent to the written and enacted curriculum, as well as evaluated the impact curriculum materials have on students learning.
I have published and presented nationally and internationally at highly ranked research conferences on curriculum issues, reasoning and proof and technology. Hence, I have years of experience with assessment practices, and mathematics curriculum as a whole.
Hence, based on my experience as an educator and researcher, it is my argument that the manner in which the B.G.C.S.E. national average is reported is wrong. Adhering to fundamental principles of research, a Type 1 error exists when it is reported that something exist, when it actually may not be. If the method use to generate the report is flawed, the claims made can be fundamentally challenged.
I am not asserting that our system is perfect, I am saying however, the means in which it is done does not adhere to fundamental constructs of research.
That is why I argue before strategies can be used to combat the ills, accurate reporting is needed to identify where the challenges exist, and the extent to which they exist.
Kindest regards.
Dr. Ruthmae Sears
* Note this post was previously posted online to the tribune article as well. Hence, it is evident, Mr. Rolle, made reference to it.
Mr. Rolle - 31 August 2012 17:50- Mr. Massey needs to do his homework...Ms. Sears now Dr. Sears is indeed a Bahamian educator
- Having read the article, I was shock by the claim made, which is unequivocally WRONG! Mr. Massey stated, “She did this...apparently...without knowing much about just how the BGCSE exam is structured. It appears that she has never examined the Testing & Evaluation Section's “Grade Descriptor Manual” nor a “Syllabus” for a specific subject”, since, I have years of experience with assessment practices, and mathematical curriculum as a whole. "
Ms. Sears was a high school mathematics teacher, and a national examiner for the BGCSE examination. Hence, she did not randomly speak to the matter, rather, she was quite knowledgeable of the practices.
Ms. Sears always participated in school initiatives to advance education, and often did her research before she speak. Therefore, it is evident, Mr. Massey did not do his homework first about the individual of whom he spoke.
It is hope that he apologizes for his claims, because it is evident his claim about her are simply ridiculous.
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