CXC FINDS MATHS FORMULA - Exam body to roll out more subjects as modular learning yields impressive results in pilot

Students preparing for next year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations will be able to take up to four subjects under the newest qualification, the Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC).

Following a successful pilot of the CTEC mathematics in this year’s May-June examinations, three additional core subjects –English language, English literature, and integrated science – will be offered next year. The programme is expected to expand to nine subjects during the 2027-2028 academic year.

Describing the CTEC as a “game changer”, CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley said the initiative reflects the regional examination body’s effort to adapt to changing learning environments and student needs.

“Our children are not less capable than those who came before them. They are differently wired, digital first, and hungry for credentials that keep pace with their lives,” he said.

The CTEC is a flexible, modular qualification that allows students to complete subjects in independent modules, earning micro-credentials as they progress. While it is set at the same academic standard as the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), students have up to four years to complete the three required modules for full certification.

“The Caribbean Examinations Council is declaring to our students this simple truth. What you know counts. We hear you. We see you. Your learning has been seen, measured, and certified. You are not at the end of the road,” he said.

Wesley noted that several candidates have benefited from this new examination option, and it is being embraced by all school stakeholders.

“ ... I am proud to announce that of these 2,535 candidates who wrote CTEC module one in the mathematics pilot examination, 88 per cent achieved acceptable grades. And across the entire Caribbean, only one candidate received the lowest grade. Only one,” he said.

He contended that this achievement is a “remarkable turnaround”, especially measured against a “generation in which barely one in three candidates succeed in a typical sitting.

“When learning is assessed in focused, achievable stages, our students do more than cope. They excel, they engage, persist, and succeed,” he said, stressing that the pilot is proof that the modular approach works.

Wesley stressed, however, that completing a module does not amount to completing an entire subject, noting that students must successfully complete all modules to earn the full qualification.

He also announced that CTEC Mathematics Module One has already been embedded into this year’s CSEC Mathematics examination, meaning that approximately 35,000 candidates will automatically receive the Module One credential.

Highlighting that the CTEC certification is of value to students, he stated that the content of each module is “relatable, relevant, and provides for job readiness”.

“The modules are so grouped that the cluster itself provides for you to have access to employment in various sectors,” he said, adding that these would be entry-level jobs.

Meanwhile, CXC reported improved performance in this year’s CSEC Mathematics examination, with 42 per cent of candidates earning passing grades – up four percentage points from last year. English language maintained a strong performance, with 80 per cent of candidates achieving passing grades.

CXC Director of Operations Dr Nicole Manning welcomed the improvement in mathematics while acknowledging that further progress is needed.

“Any improvement in math is a good improvement, so it’s important for us to be happy about that. Improvement is improvement,” she said while presenting the results in a ceremony hosted in Anguilla yesterday.

In the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), there were high pass rates in the core subjects of Caribbean studies (98 per cent) and communication studies (93 per cent).

Approximately 26,000 students did CAPE, while more than 118,000 candidates sat CSEC exams this year.

Manning also expressed concern about absenteeism, revealing that more than 35,000 registered candidates did not sit their examinations.

“An absent candidate has no opportunity to be graded because they have missed a component. So that candidate would have lost out on that opportunity,” she said.

She urged parents, guardians, and educators to help ensure that students attend the examinations for which they register.

Manning further reported 128 examination irregularities this year, up from 80 last year. These included the use of unauthorised devices, collusion, unauthorised materials, and misuse of artificial intelligence.

At the same time, she said 359 candidates received compassionate consideration.

“That means that these candidates were not disadvantaged in any way even though they would have experienced some sort of issue in their lives. We are helping them to continue,” Manning said.

She said CXC also activated its disaster-recovery protocol to assist Jamaican students whose education was disrupted by Hurricane Melissa last year. The CXC offered a modified assessment approach for high schools in seven parishes that were severely impacted by the Category 5 storm.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com