JIS: Student achievement in mathematics at the John Rollins Success Primary School in St. James was not always something that could be spoken about with pride.

 

But this was before the introduction of the Calculation Time programme in 2011.

 

The initiative, which is a collaborative effort between the Governments of Japan and Jamaica, is designed to improve students’ knowledge and appreciation of the subject.

 

It incorporates the use of songs, toys, workbooks and domino cards to make maths fun. For 15 minutes per day over 90 days, students from grades one to six are immersed in the innovative method of teaching the subject.

 

With the introduction of the programme, the students’ ability to solve mathematics problems with greater speed and accuracy has significantly improved at all levels, particularly in the Grade Four Numeracy Test and the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

 

For Principal of John Rollins Success, Yvonne Miller-Wisdom, the programme has brought a turnaround in maths results at the school.

 

Delivering a report during a recent mathematics awards ceremony, she says that mastery level in the Grade Four Numeracy Test went up to 60 per cent in 2016, from 30 per cent in 2010.

 

“We intend to continue to execute the Calculation Time programme with the intention of achieving 100 per cent mastery,” she notes.

 

She says the school has also seen an increase in the number of students scoring more than 90 per cent in the subject area in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

 

“The GSAT students performed above the national average in mathematics in 2016. While the national average was 57 per cent, the school’s average was 65 per cent,” she boasts.

 

But the achievements did not stop there. In 2016, John Rollins Success Primary was declared the champion school in the region four Mathematics Olympics, copping 12 trophies.

 

“The students have succeeded in other mathematics competitions, as well, which includes the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mathematics Olympiad in 2013, which saw two students in grades five and six receiving honorary mention. This means that the two students performed among the top three per cent in the island,” Mrs. Miller-Wisdom points out.

 

She notes, further, that in 2014, the school was ranked among the top-10 performing primary institutions in St. James that gained scores above the national average.

 

“John Rollins Success Primary School is one of the schools that pioneered the implementation of the Calculation Time programme. Today, I stand a proud principal because of the successful impact the programme has made on the performance of the students in mathematics,” she says.

 

She notes that the students enjoy the sessions and are actively engaged, adding that the programme allows for self-regulation, friendly rivalry and fun as well as improvement in fact fluency.

 

“The white card with the black dots, workbooks, the Calculation Time theme song and the activities allow the students to develop speed and accuracy in calculating,” she points out.

 

She says teachers incorporate a tracking system and provide immediate and constant feedback to the students.

 

Mrs. Miller-Wisdom says the programme would not be a success without the input of Education Officer, Seymour Hamilton, and his team, “who have kept abreast of the programme by visiting schools, giving feedback to staff, encouraging students and making sure that we send them pretest and post-test results”.

 

She is encouraging other schools on the project to make good use of the resources provided. “We make sure that they are properly stored and students and teachers are able to access them,” she points out.

 

Providing an overview of the initiative, Mr. Hamilton informs that Calculation Time was introduced as a response to the need for students to develop mental prowess in working with numbers.

 

He says it is designed to help students develop a better appreciation for mathematics; and calculate more accurately and efficiently mentally.

 

He notes that the programme started in seven schools, and at the time it was only taught at the grade-three level.

 

“After the first year, we did some review, and based on the feedback from the teachers, we decided that we were going to venture into 20 schools…the programme was introduced to students from grades one through six,” he explains, noting that it has since been extended to 91 schools.

 

The awards ceremony recognised 15 schools that received the highest ranking following tests under the Calculation Time programme.

 

The Japanese-owned Marubeni Caribbean Power, which is the parent company of JPS, presented $100,000 to each institution for the purchase of learning resources and equipment to improve the teaching and learning of maths.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, lauded the partnership between Jamaica and Japan in improving student achievement in mathematics.

 

He noted that JPS will require a reservoir of quality trained persons, so it is in the company’s best interest to invest in a programme of mathematics.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer, Marubeni Caribbean Power Inc., Tatsuya Ozono, said the company is pleased to support education in Jamaica.

 

He commended the Japanese Embassy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), “which have continued this Calculation Time programme”.

 

He encouraged children to value the subject of mathematics, adding that it is the language that drives science.

 

“It is quite a useful tool to find a logical solution when you face problems. I wish that you will work hard and enjoy the art of science,” he said.

 

The Calculation Time programme is now available in the form of an app at https://goo.gl/aSuP71 and is accessible to all students at the primary level.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, speaks with Principal of the John Rollins Success Primary School, Yvonne Miller-Wisdom (right) and Vice Chairman of the School Board, Marlene Stephenson Dalley, during a tour of the institution in St. James recently.

JIS: Most students were able to sit their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations yesterday, stated Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid.

 

“We had a few students from the Buff Bay Valley in Portland and a few across the country who weren’t able to. The procedure for students who have missed their exams is that they would have to report to the school directly, and we will send a report to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and they will make a determination as to what remedy they are likely to offer,” Reid explained at a press briefing held at Jamaica House to update the nation on the impact of the heavy rains that have been affecting the island since Saturday.

 

He added, “There are usually two remedies. Either we do a supplementary paper, depending on how many students across the island have been affected, and the other alternative would be to use internal grades and forecast grades as the final determination of their scores.”

 

Students who were due to sit industrial technology, textiles and clothing, agriculture, mechanical engineering,

 

French, computer science, geography, entrepreneurship, and electrical and electronic technology were advised to go the nearest examination centre if possible.

 

Parishes most affected by the persistent heavy rainfall are St Elizabeth, St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, Westmorland, St Mary, Portland, and St Ann.

 

The inclement weather led to schools across the island being closed yesterday. However, Reid said where possible, schools should reopen today, while noting that the local authorities and the regional directors would manage the reopening on the ground.

 

“We will assess the accessibility to our schools. Some of them would have had some leaks, and so some cleaning up will have to take place. We are going to monitor the situation and give the public regular updates on the matter,” said the minister.

JIS: More than 63,755 students have enrolled in the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) since its implementation seven years ago.An initiative under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, CAP provides an opportunity for students aged 16 to 18, to gain valuable training and skills for the job market or to further their education.

 

In addition to the job-ready training, CAP also provides exposure to life-coping skills, personal development, civics, personal and national values, and the tenets of good citizenship.

 

CAP is offered at selected secondary schools, private skills-development centres and private/public tertiary institutions across the island.

 

Chief Education Officer at the Ministry, Dr Grace McLean, said that for the 2016/2017 academic year, CAP has been restructured and expanded to better meet the needs of students.

 

The revised and expanded programme, which is being financed through funds totalling $804,888,000, serves as a two-year extension of secondary schooling, allowing students to remain in school at grades 12 and 13. This will provide greater opportunity for certified CAP graduates to matriculate into tertiary institutions.

 

The revised programme also allows for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) resits in Mathematics or English, which is fully paid for by the Ministry.

 

There is also an allocation of $40,000 each to benefit 40 students, who are enrolled in approved sixth-form programmes and are pursuing the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), or a National Council on Technical, Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) skill.

CAP is offered along three pathways – technical, traditional and general. The traditional and technical pathways are offered across the programme’s 110 centres, while the general pathway is facilitated through the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).

 

McLean explained that the purpose of the general pathway is to ensure that learners are competent in literacy and numeracy and are enabled to successfully pursue career training in technical and vocational skills, delivered by the HEART Trust/NTA.

 

The traditional pathway provides students, who are enrolled in approved sixth forms and are pursuing CAPE, the option to also do NCTVET programmes. This is designed to provide the student with a skill component, along with the critical core subjects. This option allows students to achieve dual certification.

 

As it relates to the technical pathway, Dr McLean noted that it offers various options for students. One aspect is designed for students who are pursuing technical-oriented vocations, and they must have attained a pass or higher in at least one CSEC subject or its equivalent. Students who received a four in Mathematics and/or English will be able to resit the subject(s). Participants will also be required to pursue a TVET course at level one or two in addition to the prescribed mandatory core subjects.

 

Another component of the technical pathway is for students who are pursuing technical-oriented vocations and have attained the minimum score of 25 in the HEART/ NTA Diagnostic Test in both Mathematics and English. They will be required to pursue both Mathematics and English in the City and Guilds examinations, and a TVET course at either level one or two, in addition to the prescribed mandatory core areas.

 

McLean added that, going forward, there will be continuous capacity-building activities for stakeholders to enhance their level of competence in the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) methodology, the technical component of skills, and other areas of weaknesses.

 

She also stated that there will also be full integration of the extended grade 12 and 13 into all public schools for the 2017/2018 academic year, an increase in stakeholders’ partnership, and the implementation of a tracking system for all successful CAP graduates for matriculation into higher education or the world of work.

 

Skill and certification offerings under CAP include commercial food preparation, entrepreneurship, carpentry, welding; call centre operations, cosmetology, business administration, tour guide, hospitality services, motor vehicle repairs, digital animation, customer service, healthcare assistance, electrical engineering, information technology, and many more.

 

CAPTION: Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr Grace McLean. (Photo: JIS)

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will continue to implement strategies to improve the performance of students in mathematics at the primary and secondary levels.This was stated by National Mathematics Coordinator, Dr Tamika Benjamin, at a mathematics forum hosted by the Ministry recently, at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, St Andrew.

 

More than 40 educators, consisting of mathematics specialists, coaches, senior teachers and principals representing the six educational regions, participated in the event. Benjamin said the purpose of the forum was to engage key stakeholders in reviewing the elements of the National Mathematics Programme (NMP), which was revamped in 2012, and also to determine what additional policy decisions or strategies can be applied at all levels of the education system. She informed that focus is being placed on six areas as part of the process to reform maths education.

 

These are the teaching and learning experiences within the classroom; equity, which is ensuring that all students have access to high-quality maths teaching and learning; a standardised curriculum; adequate tools and technology; assessment, which is making sure students receive feedback; and professionalism, whereby teachers take responsibility for their own development.

 

Benjamin noted that the NMP was designed with three main objectives, which are to establish standards and guidelines; make sure there is concerted and consistent effort to improve teacher and teaching quality; and also to improve the attitudes of every Jamaican to the teaching and learning of the subject, through a public education campaign.

 

She shared that coming out of the National Mathematics Policy Guidelines, which were drafted in 2013, all student-teachers entering college must sit a diagnostic test.

 

Other provisions are for the adjustment of courses to meet the minimum credit requirement, adoption of qualification guidelines for the engagement of teachers, and raising the matriculation standards for entry into mathematics teacher education.

 

CAPTION: National Mathematics Coordinator at the Ministry of Education, Dr Tamika Benjamin 

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government is placing technical vocational education and training (TVET) at the core of the educational system in order to align training and education to market needs.

 

He said that contrary to popular belief, it is the technical side of education that is driving the world economy, and employees are now required to have technical skills.

 

“So this notion, I call it nonsense, about TVET being somewhat inferior, or somehow is a taboo, is far from what the reality is out there in the world today,” he pointed out.

 

“The average jobs… 90 per cent and rising… are technical-based, and our students must be aware of this… that’s all I am saying. We need to get with this programme and carry on the transformation,” he said.

 

“Places like the University of the West Indies (UWI) need to assist in carrying on the dialogue. Teachers must also keep up to date with changes,” he added.

 

Senator Reid was addressing the 3rd International Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean at the Hilton Resort and Spa in St. James on May 10.

 

He pointed out that countries such as Germany, Australia, Switzerland and Austria, which combine practical and theoretical training, have the lowest unemployment rates among young people in the world.

 

He said it is based on the need to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the job market that the Ministry has been insisting that every youngster must remain in school until age 18, and must pursue a programme of training that leads to certification.

 

“Why would I want to preside over a system where students can comfortably graduate and leave school at grade 11? Graduate to what or to where? Because you have five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects (CSEC), you think you are qualified… . Qualified to do what?” he asked.

 

“I am building a foundation… that is what I am doing,” he declared. “We have to compete against Japan and Singapore… countries that we were once ahead of,” he noted.

 

“If we are going to talk about lifelong learning, then we are going to have to have an education system that says students must go beyond grade 11,” he stressed.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, emphasises a point as he addresses the 3rd International Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean at the Hilton Resort and Spa, St. James, on May 10.

JIS: The Special Education Policy, which seeks to fulfil the academic requirements of students with special needs, is expected to be brought to Cabinet for approval within another month.

 

This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, who said it is “urgent and important” that this policy is implemented to cater to the diverse needs of this cohort.

 

“It has been drafted and we are doing some final editing. I am hoping that within another month, I can get it forward,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking to JIS News following a tour of the Genesis Academy in Kingston today (May 11).

 

Mr. Reid said that the policy will complement the Disabilities Act, which makes provision to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons with disabilities across Jamaica.

 

“As an Education Ministry, we are following on the requirements of that Act (and we) need to have a policy in place that complements and gives life to the aspirations of that particular Act.

 

“We need to accept that we have a cohort of special needs children and that the education system must be so designed to take care (of) and serve the entire population, whether you are special needs or regular,” he pointed out.

 

The Policy, drafted by the Ministry’s Special Education Unit, will provide a framework for treating with or meeting the educational needs of special students.

 

Its two main goals are for equity and access to educational opportunities; and to promote a system of inclusive education where possible.

 

It also seeks to protect the rights of children and youth with disabilities against discrimination in educational settings; and it will also promote awareness of students’ right to quality education. In addition, it will ensure that students are provided with the necessary accommodations they need in the educational setting.

 

The policy will also speak to how children will be placed, how they will gain access to schools, and provisions that should be available for them, including qualified staff, and the required student-teacher ratio.

 

The framework, which will also provide guidance for assessment procedures and standards, will not only focus on students with disabilities but also cater to gifted and talented children.

 

Additionally, it will take into consideration the role parents need to play in the education of their children as well as collaboration with other stakeholders.

 

Pointing to an important aspect of the policy, which outlines guidelines for school-to-work transition planning, Mr. Reid told JIS News that it is crucial that students with disabilities are empowered so they are able to live independently.

 

He stressed that the Government will be putting in place the necessary plans and programmes to make them equally employable.

 

“We need… to better manage this cohort of Jamaicans, so that they are properly taken care of (and) their welfare is provided for. We have to assist them in transitioning to independent living, because if we don’t, not only are they going to be a further burden on the State, but we know from our own experience from the past, they are vulnerable to abuse,” he said.

 

Genesis Academy is a skills-training centre that caters to students with learning challenges. It conducts speech, music and art therapy and operates a life skills curriculum for persons 12 to 25, and a HEART Trust/NTA-certified vocational skills training programme.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), speaks with Principal of Genesis Academy, Donna Lowe (left); and Chairman, Caryl Fenton, during a tour of the special education institution on South Camp Road in Kingston on Thursday (May 11).

THE GLEANER:  The Read Across Jamaica Foundation yesterday embarked on another mission to encourage the nation’s children to pattern fluent and impressive reading, by having influential persons in society and representatives from major organisations read to them during Read Across Jamaica Day.

 

Reading activities coincided with Child Month celebrations.

 

Children in schools across Jamaica shared in the joys of reading, through exhibitions and executions of different reading strategies, which assisted them with creating an interaction with text that may be above their independent reading levels.

 

CAPTION: Constable Shanika Holness from the Franklin Town police division reading to students from Alpha Infant School in St Andrew during Read Across Jamaica Day yesterday. Several organisations and influential persons in society visited schools across Jamaica to read to students.

THE GLEANER: Celebrations to honour teachers at the Jessie Ripoll Primary School in Kingston yesterday were overwhelmed by the students, who filled the classrooms with joy and excitement, while volunteers from Scotiabank engaged everyone in conversations and activities (skits and literature) on the topic of bullying.

 

At schools across Jamaica, students joined parents and various other groups in Teachers’ Day activities to honour the country’s educators.

 

Several teachers and principals were pampered and bestowed with gifts, as the students enthusiastically participated in the many activities.

 

“I was truly impressed by their reading level. It was unbelievable that they knew everything about cyberbullying,” service report representative at the New Kingston Scotiabank branch Taneisha James told The Gleaner of the Jessie Ripoll students.

 

Volunteer Shauna-Kay Christie expressed concern that too many students were willing to admit that they were bullies themselves.

 

“I realised the kids were really informed on what bullying is, but when questioned ‘Who is a bully?’, persons were readily getting up to say ‘I am’, and kids in the class could say that these persons are bullies. Persons were straightforward, and in asking them why they do what they do, they were able to express freely that they were being bullied and that’s why they bully,” she shared.

 

 

 

LINE OF DEFENCE

 

 

“There was this young lady who, when I asked why, she said that things were happening at home with her cousins and aunts. They say stuff about her and it causes her to be weak, so it’s a line of defence to get back at people when she is at school.”

 

Scotia’s Vice-president of Marketing Yanique Forbes Patrick said that the decision to focus on bullying was influenced by the Child Development Agency (CDA) and Child Month.

 

“We wanted to make sure that when we were coming, we weren’t just playing games and singing with the students. We had consulted the CDA, and one of the things they have been trying to focus on for the month is bullying. We have a growing problem [with bullying], and now it is taking other forms, and online and social media is driving it,” she said.

 

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CAPTION: Scotiabank volunteer Shauna-Kay Christie briefs students in her class at the Jessie Ripoll Primary School before they presented a skit demonstrating the effects of bullying during Teachers’ Day activities.