COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA: National Assessment Program

Context

 LThe 300 square mile island of Dominica lies between the French dependent territories Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean. The island is volcanic in origin and its interior is covered with tropical rain forests. The 70, 000 inhabitants live mainly in coastal areas and are employed mainly in the agricultural and growing tourism sectors. Gross per capita income is low and recent challenges to the once staple banana industry have resulted in unemployment and high levels of migration. While the official language of Dominica is English, French Creole is widely spoken. Primary education is universal and successive administrations have moved towards a policy of universal secondary education. Presently, well over 75% of the population finishing primary school attend five-year secondary schools.
The lack of detailed information on the performance levels of students in the school system has been a source of concern to the Ministry of Education in Dominica for many years. As is usual in a small developing island economy the lack of trained personnel and an overburdened management mitigated against the establishment of planning and assessment units that would assuage these difficulties. Cogniscent of these problems the government with the assistance of a World Bank loan embarked on a Basic Education Reform Project (BERP) in 1995. The project had twin aims of upgrading the management capability of the Ministry of Education and improving the quality of primary education. The project led to the establishment of a Measurement and Evaluation Unit in 1998, consisting of two specialist officers and a secretary and the acquisition of computers, software, scanners and reprographic equipment. This new Unit was given the responsibility of establishing and implementing a National Assessment Program. The program would supply the Ministry with baseline data on student performance levels and thereafter monitor achievement levels.

Objetives

In order to assist the Ministry of Education to better identify where to allocate scarce resources and to help teachers make more accurate diagnosis of student needs a national assessment program was developed. The key objectives of the program are:
  • To improve teaching and learning in the school system
  • To assist in the identification of student strengths and weaknesses
  • To promote accountability
  • To assist in the setting of realistic standards
  • To provide feedback on the curriculum

    Pedagogical Challenges

    Until recently there were few useful measures of student achievement levels in Dominica. Without baseline figures the determination of system needs could only be done on an ad hoc basis and it was difficult to plan systematically. The National Assessment Program was designed to fill this information gap and determine actual levels of literacy and numeracy at various levels in the school age population.

    General Description

    The program involves the assessment of students in literacy and numeracy at the four stages indicated within the school system. These assessments are developed by groups of practicing teachers under the guidance of the Measurement and Evaluation Unit of the Ministry of Education and are administered by the students� own class teacher and marked by these teachers in moderation groups.
    The design and administration of the initial assessment program followed the lines as advocated in the literature (see, for example, Greaney & Kellaghen, 1996). The broad framework for the establishment of a national assessment program had been outlined in the consultant�s report in preparation for the Basic Education Reform Project, financed under a loan from the IDB that commenced in 1995. National assessment was given legal status under the passage of the Education Act of 1997, which defined the key assessment stages. The four main steps were:
  • Pilot phase
  • Marking and standard setting
  • Reporting of results
  • Evaluation

    Participating Individuals and Institutions

    Direction of the program is under the Ministry of Education. Assistance is received from education officers, staff of the Teachers College and NGOs. Key stakeholders include:\
  • Education Officials
  • Principals
  • Teachers
  • Parents
  • Students

    Budget & Financing

    The MEU has a recurrent budget given to it by government of approximately US $80 000. About 60% of this goes in salary and travel payments to staff, while the remaining 40% pays for material production, workshops, supervisory exercises and special service payments. The MEU has also been able to draw on funds assigned for this purpose from the Basic Education Reform Project for most of the training aspects of the assessment program. All the necessary data management and reprographic equipment were also financed under BERP.

    Strengths of the Program

  • For the first time reasonably valid and reliability data was gathered on student performance levels in the core subject areas.
  • The variety of assessments and their form acted as a model for teachers
  • The consultative process with many different stakeholders was a critical ingredient in the success of the assessment program.
  • Results of the first national assessment provided the Ministry of Education with the evidence to allocate resources and to justify the need for a national literacy development plan.

    Lessons Learned

  • The results indicated that it was possible to carry out national assessments using a variety of formats in areas with limited human and physical resources.
  • Teacher ownership of the development, administration, scoring and reporting was an important motivating factor.
  • Concerns that teachers would falsify results or abuse their positions were without foundation. Teachers were almost universally fair in test administration and in their judgments.

    Future Challenges

  • Increased staff or access to staff to develop and administer an expanding assessment program
  • Possible diminished returns for increased investment.

    Responding to the Challenges of the Summit

    The Plan of Action for Education calls for the support of �initiatives based on performance assessment programs regarding educational processes and achievement, taking into consideration studies in pedagogy and assessment practices previously developed by countries.� Dominica�s National Assessment Program is an innovative response to the common challenge of informing the decisions governments take to improve educational quality.

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