Published 31 March 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS REINTRODUCED FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Basseterre: St. Kitts, Thursday, March 31, 2022: Minister of Education Honourable Jonel
Powell has announced the reintroduction of the Primary School National Assessments at the end
of the 2021-2022 academic year.
“I am pleased to announce today that the Ministry of Education has made the decision to
reintroduce national assessments at the primary level this year. National Assessments will be
administered in Grades four and six for Language Arts and Mathematics during Term three,” he
said.
Outlining the difference between the traditional ‘Test of Standards’ and the 2022 National
Assessments, Minister Powell said,
“National assessment in 2022 will differ from the discontinued “Test of Standards” in several
significant ways. (1) The new assessments are designed to provide feedback to the Ministry of
Education on the effectiveness of the Enhanced Curriculum in Language Arts and Mathematics.
(2) The assessments will allow children to demonstrate what they know and what they can do. In
addition to the traditional written paper, the assessments will include school – based performance
tasks which will be completed during regular class periods in the weeks leading up to the
assessment paper. (3) The results of the assessment will not form part of a student’s term or final
grade and will not be placed on report cards. Nor will it be used for the purpose of student
placement in Form I classes in secondary schools.”
The 2022 National Assessments is a precursor to the full rollout of the Key Stage Assessment of
Learning (KAL) in 2023.
“It is important to note that the scheduled 2022 National Assessments serve as a precursor to the
further development and implementation of our new national assessment entitled “Key Stage
Assessment of Learning” or KAL. It is anticipated that all subjects which are being taught using
the enhanced curriculum will have some form of Key Stage Assessment of Learning in 2023,” he
said.
Emphasizing the purpose of the assessments as a tool to aid in the evaluation of the curriculum
and inform decision making in the education sector, Minister Powell called on parents and
guardians to allow the children to just be themselves and not to add any pressure to the learning
experience.
