East Rural St. Andrew students to sit GSAT mock exams

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Students in East Rural St. Andrew will be given a much-needed educational boost courtesy of their Member of Parliament, Hon. Damion Crawford.

All grade six students in the primary schools across the constituency preparing to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test, (GSAT), next year, will participate in a rigorous two-day mock exam series starting this Thursday.

According to Minister Crawford, “The exam preparation papers will be provided by myself; in addition, I will also be providing the persons to conduct the independent marking of the papers. The aim of the mock exams is to get the children accustomed to exam procedures, therefore, all activities will mimic the actual exam execution including shaded papers, external invigilators and the structure of the exams.”

In addition to this, Minister Crawford says prizes will be awarded to the best performing students. He, however, notes that for the mock exams to be a success, parents and guardians will have to be proactive.

“I am asking all parents to have their children study extensively over the next few days, as if the actual exams were taking place this year. In order for students to be successful, the complete framework must be present and that includes not only the necessary infrastructure and materials in the schools, but also parents playing an active role in the education of the children.”

This year’s island-wide average GSAT scores in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts, continue to sway between 50% and 60%, while Communication Task ranks in the 70s. This however, has not been the case with many East Rural St. Andrew primary schools, which still rank in the lower GSAT percentile.

Minister Crawford says, “After the mock-exams, we will analyze each paper, area by area, and give the children a report of what they need to focus on, while a copy will also be issued to the schools. The fact is that GSAT is one which streams the students into the secondary education system, therefore, we have to ensure that the foundation is present. Immediately following these mock exams, in January we will commence Saturday GSAT study sessions in the schools and community centres to continue to prepare the students.”

All of this, he says, forms a part of his 3-2-1 Education program.

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