Introduction
The Curriculum for Levels 7-9 is intended to provide students with the foundation needed for successful completion of the CXC (General Proficiency ) at the end of five(5) years of secondary schooling.
School based projects provide opportunities for students to undertake an individual study, in an area which is of interest to the students , as well as prepare them for the successful completion of the School Based Assessment (SBA) component of the CXC.
Projects/assignment should be designed to enable students to find out something for themselves. The use of projects/assignments is a strong motivator which teachers can use to enhance the quality of students' learning.‘Finding out’ requires the student to put together a number of skills in a structured way in solving problems. The teacher thus has the role of being a facilitator to help his/her students to develop a problem-solving framework which includes the process of Planning, Implementation and Reporting.The guidelines are not prescriptive but are intended to provided a number of questions which the teacher will need to ask him/her self when planning to help the students to remain focused on completing the project/assignment in a structured way.
Outlined below are the guidelines for Planning, Implementation and Reporting.
Planning how to Complete the Assignment
- Has the student made the best selection of topic/theme for his/her assignment ?
- Do the parents/guardians support the student’s choice of assignment?
- Does the student know and understand what she/he has to do and by when?
- Does the student know the value of the assignment towards his/her overall performance?
- Has the student developed an action plan of how she/he will complete the assignment?
- Does the action plan indicate both the (i) tasks to be completed and (ii) target dates for the completion of each individual task?
- Have the teacher and student negotiated and agreed on the dates and times, for reviewing the student’s progress in completing the assignment?
- If the assignment is a team effort, has each team member been assigned a clear and adequate task?
- Has the action plan been recorded, by each student, in his/her report file?
Implementation of the Action Plan
- Is the student working according to the agreed action plan?
- Has the student’s progress, matched against the agreed action plan, been recorded by the teacher?
- Is the student making the process expected from the action plan?
- Can/should the action plan be revised to improve the rate of progress?
- Is the student recording, in his/her report file, what she/he has done and the evidence presented to the teacher?
- If the rate of progress in terms of implementation is very slow: (i) has the student been informed of the consequences of this situation and (ii) have his/her parents/guardians been consulted to find a strategy for improving the student’s rate of progress?
- What support does the student need to improve his/her rate of progress and how can this be achieved?
Preparation of the Final Report
- Has the student submitted the first draft, of the agreed section/s, of the report for review by the teacher?
- Did the student participate in the review process?
- Has the teacher provided feedback to the student on the first draft of the report?
- If a second draft of the report necessary, has the date and time for its submission been negotiated between the student and teacher?
- If the rate of progress in completing the final report is very slow , has the student’s parents/guardians been consulted and /or a revised completion date agreed upon?
- Does the report indicate evidence of the statistical data gathered for the assignment?
- Is the evidence adequately and appropriately displayed?
- Are any conclusions drawn based on the statistical evidence?
- Does the student provide any suggestions/recommendations for improving the quality of outcomes of the assignment?
- Are references, sources of information and support provided recorded and acknowledged?
- Has the report been written in the student’s own words?
The students when undertaking their assignment/project must focus on the process of (i) Planning, (ii) Implementation and (iii) Reporting phases of the task chosen.
The School Based Assessment/Project is intended to assist students in acquiring certain knowledge, skills and attitudes that are associated with the respective subjects.
School Based Assessments/Projects provide the opportunity to individualize a part of the curriculum to meet the needs of students, while facilitating feedback to them at various stages of their experiences.
