The results were not always equal across the archipelago because the assessments measured different things.

“In the past, each school utilized different instruments to diagnose learning deficiencies. “We gain a more accurate picture of what students know and can do and what they do not know or cannot do. “Applying one standardized test for all students, a test that meets them where they are, provides us with fair and valid data that allows us to improve the educational experiences of our children. “Utilizing a standardized diagnostic assessment was key to assisting us with the provision of intervention strategies,” she said. Teachers and school leaders observed knowledge gaps, skills gaps, motivation gaps, and environmental gaps and called for intervention, the acting director noted. When face-to-face classes resumed, it was clear that there were gaps in what students should know and what they knew, she said. Many of the students, she said, could not or did not access the virtual platform for a variety of reasons. McCartney-Russell said the average district attendance of students on New Providence at that time was “a mere 54 percent”. Schools in The Bahamas adopted virtual learning after The Bahamas was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. We expect the first round of testing will be completed soon.” “They are also providing training for district and school leaders and teachers. “Renaissance has provided individual, small-group, and whole-class strategies and lesson plans to assist in the remediation of knowledge and skills gaps. “The results reveal that a significant of our students need literacy and numeracy interventions. “Due to connectivity issues and limited devices, some of our schools are still conducting the first round of testing. “To date, 9,000 students have been assessed using the Renaissance Early Literacy test and 26,000 have taken the reading assessment and the math assessment,” McCartney-Russell said. The assessment of public school students from pre-primary to grade 12 in 149 schools, conducted by Renaissance Learning Inc., a United States (US)-based company, is still ongoing, she said during a Ministry of Education town hall meeting last Thursday night. An assessment of the learning loss suffered by students across The Bahamas during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that a significant number of students need literacy and numeracy interventions, Acting Director of Education Dominique McCartney-Russell said.

Tutoriq literacy assessment