THE RESULTS of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), which assesses the aptitude of students entering the high school system from primary and preparatory schools, are to be made public next weekend.The Ministry of Education pointed out that the examination, which took place in March this year, was successfully conducted and the placement of students was almost complete. There was a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who took the exam this year compared to 1999. Last year 41,931 students registered for the exam compared to 46,746 this year.
There was also a reduction in the rate of absenteeism among students who were entered for the GSAT. The Ministry said that of the 46,746 students registered for the exam this year 45,158 of them actually sat the papers. This compares to 1999 when 41,931 students registered but only 39,748 actually sat the exam.
There was also an improvement in the mean scores on the various components of the test. In Mathematics it moved from 41.63 in 1999 to 48.75 this year; in Science, it moved from 44.22 last year to 53.66; in Social Studies from 48.43 in 1999 to 55.12 and language arts from 48.49 in 1999 to 58.1, this year. Communications skills showed a slight increase this year with the mean score moving to 6.3 out of a maximum score of 12, compared to last year when it was 4.167 out of a maximum of 8.
"Overall, there have been real improvement in the performance of the students," said Minister of Education Burchell Whiteman.
Doreen Faulkner, deputy chief education officer who was one of the main persons responsible for the development of the GSAT, noted that the scores were hovering around the point which the Ministry would consider to be ideal. "A child who is scoring 50 per cent and over is doing very well on the exam," she said.
