Parents have been given their clearest picture yet of how Barbados’ proposed transition from primary to secondary school will operate, with classroom projects completed at school, four standardised tests spread over two years and continued parental choice of secondary schools all forming part of the new assessment model.

Deputy Chief Education Officer for Planning and Development Reverend Stephen Scott outlined the details during a Ministry of Education Transformation town hall meeting on Thursday evening, one of several public consultations being held following the government’s announcement that the traditional Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination will be replaced by a new two-part assessment model.

The proposed system would move away from relying on a single examination and instead assess students over a two-year period through continuous classroom assessments and national standardised tests.