MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DOMINICA CURRICULUM, MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION UNIT REPORT ON CANDIDATE’S PERFORMANCE AT THE 2014 GRADE SIX NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS (G6NA) © SEPTEMBER, 2014 Table of Contents 1 ADMINISTRATION AND ENTRY ....................................................................................... 1  1.1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 1  1.2 OVERVIEW OF THE TEST DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. ................................................................. 1  Table 1: Structure of the G6NA .............................................................................................. 2  1.3 ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................................... 3  1.4 ENTRY .................................................................................................................................... 3  1.5 MARKING ............................................................................................................................... 4  2. RESULTS ................................................................................................................................. 4  2.1 NATIONAL MEAN AND MEASUREMENT ERROR ...................................................................... 4  2.2 OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY CATCHMENT AND GENDER ....................................................... 5  2.3 SELECTION OF STUDENTS FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ....................................................... 6  2.4 AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIPS ..................................................................................................... 7  2.5 WEAK PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................ 8  3 SUBJECT REPORTS ................................................................................................................ 8  3.1 LANGUAGE ARTS ................................................................................................................... 8  3.1.1 Usage and grammar ...................................................................................................... 8  3.1.2 Vocabulary ..................................................................................................................... 8  3.1.3 Spelling .......................................................................................................................... 8  3.1.4 Study Skills ..................................................................................................................... 9  3.1.5 Comprehension .............................................................................................................. 9  3.2 COMPOSITION ......................................................................................................................... 9  3.2.1 Strengths ..................................................................................................................... 10  3.2.2 Areas for improvements .............................................................................................. 10  3.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TEACHING OF WRITING .......................................................... 11  3.4 MATHEMATICS ..................................................................................................................... 11  3.4.1 Number concepts and operations ................................................................................ 11  3.4.2 Measurement ................................................................................................................ 12  3.4.3 Statistics and data handling ......................................................................................... 14  3.5 SCIENCE ............................................................................................................................... 14  3.5.1 Life Processes .............................................................................................................. 14  3.5.2 Earth and Space, .......................................................................................................... 14  3.5.3 Physical Sciences ......................................................................................................... 15  3.5.4 Agriculture ................................................................................................................... 15  3.6 SOCIAL SCIENCES ................................................................................................................. 15  3.6.1 Civic Ideas and Practices ............................................................................................ 16  3.6.2 Location, People and Places ........................................................................................ 16  3.6.3 Resources ..................................................................................................................... 16  3.6.4 Social Issues and Change ............................................................................................ 17  APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 18  APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................... 18  Standarized scores ................................................................................................................ 18  Mean Standardized scores by District .................................................................................. 18  Standardized scores Boys V girls .......................................................................................... 18  APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................... 19  Grades received by students (District) ................................................................................. 19  Language Arts ....................................................................................................................... 19  Mathematics .......................................................................................................................... 19  Science .................................................................................................................................. 19  Social Science ....................................................................................................................... 19  APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................... 20  COMPOSITION MARKING SCHEME ................................................................................ 20  APPENDIX D ............................................................................................................................... 23  Subject Specifications ........................................................................................................... 23  Science Paper........................................................................................................................ 23  Mathematics Paper ............................................................................................................... 24  Social Studies ........................................................................................................................ 25  Language Arts Paper ............................................................................................................ 26  APPENDIX E ............................................................................................................................... 27  Answer Keys - G6NA 2014 Multiple Choice Papers ............................................................ 27  APPENDIX F ............................................................................................................................ 29  Standardizing Test Scores ..................................................................................................... 29  1 Administration and Entry 1.1 Introduction The Grade Six National Assessment (G6NA) forms part of the National Assessment Programme comprising of the Grade Two National Assessment, the Grade Four National Assessment and the Grade Six National Assessment. The NAP is aimed at determining how students are learning at key stages throughout the primary level and their readiness to access secondary level education. Unlike the Grades two and four national assessments which are meant to be diagnostic, the Grade Six National Assessment is a high stakes test of achievement. The major purposes of the G6NA are to:  select high performing students for the award of scholarships or bursaries and  monitor levels of achievement across the education system. As such the use of this examination to assess students' achievement at the end of primary school is limited. A considerable amount of data is collected by the annual administration of the G6NA and it would appear inappropriate not to use it to give the much-requested feedback to teachers and principals. The purpose of this report, then, is to provide schools with this information on student performance so that they may strive to improve their performance based on the feedback given. The report concentrates on the general strengths and weaknesses observed nationally among students in the different subject areas assessed. Principals and instructional support teams are urged to study the report carefully together with the individual school reports. These reports should indicate the areas the school may wish to focus on and will be of assistance in the construction phase of the school improvement plan. Appendix C shows a complete list of the facility indices (i.e. the percent of students who got an item correct) for each question on each of the four multiple-choice papers. Principals, grade 6 teachers and others may wish to review the percent correct alongside the actual question papers (enclosed) to get a good idea of national strengths and weaknesses of grade 6 students. 1.2 Overview of the test development process. The technical development of the examination was shared by the subject committees and the CMEU. The subject committees were responsible for examination content and ensuring that key aspects of the subjects were tested. The personnel of the CMEU assisted the committees with item editing and statistical issues. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 1 There are four major areas in the test development process: (a) preparation of the test plan (b) development of test blueprint or test specifications (c) item development (d) test construction The test plan looks at the purpose and major curriculum objectives of the test. Test format is developed after consideration of the age of students, curriculum objectives, scoring methods etc. Content and cognitive domains to be tested were then defined. With these domains defined, tables of specifications for the four subject areas examined were drawn up and circulated to schools. Item development followed from the table of specifications. For each content area examined the specific objectives tested were determined by the subject committees. The committees also determined the cognitive level at which these objectives were to be tested. Experienced upper grade teachers were contacted and asked to submit items according to the specifications sent to them in the different subject areas. A large number of the items written were then pilot tested. Analysis of the items and the associated item statistics were used to help the chairpersons of the subject committees and the CMEU to make the final test selections. The typed final test forms were then reviewed to eliminate typographical and other errors. Table 1: Structure of the G6NA Subject Type of Item No. of Items Duration Language Arts  Multiple Choice 60 90mins Computer marked  Essay 3 topics given to Specialized team marking select 1 Mathematics Multiple Choice 60 items 90mins Computer marked Science Multiple Choice 50 items 75mins Computer marked Social Studies Multiple Choice 50 items 75mins Computer marked Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 2 1.3 Administration The test was done over a two-day period under strict examination conditions. Exam supervisors were trained during a half-day workshop one week prior to the examination. Supervisors were given copies of the exam regulations and detailed instructions regarding the conduct of the examinations. The 2014 G6NA was administered on the 29th and 30th May at a total of 51 centres with over 100 teachers acting as supervisors and assistants. Supervisors reported few problems in the administration of the exams and commended students for their good behaviour. 1.4 Entry 1057 students were registered for the 2014 G6NA (see table 2). Table 2. Common Entrance Entry 2000 - 2014 Entry Year Boys Girls Total 2000 834 861 1695 2001 834 878 1712 2002 834 757 1591 2003 821 722 1543 2004 810 774 1584 2005 772 774 1546 2006 700 657 1357 2007 696 661 1357 2008 615 620 1235 2009 604 548 1152 2010 533 517 1050 2011 539 606 1145 2012 609 596 1205 2013 605 550 1155 2014 515 542 1057 Of the 1057 students who were registered for the 2013 G6NA, over half (50.9%) were from primary feeder schools that accessed the Roseau catchment area. Table 3 shows the distribution of candidates by catchment area. Table 3. Distribution of candidates by catchment area and gender Gender  CBSS  ITSS  NECS PCSS  PSS  ROSEAU  Grand Total  F  57  39  63  33  72  278  542  M  44  49  51  28  82  261  515  Grand  Total  101  88  114  61  154  538  1057  Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 3 1.5 Marking The composition scripts were marked over a three-day period by a team of 20 primary teachers under the supervision of Mr. Robert Guiste and Mr. Nicholas Goldberg. This allowed scripts to be double-marked and in some cases, triple marked, thus increasing the reliability of scoring. The scoring criteria for the compositions are given in Appendix A. The Unit’s optical mark reader (OMR) facilitated data entry. Generally, it took about one hour to enter and for the computer to read 1050 answer sheets, so that data entry was completed within one week as compared to the three weeks when done by hand. Accuracy was also enhanced, though care was taken to 'clean' the answer sheets, as unintended pencil marked scripts were rejected by the OMR. In a few instances supervisors had made errors in entering a candidate's number correctly. These errors were picked up during 'cleaning' or were apparent on data entry. 2. Results 2.1 National Mean and Measurement Error Results of the G6NA are reported based on the following Score Grade Interpretation 120+ A Detailed knowledge of subject area 110-119 B good knowledge of most aspects of subject area 90.109 C good knowledge of some aspects of subject area 80-89 D fair knowledge of some aspects of subject area Below 90 E limited knowledge of a few aspects of subject area. The adoption of a grading system where students receive grades in the four subjects assessed should allow parents to more easily gauge the progress of their children at the end of primary school. It is unlikely that a student writing the same exam on different days would obtain the same scores. It is even more improbable that scores would be the same if a parallel test was administered or a different sample of items was tested. The variation in scores owing to these factors is known as measurement error. Measurement error essentially depends on the reliability of the tests. The reliability of all the multiple-choice tests was high (Cronbach alpha greater than 0.9). The consequent measurement error in most of the G6NA multiple-choice tests was about 5. Thus, the 'true' score of a student scoring 100 on one of the tests could be anywhere between 95 - 105. This should be borne in mind when interpreting the score of individual students. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 4 2.2 Overall Performance by Catchment and Gender Mean standardised scores in the five papers (Language Arts, Composition, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science) written by candidates were examined. Table 4 shows these scores by catchment area. Table 4. Mean standardised scores by catchment area and gender    Language Arts  Mathematics  Science  Social Science  ALL     Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls Boys CBSS  103  88  100  91  99  90  98  89  100 90 ITSS  105  96  100  100  101  102  101  100  102 99 NECS  101  88  101  95  99  93  98  92  100 92 PCSS  103  92  100  98  98  96  99  97  100 96 PSS  101  94  98  96  100  97  100  99  100 96 ROSEAU  106  99  105  99  103  101  104  100  105 100 Nat'l Means  103  93  101  97  100  97  100  96  101 96 As in previous years, in all catchment areas, and in all of the papers, girls outperformed boys. The gender gap still favours the girls over the boys and the results continue to be mediated by location. Girls, on average, scored about 5 % more than boys in these areas. The gap is Language Arts was the largest with girls outperforming boys by 10 standardized points. Location also impacted on the results. Performance in the Portsmouth Secondary and Pierre Charles Secondary (Grand Bay) catchment areas remains below the national average. Scores in the Roseau area were on average higher than in other parts. Appendix D gives a breakdown of the grades received by district and zone. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 5 2.3 Selection of Students for Secondary Education As of 2005 all of the students who wrote the G6NA, were selected for secondary education. Table 9 shows the numbers selected over the past twenty years. Table 9. Number of students selected for secondary school 1995 - 2014 by gender Year No. Boys % Boys No. Girls % Girls Total % Cohort selected selected selected selected selected writing exam 1995 372 38.2 587 61.8 959 42.7 1996 439 43 582 57 1021 46 1997 389 37.2 658 62.8 1047 47.6 1998 462 41.4 654 58.6 1116 60.5 1999 487 42.5 660 57.5 1147 66.1 2000 592 40.6 681 59.4 1273 75.1 2001 611 46.2 711 53.8 1322 77.2 2002 641 49 667 51 1308 82.2 2003 656 50.5 643 49.5 1299 84.2 2004 700 100 724 100 1424 89.9 2005 772 100 774 100 1546 100 2006 700 100 657 100 1357 100 2007 691 100 651 100 1342 100 2008 607 100 618 100 1225 100 2009 598 100 547 100 1145 100 2010 533 100 517 100 1050 100 2011 539 100 606 100 1145 100 2012 609 100 596 100 1205 100 2013 595 100 547 100 1142 100 2014 515 100 542 100 1057 100 Students are selected for secondary education by catchment area. Universal Secondary Education is now in operation in all six zones. Table 10. Number selected for secondary education by catchment area Zone Secondary places No. entered Percent selected (Catchment area) available from zone Roseau 550 538 100 PCSS 65 61 100 NECS 120 114 100 ITSS 90 88 100 Portsmouth 160 154 100 Castle Bruce 100 102 100 TOTALS 1085 1057 100 Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 6 Overall selection rates to secondary school is at 100% since the country moved towards government’s stated goal of universal secondary education, see Figure 1. Fig. 1 - From 2005, 100% of the students writing the G6NA have secured a place in a secondary school. 2.4 Award of scholarships This year government awarded a total of 82 scholarships and 117 bursaries to students. As Figure 2 demonstrates the distribution of the 200 highest performing students is dependent on location and gender. Fig. 2 – Distribution of scholarships by catchment area. 127 of the top 200 students were from the Roseau catchment area. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 7 2.5 Weak performance Students who obtained a total of eight points or less (i.e. scored at best, 1C, 2 D’s and 1E or equivalent) can be considered as having some serious learning problems. 15% of the entry (159 students) obtained such grades in the 2014 examinations. In many cases these learning problems are related to student reading difficulties. 102 boys and 57 girls fell in this category. More details can be found in the attached CMEU’s “Performance of Primary Schools at the 2014 Grade Six National Assessment by District” (included in package). 3 Subject Reports 3.1 Language Arts The national mean raw score in the language arts multiple-choice paper was 41 (69%) with 7.5% of the entrants scoring less than 24 (40%) and 44% scoring 45 (75%) or more. Only 15 students scored 15 items or less correctly i.e. scores that could be achieved by guessing. This suggests that these students have considerable language difficulties and are, possibly, unable to read. The paper assessed six areas of language performance – Usage and grammar, vocabulary, spelling, study skills, comprehension and composition. 3.1.1 Usage and grammar 73% of the students were able to answer the questions in this section without much difficulty. All the items in this section was answered by more than 60% of the students 3.1.2 Vocabulary This section was also handled well by the students. The average on this section was 73%. Between 57% - 88% of the students answered the questions in this section with relative ease. 3.1.3 Spelling The spelling section posed the most difficulty to the students. Only 63% of the students handled this section with relative ease. Two questions proved to be the most difficult for the students. Items 29 and 30 were answered correctly by 43% and 39% of the students respectively (see below). Item 32 was disqualified since there was no correct answer listed. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 8 Item No. Item Percent Correct 29 Choose the word which is INCORRECTLY spelt 43 A. calendar B. candidate C. cemetry D. despair Chose the word which is spelt CORRECTLY 30 A. choclate 39 B. dimond C. hankerchief D. kindergarten 3.1.4 Study Skills This section consisted of 8 questions. The average was 74%. No items were answered correctly by less than 55% of the candidates. 3.1.5 Comprehension Students showed improvement in the comprehension section of the exam. The average for the comprehension section was 69%. This section consisted of a letter, a poem, a narrative, and an article on turtles. Students performed best on the article on turtles with 81% of the students being able to handle this section with ease. The average scores for the letter, the poem and narrative article were 52%, 68% and 77% respectively. 3.2 Composition Three choices of topics were given to students: 1. Look at the property in this picture. Write a letter to the village council chairperson in your area persuading them to break down the building. In the letter state the dangers the property can pose to people in the community and what should be done to the area that will be of benefit to the community. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 9 2. One day at school, your teacher comes into the classroom, places a box on the floor, and leaves the room. Suddenly, the box begins to move. Write a story about what happens next. 3. Write a composition giving three (3) reasons why you think your school is the best school. Give detailed information to explain your reasons The following five criteria were used for the grading of the compositions: General Impression/Organization, Relevance, Usage and Spelling, Sentence Structure, Capitalization and Punctuation (See Appendix A). There was a marked improvement in the writing performance this year. The mean score for the composition was 65% - a 10% improvement over 2013. The minimum score was 5/40 (5 students) while the max score was 39/40 (5 students). 213 students (13%) attained scores greater than 80% (32/40) while only 17 students (5.8%) scored less than 20% (8/40 or less) which seem to indicate that they are operating at about the K level. 75 students (7%) scored 40% or less in the composition and 199 students (24%) were in the low category – scoring 19 or less out of 40. 3.2.1 Strengths Markers continue to note the following strengths among the average in good compositions  Generally students were able to express themselves clearly.  Very creative interpretations were given to many of the essays.  Generally students stayed on topics and handled them quite well.  Events, for the most part, were properly sequenced and detailed. 3.2.2 Areas for improvements On the other hand many essays continue to show deficiencies in the following areas:  Poor mechanics - spelling, punctuation and capital letters and grammar  Usage needs to improve, the students need to learn new words and write at the level of Grade 6 and above.  A lack of variety in sentences shows that students have not learned sentences structure and use of prepositions to join sentences sufficiently.  Inattention to paragraphs continues to be a major problem. Many students’ essays consisted of one very long paragraph.  Insufficient use of descriptive words  Students still have problems with subject/verb agreement Generally, the weaker compositions were brief and to the point. Some writers had nothing to show, and some, though very few, still are not even to the level of grade K students. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 10 3.3 Recommendations for the teaching of writing The recommendations from previous years need to be reiterated. 1. Encourage more oral work – public speaking, story telling etc. in the classroom. Provide many opportunities for students to write daily. 2. Have students collect photos and write about it. 3. Encourage journal writing 4. Place more emphasis on organisation and relevance - reflect this emphasis when scoring written work. 5. Encourage peer editing and assessment. 6. Encourage students to read more, this should help them to model the language and style of a variety of authors. 7. Give regular writing practice (at least twice a week). Get students to write on a variety of topics using a variety of forms e.g. narrative, description, letter etc. Explain the meaning of key words such as describe, explain, imagine, write, tell etc 8. Teach the basics - a good introduction, good follow up sentences and a good conclusion. 9. Teach the writing process - drafting (key ideas and sequence), writing, editing and rewriting. In class award marks for drafts and rewrites. Let students read their efforts to the class and display the final products in the classroom. 10. Let students write about what they like. Students must be made to read and write more and practise writing compositions of various types. Descriptive writing should allow students to make use of adjectives, and verb tenses in the context of the writing task. It is also very important that the students are encouraged to use the Writing Process. 3.4 Mathematics The national mean raw score in mathematics was 39 (out of 60) or 65%. Twenty one students scored less than 15 (25%) and 417 (39%) scored 45 (75%) or more. 165 students (16%) attained scores of 40% or less. Students' knowledge and problem solving ability in the areas of number concepts and operations, measurement, geometry and patterns, functions & algebra were tested. Problem solving was incorporated into every section of the paper. 3.4.1 Number concepts and operations This section included topics such as number concepts, operations, fractions and decimals. The average score for this section was 67%. 5 of the 29 questions were answered correctly by less than 50% of the students. Items 22, 23, 24, 26 and 27 were all answered incorrectly by more than half the respondents. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 11 Item No. Item Percent Correct 22 See attached test booklet 48 23 See attached test booklet 38 24 written as a decimal is 38 A. 3.4 B. 0.75 C. 0.34 D. 1 ¼ 26 25. Ed had 22 more marbles than Doug. Doug lost 8 of his 46 marbles at the playground. How many more marbles does Ed have than Doug now? A. 14 B. 16 C. 22 D. 30 27 See attached test booklet 46 3.4.2 Measurement The average score in the area of measurement was 58%. This area posed the most difficulty to students. No question was answered correctly by more than 75% of the students. 3 questions - 36, 37 and 45 - were answered incorrectly by more than 50% of the students. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 12 Item No. Item Percent Correct 36 The shape below can be divided into 3 identical triangles. 49 If the area of the shaded part is 16 cm2, what is the area of the whole shape? A. 8 cm2 B. 24 cm2 C. 32 cm2 D. 48 cm2   37 The floor of a rectangular school building is 100 metres by 120 48 metres. What is the perimeter of the floor? A. 220 metres B. 440 metres C. 1200 square metres D. 12,000 square metres    45 See attached booklet 39 Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 13 3.4.3 Statistics and data handling Students’ continue to perform well in the area of Statistics and data handling. 71% of the students handled this section with relative ease. All the questions in this section was answered correctly by more than 55% of the students 3.4.5 Patterns, Functions And Algebra There were four items in this section and only 60% were able to answer these questions with relative ease. This shows a slight improvement over 2013 (56%) One item (57) was answered correctly by only 36% of the students. Item No. Item Percent Correct 57 Sheila started the pattern shown below 36 1, 3, 9, 27, ___ If the pattern continues as shown, what is the next number in the pattern? A. 36 B. 54 C. 81 D. 108  3.5 Science The national mean raw score in science was 36 or 72%. This represents a 5% increase over 2013 (67%). Eighty-seven students 7.5% of the entrants scored 20 or less and 26% scored 40 (80%) or more. Only two questions (25 and 26) were answered incorrectly by more than 50% of the candidates.The paper was divided into the four sub-areas of life processes, earth & space and the physical sciences and agriculture. 3.5.1 Life Processes The average for this section was 77%. 3.5.2 Earth and Space, The average for this section was 75%. Two of the 10 questions (25and 26) were answered correctly by less than 50% of the respondents. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 14 Item No. Item % Correct What happens to water during the condensation stage in the water cycle? 25 38 A. Water changes from solid to liquid state. B. Water changes to vapor and rise to the clouds. C. Water vapour changes to liquid droplets and fall as rain. D. Water vapour changes into liquid droplets and form clouds. 26 Students collected pond water in a small container. Which is 48 the best unit for measuring the volume of water collected? A. grammes B. metres C. Cubic meters D. Cubic centimetres 3.5.3 Physical Sciences This average on this section was 68%. four of the questions proved to be a bit challenging for the students. Items 28, 29, 34 and 41 were answered incorrectly by more than 50% of the candidates. 3.5.4 Agriculture Students performance in this section continues to improve. 69% of the students handled this section with relative ease. All items in this section were answered correctly by over 55% of the students. It should be reiterated that children learn best by doing and so, principals should encourage that students engage in hands on activities for science. Schools should promote inquiry based learning where students are encouraged to discover for themselves and work in collaborative groups. 3.6 Social Sciences The national mean raw score on the Social Sciences paper was also 36 or 72%. 4% of the entrants scored 20 or less (40% or less) and 37% scored 40 (80%) or more. The four major strands were assessed –civic ideals and practices, people and places, resources, and social issues and change. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 15 3.6.1 Civic Ideas and Practices The average for this section was 69%. Three items in this section were answered incorrectly by over 60% of the respondents. 43% of the students were able to answer item 12 correctly. Only 32% were able to give the correct response to item 16 and 46 to item 17. Item No. Item Percent Correct 12 Which of these would be an example of a cooperative? 43 A. A bank set up in a poor village. B. A set of young people in a football club. C. A bank giving out loans to people to build houses. D. A group of fishermen working together to catch and sell their fish. 16 Which of these two islands are members of both the OECS and 32 CARICOM? A. St. Lucia and St. Vincent B. St. Kitts and Barbados C. Antigua and Jamaica D. Trinidad and Dominica 17 C.S.M.E means 46 A. Commonwealth States Market and Economy B. CARICOM Single Market and Economy C. Common Single Market and Economy D. CARICOM Single Market and Enterprise 3.6.2 Location, People and Places The average for this section of the paper was 74%. 3.6.3 Resources This section appeared to be the easiest for students. 76% of the students were able to answer the 12 questions with relative ease. Only item 30 was answered incorrectly bt less than 50% of the students. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 16 Item No. Item Percent Correct 30 Mrs. Joseph IS NOT a civil servant. What work could she be doing? 37 A. a nurse. B. an insurance agent. C. working at the government headquarters. D. a teacher at the Massacre Primary School. 3.6.4 Social Issues and Change This section of the paper proved to be the least challenging.74% of the students were able to answer this section correctly. All of the questions were answered correctly by more than half the students. It should be noted that 38% of the test was based on Dominica while 40 % was general knowledge. 16% was based on the region while 6% was based on the wider world. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 17 Appendices Appendix A Standarized scores Mean Standardized scores by District    Number  LA1_Std  LA2_Std LA_std  MA_std  SCIstd  SOC_std  Totals  West  502  103.43  103.2 103.62 102.71 103.39 103.44  619.79 South  170  97.29  98.74 97.69 99.01 97.48 96.9  587.11 East  141  96.53  98.65 97.17 96.78 96.31 95.52  580.96 North  243  96.65  95.02 95.77 97.017 97.1 97.18  578.737 ALL  1056  98.475  98.9025 98.5625 98.87925 98.57 98.26  591.649 Standardized scores Boys V girls    Language Arts  Mathematics  Science  Social Science  ALL     Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls Boys CBSS  103  88  100  91  99  90  98  89  100 90 ITSS  105  96  100  100  101  102  101  100  102 99 NECS  101  88  101  95  99  93  98  92  100 92 PCSS  103  92  100  98  98  96  99  97  100 96 PSS  101  94  98  96  100  97  100  99  100 96 ROSEAU  106  99  105  99  103  101  104  100  105 100 Nat'l Means  103  93  101  97  100  97  100  96  101 96 Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 18 Appendix B Grades received by students (District) Language Arts District A B C D E Grand Total East 6 30 66 17 22 141 North 16 41 103 45 38 243 South 10 29 86 27 18 170 West 59 114 260 47 23 503 Grand Total 91 214 515 136 101 1057 Mathematics Row Labels A B C D E Grand Total East 6 25 64 24 21 140 North 19 38 109 36 40 242 South 13 40 64 34 19 170 West 63 126 210 57 47 503 Grand Total 101 229 447 151 127 1055 Science Row Labels A B C D E Grand Total East 6 25 67 19 23 140 North 13 50 115 24 39 241 South 1 48 71 31 19 170 West 45 161 223 47 27 503 Grand Total 65 284 476 121 108 1054 Social Science Row Labels A B C D E Grand Total East 24 78 19 20 141 North 13 43 114 43 30 243 South 9 16 102 24 19 170 West 39 136 250 48 30 503 Grand Total 61 219 544 134 99 1057 Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 19 Appendix C GRADE SIX NATIONAL ASSESSMENT 2013 COMPOSITION MARKING SCHEME AREA HIGH MIDDLE LOW Ideas/Organisation 8-10 5-7 1-4 Relevance to Topic 8-10 5-7 1-4 Sentence Structure 8-10 5-7 1-4 Usage and Spelling 4-5 2-3 1 Capitalization and Punctuation 4-5 2-3 1 TOTAL 35-40 20-34 5 - 19 Minimum Score = 5 (mainly to indicate that student was registered or attempted exam.) Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 20 G6NA Composition: Marking Scheme Details IDEAS/ORGANISATION HIGH The opening is effective and catches the interest of the reader. There is no wandering, and organisation is clear and sequential. Content is adequately informative and reflects sound, logical details that support the main idea. Transitions clearly show how ideas are connected. The closing is effective and gives the reader the impression that the process is over, and there is an understandable conclusion. Anticipated questions are answered. MIDDLE There is a general introduction but the reader’s interest is not captured. Few ideas given but content is not adequate enough to support main ideas. Transitions sometimes work but are unclear at other times. The reader is not provided with the necessary background and the reader is left with some questions. Sequence is unclear and there is little or no sense of closure. LOW The opening does not catch the attention of the reader. Necessary background is lacking. Connections between ideas are confusing or absent. The sequence is confusing and there is no sense of closure or completeness at the end of the composition. Information is limited or unclear or the length is not adequate for development. RELEVANCE TO TOPIC HIGH Details and incidents relate to the topic and purpose of the composition. The purpose of the writing is reflected in the writers’ arrangement of ideas. Narratives make the reader think about the writer’s point of view. MIDDLE Details and incidents are not clearly related to the topic. The information in the essay is unnecessary and elements of the writing are unrelated to the topic. LOW Details and incidents are unrelated to the topic. Information given is completely irrelevant and leaves the reader unclear about the purpose of the composition.  A composition, which scores 1 on this scale, may not obtain a total score above 15 marks for the entire composition. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 21 SENTENCE STRUCTURE HIGH The writer displays interesting variety of structures which are effectively employed. Sentences are constructed in a way that enhances the meaning of the passage. Dialogue sounds natural. Beginnings are purposeful and varied. MIDDLE The writer displays an interesting variety of structures but these are at times clumsy or ambiguous. Sentences are usually constructed correctly. Some variety in beginnings attempted. LOW Structures are little more than simple sentences. They are repeated to the effect that the paper becomes boring or predictable. Sentences are choppy, incomplete or awkward. Many sentences begin the same way (and, so, but, and then, because, etc.). USAGE AND SPELLING HIGH Words convey the meaning in a precise and natural way. Words used are specific and accurate and it is easy to understand what the writer means. Usage is appropriate and spelling attracts little or no attention. Error in spelling reflects meaningful guesses. Lively verbs and modifiers add depth to the writing. MIDDLE Words are adequate and correct. Verbs and modifiers add some depth to the writing. Usage efforts are few and do not detract from the impact of the composition. Spelling errors are few. Most guesses are reasonable and do not detract from the impact of the composition. LOW Writer has limited vocabulary. Errors in usage and spelling detract substantially from the readability and impression of the composition. The reader must stop and puzzle over words to figure out what they are or what the writer intended. CAPITALIZATION AND PUNCTUATION HIGH In general, punctuation is accurate and used to make writing clear and readable. Consistent application of capitalization skills is present. MIDDLE Errors in capitalization and punctuation may be present but do not perceptibly detract from the clarity and readability of the paper. LOW Error in capitalization and punctuation substantially detract from the clarity and readability of the composition, Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 22 Appendix D Subject Specifications Science Paper A single 1 hour paper consisting of 50 multiple-choice items will be set. Topic Subtopic Know C U Reason Total Total Life science Living things in the environment Plants and animals Adaptations of organisms Earth and Weather and climate space Resources Solar system Physical Energy science Forces Matter Agriculture Agricultural practices science Crops Animals The content level categories were for the most part taken from the Primary Science Curriculum Guides for grades 5-7. Details of the specific objectives tested can also be found in these Curriculum Guides. The cognitive level categories are: Knowledge – recall of facts and procedures Conceptual understanding – identifies, labels, gives examples and non examples for concepts; uses words, drawings, symbols etc. to represent ideas, concepts; demonstrates an understanding of principles, concepts and applies these to different situations; demonstrates skills of comparing, classifying, ordering, sequencing and measuring. Reasoning – infers, predicts, interprets data and hypothesises Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 23 Mathematics Paper One 75-minute paper consisting of 60 multiple-choice items will be set. Topic Subtopic Paper 1 Total # of Ques Number Number concepts 6 Operations 17 29 Fractions & decimals 6 3D shapes 2 Geometry 7 2D shapes 4 Length Area Measurement Volume/capacity Mass 15 15 Time Money Data collection 1 Statistics and data handling Data representation and 5 5 interpretation Patterns, functions and algebra 4 4 TOTALS 60 60 Number concepts will deal with concepts of place value, properties of numbers etc. as specified by objectives 1.1 – 1.14. Computation will deal with the four operations on whole numbers as specified by objectives 2.1 – 2.12 Measurement will cover concepts of length, area, capacity/volume, mass, time and money as specified by objectives 4.1.1 – 4.6.6. Geometry will deal with concepts and properties of simple two and three-dimensional shapes as specified by objectives 3.1 – 3.14. Fractions/decimals – elementary concepts of fractions and decimals will be tested as specified by objectives 5.1- 5.14. Statistics – interpretation of various common ways of representing data will be tested as specified by objectives 6.1 – 6.4. Problem Solving – solution of routine and non-routine problems using a variety of strategies as specified by objective 7.1. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 24 Selected from… Social Studies A single 1 hour paper consisting of 50 multiple-choice items will be set. Topic Subtopic K C. U. R Subtotal Grand Total Civic ideals Patriotism 6 and practices Cooperation 4 (40%) Rights, 5 responsibilities & governance Groups 3 18 Location, Location 4 People and Physical earth, 3 places (20%) natural phenomena and climate People and origin 3 10 Resources Types, uses, 4 (20%) availability & allocation Conservation, 4 preservation of resources Economic activities 4 12 Social Issues Social issues 5 and change Social change 5 10 (20%) 14 21 15 50 50 For questions that pertain to countries, landmasses or bodies of water, about 20% will concern Dominica, 60% the Caribbean and 20% the world. Teachers are advised to consult the new Social Studies Curriculum Guides for examples of the objectives to be tested (the sub- topic headings have been taken from these Guides). Objectives tested will emphasize those from the new Grade 6 Guide and work that was done previously in grades 3- 5. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 25 Language Arts Paper A one hour 60 item multiple-choice paper dealing with English mechanics and comprehension will be set. Students will be given a further 40 minutes to write a composition. This written composition will be worth 40% of the total score. TOPIC TOTAL Composition 40 Usage/grammar 10 Vocabulary 10 Study skills 7 Spelling 10 Comprehension 23 TOTALS 100 Only areas of the Language Arts curriculum that can be assessed by pencil and paper methods will be tested. The composition will be assessed using the following criteria: General impression/organisation Relevance to topic Sentence structure Usage and spelling Capitalisation and punctuation Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 26 Appendix E Answer Keys - G6NA 2014 Multiple Choice Papers Item  Number  Mathematics  Language Arts  Science  Social Studies  1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10      11      12      13      14      15      16      17      18      19      20      21      22      23      24      25      26      27      28      29      30      31      32      33      34      Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 27 35      36      37      38      39      40      41      42      43      44      45      46      47      48      49      50      51        52        53        54        55        56        57        58        59        60        Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 28 APPENDIX F Standardizing Test Scores Since the scores for each of the test are on different scales, it presents a challenge in determining overall achievement. The raw scores on each test have different values – Language Arts is marked over 100; Mathematics is marked out of 60 and Social Studies and Science are each marked over 50. Adding the score in Mathematics to Science, Language and Social Studies would be like adding miles, meters and inches. Calculating Standard Scores Using an academic test example, we will examine the scores of five students who wrote the G6NA. The Language Arts paper 1 has 60 multiple choice questions worth 1 mark each and one written paper worth 40 marks. The mathematics paper consists of 60 multiple choice items while the Science and Social Studies papers each have 50 multiple choice questions. Each multiple choice item is worth 1 mark. The table below represents the scores obtained by each student. Table 6: Scores obtained by students NAME LA Math Sci SS Raw % Raw % Raw % Raw % Ivan Terrible  93  93 58 96.7 46 92 36  72  Mike John  86  86 57 95.0 47 94 46  92  Sally Saucer  87  87 56 93.3 48 96 45  90  John Doe  71  71 35 58.3 37 74 42  84  Ty Lawson  55  55 17 28.3 21 42 27  54                             Mean  78.4  78.4 44.6 74.3 39.8 79.6 39.2  78.4  Standard   Deviation  15.4     18.1    11.4    7.9     In order to calculate the standardized score, the mean (78.4 for LA) and standard deviation (15.4 for LA) are needed (included in table). The CMEU uses a standard mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 in order to calculate standard scores. Two steps are involved in calculating the standard scores for students. First, the raw scores are calculated to Zscores. The Zscores are then converted to Standardized scores. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 29  Converting raw scores to Zscore Raw score – Population mean Standard deviation  Converting z-scores to standard scores (Zscorex standard scale standard deviation) + Standard scale mean Using test LA as an example, the standard score is calculated as follows for Ivan Terrible:  Calculate z-score by subtracting the population mean from the raw score and the dividing the result by the standard deviation, that is: 93 – 78.4 = 0.948 15.4  Next the z-score is converted to the standard score by multiplying the z-score by the agreed standard scale standard deviation of 15, then adding the mean of 100, that is (0.95 x 15) + 100 = 114.23 (or 114) The standardized scores for all the students are shown in the table 7 below. Table 7: Computed Standard scores LA Math Sci SS NAME Comp. Zscore Stand Zscore Stand Zscore Stand Zscore Stand Score Ivan Terrible  0.95  114.23  0.74 111.08 0.54 108.17 ‐0.41  93.89  427.36 Mike John  0.49  107.41  0.68 110.25 0.63 109.48 0.87  112.99  440.13 Sally Saucer  0.56  108.38  0.63 109.42 0.72 110.80 0.74  111.08  439.68 John Doe  ‐0.48  92.79  ‐0.53 92.06 ‐0.25 96.31 0.36  105.35  386.51 Ty Lawson  ‐1.52  77.19  ‐1.52 77.19 ‐1.65 75.24 ‐1.55  76.70  306.32 Standard scores are calculated for all the papers and summed to obtain the composite standard score. The composite standard score accurately represents students overall performance. Grade 6 National Assessment Report 2014 Curriculum, Measurement and Evaluation Unit Page 30