Paradigm shift
Oracabessa High doing well in mathematics
IN WHAT has been described by Vice-Principal Donovan Thomas as a “paradigm shift,” a programme aimed at increasing the pass rate in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) mathematics examination has yielded results beyond expectations at Oracabessa High School in St Mary over the six years it has been in place.
Mathematics teacher and head of the math department at the school Ian Johnson said that the school recorded the highest pass rate for mathematics in its history when it reached a mark of 55 per cent in this year’s examination.
The school’s pass rate compares favourably with the national pass rate as it surpasses the 2017 national pass rate of 49 per cent and falls just two percentage points below this year’s rate of 57 per cent.
For the last six years, Oracabessa’s pass rate has been above the national average three times when compared head to head. There is quality in the passes, too, with nine students getting range one in the exam this year from a total of over 80 students who sat the exam.
The school also boasts several students who, over the period, have passed CSEC mathematics while in grade 10 and even grade nine.
One such student is Subrina Campbell, who gained a distinction in the subject after sitting the exam earlier this year while still in grade nine. She is currently in grade 10.
Six years ago, it was a pass rate of 10 per cent that stared the administration in the face and spurred principal Paul Lofters into action as they sought to fix what was then an alarming situation.
Johnson, who has led the transformation, said the principal and the entire academic staff have been supportive of the programme. He began the programme when his tenure started at the school in 2012.
The journey, he related in an interview with The Gleaner, has not been easy. The first hurdle was to get the students and parents to buy into the idea that hard work had to be done not just to increase the number of students passing math at the institution, but to have them pass with better grades.