Calabar High School is boasting significant results from an initiative being spearheaded by the institution’s alumni to improve mathematics passes among students.
The ‘Building a Mathematics culture at Calabar’ programme, launched in 2013, has seen an almost doubling of passes by the boys sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
It has also resulted in improvements in scores received by students taking internal tests.
Immediate, Past President of the Calabar Old Boys’ Association (COBA), Kevin Whyte, says the body in pleased with the results.
“In 2013, the CSEC math passes were 44 per cent. In 2014, it moved to about 62 per cent and in 2015, the math passes for Calabar at CSEC was over 80 per cent,” he tells JIS News in an interview.
Targeting mostly first to third form students, the initiative involves students attending free Saturday classes where themes explored during the school week are reinforced.
The classes, some of which are held during the holidays, are conducted by past students, who offer a fresh perspective and an innovative approach to tackling the subject area. The instructors are paid a stipend by COBA.
Students are encouraged to attend these classes and are provided with refreshments to sweeten the learning experience.
A downloadable math application, available to students, is used to supplement teaching where necessary, as it reinforces aspects that are still not clear to the students.
Incentives are provided to keep students motivated and to encourage them to continue to learn. A scholarship of $50,000 is offered to a grade eight student, who maintains an 80 per cent average in math.
Mr. Whyte tells JIS News that a math mural has been mounted at the school to remind students and teachers about the importance of the subject.
“We painted a wall yellow and we wrote on it, ‘Mathematics is our way of life,” he says.
“It was done from a philosophical perspective so the boys reading it would internalise it as mathematics being a part of them. We also wrote on the wall the names of famous mathematicians and the years they lived,” he explains.
“This is a part of our focus to have math being in the faces of all the boys of Calabar,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Principal of Calabar High School, Albert Corcho, is hailing the efforts of the COBA.
He says that in addition to the classes for the students, COBA has organised workshops for teachers.
“I am here three years now and the programme started then. It started at 43 per cent and has moved up to 80.5 per cent. The Old Boys’ initiative is at the root. They are actively involved. It is impacting them (students) right across the board for math,” he tells JIS News.
The intervention at Calabar High is in keeping with measures being undertaken by the Ministry of Education to improve student achievement in mathematics.
Over the last three to five years, the Ministry has been investing increased time, effort, monetary and human resources in addressing some of the deficits in the system.
Specific emphasis is being placed on improving the capacity of primary and secondary level teachers, as well as on the teacher education programme.
The cadre of Mathematics coaches supporting the system has also been increased.
In 2014, 86 secondary schools were supported by full-time coaches and part-time Mathematics resource teachers.
The Ministry also continues to provide opportunities for teachers, who need additional training and professional development outside the classroom.
The Education Ministry says Mathematics plays a significant role in opening doors for persons to access jobs.
Data suggests that persons achieving higher levels of mathematical competencies are likely to earn up to 40 per cent more than those who are not competent in the subject area.
Math Week will be observed from March 6 to 11.
I truly hope ALL the high schools in Jamaica copy this program, especially the Upgraded High Schools (former Junior Secondary Schools), where the majority of students leaving these schools are performing poorly (very few CSEC passes).
Clearly, this programs success shows that our students are not up to the task, but the teaching resources are very limited. Maybe we need more non-trained teachers in the classroom for Math and Sciences.
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Educate Jamaica has released its 2014 ranking of schools in Mathematics and I am sure it will be the subject of much debate.
Here is the document.
Ranking Name of school Percentage (%) of grade 11 cohort attaining Five (5) subjects with English and/or Mathematics.
1
Campion College
97.6%
2
Wolmers Girls’ School
96.8%
3
St. Hilda’s High School
96.2%
4
Glenmuir High School
95.8%
5
St. Andrew High School forGirls
93.3%
6
Ardenne High School
93.2%
7
Immaculate Conception HighSchool
93.1%
8
Westwood High School
92.6%
9
Wolmers Boys’ School
92.6%
10
Knox College
88.0%
11
Mount Alvernia High School
87.8%
12
Montego Bay High
87.6%
13
Bishop Gibson
85.9%
14
DeCarteret College
82.3%
15
Convent of Mercy Alpha GirlSchool
81.9%
16
Munro College
80.1%
17
Merl Grove High School
79.1%
18
St. Hugh’s High School
78.7 %
19
The Queens High School
75.5%
20
Mannings High School
73.5%
21
Morant Bay high school
73.1%
22
Kingston College
70.8%
23
Holy Childhood School
70.7%
24
Meadowbrook High School
70.4%
25
York Castle High
66.0%
26
St. George’s College
64.9%
27
St. Mary High School
63.8%
28
Manchester High
62.9%
29
Clarendon College
61.5%
30
St. Jago High School
60.4%
31
Denbigh High School
54.5%
32
Marymount High
52.8%
33
Hampton High
51.8%
34
Calabar High School
49.4%
35
Titchfield High
49.4%
36
Cornwall College
45.6%
37
St. Catherine High
45.3%
38
Camperdown High
45.0%
39
Mona High School
43.8%
40
Rusea’s High School
41.2%
41
Ferncourt High School
40.4%
42
May day High School
38.9%
43
St. Elizabeth Technical HighSchool
38.1%
44
William Knibb MemorialHigh
36.9%
45
Oberlin High School
36.6%
46
Excelsior High School
34.9%
47
Gaynstead High
34.6%
48
Charlemont High
33.5%
49
Old Harbour High
33.5%
50
Black River High
31.8%
51
Edwin Allen High
30.7%
52
Frome Technical High
29.9%
53
Jamaica College
29.3%
54
Garvey Maceo High
29.0%
55
Holland High
28.6%
56
St. Mary’s College
28.1%
57
Irwin High
27.4%
58
Bellefield High
26.1%
59
Mile Gully High
25.2%
60
Iona High
23.4%
61
Jose Marti Technical
23.0%
62
Herbert Morrison TechnicalHigh
22.8%
63
St. Mary Technical HighSchool
22.7%
64
Aabuthnott Gallimore HighSchool
22.4%
65
Dintill Technical School
22.0%
66
Holmwood Technical High
21.0%
67
Jonathan Grant High School
20.8%
68
Spaldings High School
20.0%
69
Bridgeport High School
19.7%
70
Ocho Rios High School
19.1%
71
Guy’s Hill High School
18.8%
72
Annotto Bay High
16.9%
73
MacGrath High School
16.5%
74
St. Thomas Technical
16.3%
75
Anchovy High School
15.9%
76
Happy Grove High
15.8%
77
Ascot High
15.2%
78
Lacovia High
14.9%
79
Vauxhall High
14.9%
80
Porus High
14.1%
81
Maggotty High
13.8%
82
Tarrant High
13.8%
83
Green Pond High
13.5%
84
Pembroke Hall High
13.4%
85
Lennon High
13.3%
86
Albert Town High
13.2%
87
Norman Manley High
13.2%
88
Green Island High
13.0%
89
Greater Portmore High
12.8%
90
Vere Technical High
12.4%
91
Claude McKay High
11.7%
92
Kingston Technical High
11.0%
93
Clan Carty High
10.5%
94
Winston Jones High
10.4%
95
Alston High
10.3%
96
Mavis Bank High
10.2%
97
Port Antonio High
10.2%
98
Waterford High
10.1%
99
Cross Keys High
9.9%
100 Kemps Hill High
9.7%
101 Papine High
9.3%
102 St. Andrew Technical High
9.0%
103 Muschett High
8.9%
104 B.B. Coke High
8.8%
105 Foga Road High
8.8%
106 Little London High
8.7%
107 Tivoli Gardens High
8.6%
108 Troy High
8.6%
109 Maud McLeod High
8.5%
110 Maldon High
8.3%
111 Balaclava High
8.0%
112 Spot Valley High
7.8%
113 Brown’s Town High
7.6%
114 St. James High
7.4%
115 Godfrey Stewart High
7.3%
116 Seaforth High
7.3%
117 Central High
7.0%
118 Buff Bay High
6.9%
119 Belmont Academy
6.7%
120 Thompson Town High
6.7%
121 Merlene Ottey High
6.5%
122 Trench Town High
6.3%
123 Carron Hall High
6.1%
124 Holy Trinity High
6.1%
125 Brimmer Vale High
6.0%
126 Tacky High
6.0%
127 Cambridge High
5.8%
128 Ewarton High
5.8%
129 Christiana High
5.6%
130 Dunoon Park Technical High
5.6%
131 Kingston High
5.6%
132 Lewisville High
5.6%
133 Knockalva Technical High
5.5%
134 Eltham High
5.3%
135 Tacius Golding High
5.0%
136 Haile Selassie High
4.8%
137 Kellits High
4.5%
138 Petersfield High
4.4%
139 Oracabessa High
4.1%
140 Rhodes Hall High
4.1%
141 Marcus Garvey TechnicalHigh
3.9%
142 Bustamante High
3.4%
143 Edith Dalton James High
3.4%
144 Denham Town High
3.2%
145 Spanish Town High
3.1%
146 Fair Prospect High
3.0%
147 Bog Walk High
2.8%
148 Hopewell High
2.6%
149 Cedric Titus High
2.4%
150 Islington High
2.3%
151 Penwood High
2.3%
152 Grange Hill High
2.1%
153 Charlie Smith High
2.0%
154 Cumberland High
2.0%
155 Newell High
2.0%
156 Robert Lightbourne High
1.7%
157 Sydney Paygon AgriculturalHigh
1.5%
158 Yallahs High
1.2%
159 Innswood High
1.1%
160 Glengoffe High
1%
161 Paul Bogle High
0.9%
162 Donald Quarrie High
0.4%
Source : Educate Jamaica .org