THE Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will, today, host a virtual stakeholder engagement session on its reformed School-Based Assessment (SBA) Framework, as the regional examining body moves to strengthen assessment integrity and respond to challenges posed by the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
The Ministry of Education has encouraged teachers, principals and other education professionals across Guyana to participate in the online session, which is scheduled for (July 30) today at 16:00 hours Guyana time via the Zoom platform.
The engagement will also be livestreamed on CXC’s official YouTube channel (youtube.com/@MyCXC).
During the session, a team from the Council is expected to outline the key changes under the reformed framework, explain implementation requirements and address questions from stakeholders.
Participants will also receive an overview of the revised assessment approach and its implications for SBA requirements across various subject areas.
For decades, the SBA has been a distinctive feature of CXC’s examination system, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and competencies over time through practical activities and assignments conducted in school and community settings.
CXC said it has worked closely with regional governments over the years to strengthen the administration of SBAs across Caribbean schools. However, concerns have emerged in recent years regarding the extent to which some assessments accurately reflect students’ individual capabilities.
In response, the Council has progressively strengthened its monitoring and moderation systems.
In 2020, CXC expanded its SBA moderation to include 100 per cent moderation across all examination centres. In 2022, the Council increased scrutiny of the quality of SBAs, transitioning from centre-based moderation to teacher moderation and providing additional feedback on assessment outcomes.
The Council also reminded stakeholders in 2024 of the importance of ensuring that candidates submit their own original work, in accordance with CXC’s Regulations for the Conduct of the Council’s Examinations.
In 2025, CXC introduced its Responsible Generative AI Policy Framework for the Regional Secondary Education System, along with standards and guidelines governing the use of AI in assessments.
The guidelines included adapted scale levels and descriptors under the AI Assessment Scale, which outline the extent to which AI may be used, provide guidance for designing assessments within the SBA process and establish mechanisms to help teachers validate candidates’ work where generative AI may have been utilised.
In a recent video message to students and teachers, CXC Director of Operations, Dr Nicole Manning, said the changes being introduced to the SBA framework are significant but necessary to preserve the credibility and integrity of the regional examination system.
She noted that the SBA was created to give students an opportunity to demonstrate what they know and what they can do over time within the real-world contexts of their schools and communities.
“That was and remains a powerful idea,” Dr Manning said.
However, she noted that the assessment system has come under increasing pressure in recent years, with generative AI emerging as the most significant challenge.
“AI tools are widely available. They can generate text, essays, research papers and analysis in seconds. AI is part of our world and it will be part of our future. We are not seeking to prevent the responsible use of AI,” Dr Manning explained.
Instead, she said, CXC intends to harness AI’s capabilities to support students as they prepare for SBAs and written examinations.
The key distinction, she added, is that while AI may be used to support preparation, students must demonstrate their own competence under controlled examination conditions without the use of AI.
Following consultations with stakeholders across 21 territories, CXC approved the reformed SBA Framework, which will retain and strengthen practical assessments in subjects where hands-on and project-based work remains essential.
“For subjects that are truly practical in nature, subjects like Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, Food, Nutrition and Health, the SBA will remain,” Dr Manning said.
“These are subjects where hands-on, project-based assessment still gives us something that an examination room cannot replicate.”
She explained that the SBAs in those subjects will be retained, while moderation procedures will be strengthened.
However, for non-practical subjects, including Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Social Studies and Principles of Business, CXC will transition away from the traditional SBA model.
Under the revised approach, candidates will instead be required to complete Paper 032, the Council’s existing alternative assessment conducted under examination conditions, with adjustments to reflect the new framework.
Dr Manning assured students that the reforms are intended to ensure that the qualifications and grades awarded accurately reflect what candidates have learned and can independently demonstrate.
“Reforming the SBA is about ensuring that what you are recognised for is what you have learned,” she said, adding that CXC remains committed to upholding its standards “firmly, fairly and always in service of the region.”