— teamwork, extra lessons credited for turnaround from 40–50% pass rate

FROM a usual pass rate of between 40 and 50 per cent, Novar Secondary School in Region Five has achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in Mathematics for the second consecutive year.
According to a Facebook post by the Ministry of Education (MoE), during an impromptu visit to the school, Minister of Education Sonia Parag caught up with the school’s Head of Department for Mathematics, Mrs. Sallima Nazamodeen, who provided insight into the work that led to the outstanding results.
Speaking with Minister Parag, Nazamodeen explained that one of the areas she identified for improvement after becoming Head of Department was the approach to School-Based Assessments (SBAs).
“One of the problems that I noticed when I came here as HOD was the SBAs, and I realised that sometimes, as individuals helping the children, we don’t see our flaws,” she said.
To address this, Nazamodeen said the department adopted a team approach to reviewing students’ SBAs rather than having each teacher solely responsible for marking the work of his or her students.
“What I did in terms of marking of SBAs, we don’t have a teacher marking the SBAs to assist their children. We have a team of teachers who will sit and go through the SBAs, go through it with the mark scheme, and we make the necessary adjustments to ensure that it has the required marks—the standard to achieve the marks,” she explained.
The Head of Department said this approach helps to ensure that when the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) assesses the SBAs, students’ work meets the required standard.
Nazamodeen also credited the results to the additional time teachers spent working with students, including conducting quizzes and reviewing individual topics to ensure that students understood the material.
“Sometimes we don’t get everybody, but those willing, they will motivate the others and so on. Sometimes we give a little prize and a little this and that to motivate them to stay back, and they do, and they work,” she said.
Nazamodeen expressed pride in the students and teachers after learning that the school had maintained its perfect Mathematics pass rate for another year.
“I am very happy when I heard this is our second year achieving 100 per cent pass. Last year was our first,” she said.
The achievement represents a significant turnaround for Novar Secondary, which previously recorded Mathematics pass rates ranging between 40 and 50 per cent.