RC schools to SEA students: Blossom wherever you are placed

Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management, Sharon Mangroo, in her congratulations to all students receiving their Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) results today (Monday, July 3), urged them all “to make the best of the school in which they have been placed and to follow their dreams in that school.”

Being positive was the message from RC schools whose students sat the exam.

The principal and staff of Santa Maria RC School congratulated their “conquerors” – students in a Facebook post, stating, “You have done the work and will be rewarded accordingly. Despite the outcome, positive or negative, please know that this is not the end, it is just the beginning of another chapter in your lives.”

They were proud of their students as there were many challenges at the school and community over the past year. “We have adjusted and sometimes even reset our sail with Jesus Christ always at our very core.”

Vance River RC in a Facebook post ahead of today’s results wished their students the best. As for the results, it stated, “some of you will be ecstatic, while others may be disappointed. For those who obtain the results they worked for…. CONGRATULATIONS! For those who worked hard and didn’t achieve the placement they longed for, ‘This is NOT the end’. Some plants grow in the most unlikely places. Blossom wherever you are placed.”

Whatever the outcome, this day was not the end but start of another chapter in their lives. The school admonished parents to be mindful of how they respond. “Your response sets the tone for how they deal with future feats.”

The schools prayed for parents to continue guiding children along the right path, giving them love, protection and support, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon has also extended best wishes to all students via his official Facebook account. He commented that many parents will be anxious and nervous to receive results but remember the words of Christ to His apostle Peter when He invited him to step out of the boat and walk towards Him and to not be afraid.

Archbishop Gordon urged parents to support their children regardless of results because, “Education is for life, and this is part of the journey.”

The SEA was written by 18,797 primary school children on March 29. They were tested on English Language Arts Writing, Mathematics and English Language Arts.

The Education Ministry halted the practice of publishing children’s names and results in 2022 with the development of a digital platform. To access the results, the student’s date of birth, student number and admission number which are listed on the SEA admission slip will be required.

Parents or guardians of candidates from public schools who misplaced their admission slips are advised by the MoE to contact the school’s Principal to request a copy.

In a release issued on Monday, August 15, last year the Ministry announced that as a result of the pandemic there was a decrease in the number of test items: Mathematics – from 45 to 40, and English Language Arts – from 43 to 36.

The specific English Language Arts skills to be assessed are English Language Arts: Writing, Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalisation and Reading Comprehension; Mathematics: Number, Measurement, Geometry and Statistics.

The Revised Assessment Framework for The Secondary Entrance Assessment 2021 – 2023 can be seen at: https://www.moe.gov.tt.sea-2019-2023 framework/

Information released to parents today with results indicated the national average score in Mathematics was 50.44 per cent; English Language Arts 61.65 per cent and English Language Arts Writing 10.69 out of 20 per cent.

For 2022, the mean average score for Mathematics was 41.9 per cent, a drop from 46.9 per cent in 2021; English Language Arts Writing 44 per cent, down from 56.2 per cent in 2021 and English Language Arts 44.39 per cent from 56.6 per cent in 2021.