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Passing Rates by Type of School
English
Mathematics
2014 2013
2014 2013
Traditional High School
88.1% 86.4%
78.7% 64.6%
Upgraded High School
48.8 46.6
34.4 21.2
Technical High School
58.8 51.9
44.6 26.0
New Schools
61.1 57.1
35.2 30.5
Average
66.4 63.7
55.5 42.2
Doing so allows one to notice that, historically, Upgraded and Technical high schools provide
substantially fewer passing CSEC scores than their Traditional high school counterparts…but it also facilitates a
greater appreciation for their successes. Technical High Schools have seen a nearly 20-point increase in the rate
of Mathematics passes since last year, for example.
Dr. Thompson also advised that pass-rates be derived from the total grade-11 cohort, rather than the total
number of students who sat for the exam. As reported by the Gleaner in August of last year, some schools
screen students prior to their enrolling for exams, and in so doing underrepresent the prospects of those who are
enrolled there. By way of context, 56% of students in the grade-11 cohort last year sat for Mathematics, and
64% sat for English (these proportions being basically stable over the last three years).
If one factors the number of students who did not take the test but who should have been eligible, one
will receive a different perspective on the success of this years’ grade-11 student body.
English
2014
Pass Percentage (previous years)
Total Cohort Total Passed Pass %
2013
2012
2011
41,515
17,613
42.4
40.1
33.1
38.9
Mathematics
2014
Pass Percentage (previous years)
Total Cohort Total Passed Pass %
2013
2012
2011
41,515
12,963
31.2
22.9
20.4
19.6
If we compare the two metrics’ depictions of passing, we observe that the Ministry of Education’s
method of measuring passes suggests a larger improvement than Thompson’s, which intuitively, it must.