The countdown has officially begun for the end of the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (BSSEE), with the Ministry of Education Transformation confirming that next year’s sitting will be the last.
Speaking during yesterday’s release of the 2026 BSSEE results, Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman outlined details of the new student transition system that will replace the decades-old exam, also referred to as the Common Entrance or 11-Plus, beginning in 2028.
Under the new model, students entering Class 3 in September this year will become the first cohort to experience the reformed system.
“The last examination for the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination will be written in 2027 by the children who will proceed into Class 4 this coming September,” Blackman said.
Two-year assessment
The new approach will move away from a single examination day and instead assess students over a two-year period through a combination of continuous assessment and standardised testing.
Continuous assessment will account for 50 per cent of a student’s final score. It will include projects and classroom assessments completed during Classes 3 and 4 under teacher supervision. The remaining 50 per cent will come from nationally administered standardised tests.
Students will sit English and science assessments during the final term of Class 3, while mathematics, social studies and civics exams will be completed in the final term of Class 4.
Blackman said the changes were designed to create a fairer and more inclusive process that reflected the realities of modern education.
“This new approach is beneficial to the students because it allows teachers to teach and evaluate and provide feedback to students at every level of their learning period.”
Excessive pressure
He added that the current oneoff examination placed excessive pressure on children and failed to fully capture their abilities.
“It will allow students to have a more balanced evaluation rather than the one-shot, highstakes pressure exam and spread it across a two-year period,” the minister said.
The new model will also allow students greater opportunities to demonstrate creativity, collaboration and a broader range of competencies beyond traditional academic testing.
Parents will continue to select their preferred secondary schools, while placements will be determined using students’ performance across both assessment components.
To prepare for the transition, the ministry has already begun training educators. Blackman disclosed that the 184 teachers expected to teach Class 3 students were currently receiving specialised training in continuous assessment through partnerships involving the ministry, Erdiston Teachers’ Training College and Columbia University. Training for principals and education officers is scheduled to begin next month.
He said the reforms were part of the wider education transformation programme aimed at creating a more equitable and future-ready education system.
“As we move forward, we must ensure that people have access to a fair transition model, one that allows and sees their competencies over a much larger period of time,” he said.
Blackman also pledged that the ministry would continue engaging the public through traditional and digital media, as well as a series of town hall meetings to explain the changes ahead of the 2028 roll-out.
He said the ultimate goal was to ensure every child, regardless of the school he or she attends, receives a world-class education that equips them with the skills needed to navigate an increasingly uncertain and rapidly changing world. (CLM)