The National Learning Assessment In Primary And Secondary Schools

National assessments play a critical role in the promotion of learning. The Ministry of Education has previously implemented the National Test at the primary level and National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE) at the secondary level as assessment tools in the education system. These assessments provided policy-makers with information that was used to guide the planning and implementation of interventions to improve educational quality as well as assist with the monitoring of trends in the nature and quality of student learning over time. Consequently, the Trinidad and Tobago National Learning Assessment (TTNLA) has been developed to replace the National Test at the primary school level and the NCSE at the secondary school level to improve educational quality across several time points and monitor trends in the nature and quality of student learning outcomes. It intends to provide information on how well students are learning in this system. This assessment’s foundation is embedded in some aspects of international assessments such as Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

The TTNLA focuses on the assessment of Mathematics and English Language Arts for Standards 1 and 3 primary students as well as Form 3 students at the secondary level and will be used as a broad evaluation of the education system rather than individualised student assessment. Administration of the assessment will therefore be limited to a representative sample of schools rather than the full population of students in the specified year groups. All skills and content for the examinations will be drawn from the relevant curriculum for the primary students; however, the Form 3 assessments will consist of skills and content from Forms 1, 2 and 3 with the weighting more heavily on the Form 3 level.

Data collection will be limited to the representative sample of schools rather than the full population of students in the specified year groups. The data obtained will give insight into the factors that are associated with student achievement. Hence, it will assist in the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of various subgroups as well as provide information on educational resources and processes. Together, these types of information will give policy-makers and education managers the data-driven evidence needed to make judgements about achievements and successes of the education system, constraints it may be operating under and the challenges (weaknesses and failures) it may be experiencing. Since it is difficult to plan for improvement without such information, it is envisaged that the TTNLA will be an essential component for the development and enhancement of the education system in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidad and Tobago National Learning Assessment (TTNLA) will be implemented in two phases:
Phase I (2023)
• A pilot assessment will be conducted in 2023 at the standards one (1) and three (3) levels to approximately thirty (30) schools. This represents approximately 15% of the total sample population of two hundred primary schools. This pilot assessment will be administered to one thousand eight hundred (1,800) students to ensure that the test items and structure are suitable to the students’ levels. There will be no pilot test at the secondary level; and
• Implementation at the secondary level to Form three (3) to a representative sample of approximately 50 schools. This represents approximately 32% of the total population of 154 secondary schools (public and private). The test will be administered to approximately five thousand (5,000) students. No pilot assessment will be conducted at the secondary level.

Phase II (2024)
• Implementation at the primary level in 2024 to a total sample of about 200 primary schools at both Standards 1 and 3 which is approximately 40% of the primary school population. The test will be administered to around five thousand (5,000) students; and
• Continued implementation at secondary level in the sample of approximately 50 schools to be administered to approximately five thousand (5,000) students.