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About Us
The mission of the Education Standards and Assessment Unit is to promote the raising of standards of achievement in schools and early childhood care and education centres in the Cayman Islands through rigorous and independent inspections and by provision of sound professional advice to the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education Services.
Nature, Scope and Purpose of External Evaluations
Why do we have external evaluations?
In 1996, the Schools' Inspectorate was established as an independent unit of the Ministry of Education. It came about as a result of the National Education Plan (1995-1999) which called for the establishment of an Inspectorate to monitor and report on educational standards and to provide professional advice to the Ministry of Education. The first six-year cycle of evaluations began in September 1997.
External evaluations contribute to school improvement and school effectiveness. They provide valuable opportunities for the people working in schools to experience a clear, external and impartial evaluation of the quality of their work. Evaluators report on a school’s overall strengths as well as the areas for improvement. They also provide the Ministry and the Department of Education Services with a rigorous, independent and reliable evaluation of the quality of education in a range of provision in the Cayman Islands and help the Ministry to measure improvements in schools and other institutions over time.
What has changed?
Many changes have taken place since the 2005 Education Conference which resulted in the document 'The National Consensus on the Future of Education in the Cayman Islands'. The Schools' Inspectorate was renamed the "Education Standards and Assessment Unit', (ESAU) and its remit was revised and expanded to include evaluations of all educational provision.
Different types of evaluation
Schools are generally evaluated on a four-year cycle, but if provision is deemed to be unsatisfactory, the school is reviewed again after one year. Another type of evaluation includes sampling a particular subject or topic across schools. Each evaluation concludes with a report which ispublished on the Ministry's website, www.education.gov.ky as well as on this website, and from which policy advice can be drawn.
The Evaluation Grading Scale
In their reports, evaluators use the following terms to describe the extent to which the educational provision and students' outcomes meet the standards expressed in the criteria. These relate directly to the following four-point scale:
| Grade | Judgement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very good | Good in nearly all respects and exemplary in some significant areas |
| 2 | Good | Good in most respects. Weaknesses are minor and not in significant areas |
| 3 | Adequate | Needs improvement. No significant weaknesses, but no major strengths |
| 4 | Unsatisfactory | Cause for Concern. Some significant weaknesses (might be only one or two) that have negative impact on learning and standards |
The Role of Parents and Students in Evaluation
Parents have an opportunity to be involved at various stages during a full evaluation. Prior to an evaluation, they are invited to complete a questionnaire and attend a meeting with members of the evaluation team. The questionnaires and meeting provide opportunities for parents to say what they think the school does well and where it may need to improve. The evaluators follow up the points raised by parents during the time in school.
Schools are encouraged to inform parents about how they intend to respond to the evaluation findings and, at regular intervals, of the progress they are making in implementing their action plans.
Students also have opportunities to share their views and experiences of their school with members of th