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FAQs

How are evaluation findings reported?

Schools receive oral and written reports. The evaluation team provides an informal oral report immediately after the evaluation.

A written evaluation report is then produced. The team takes this in draft form to the school or educational institution and presents the main findings- 'What the school does well ' and 'What needs to be improved', as well as the main findings in the subjects that have been evaluated. These, along with an overall judgment of the quality of education provided and the capacity of the school or educational institution to improve are the key features of the report. In addition, the report also now includes a judgment on how well the school is helping to prepare students to acquire the attributes of an 'Educated Caymanian' as described in the National Consensus (2005) document.

Senior staff have an opportunity to discuss the main findings at this point. The school / institution is given five working days to identify in writing any factual errors or areas needing clarification.

Can schools fail their evaluation?

There is no 'pass' or 'fail'. The evaluation team makes an overall judgment on the quality of education provided by the school using the 1-4 scale where 1 is 'very good', 2 is 'good', 3 is 'adequate' and 4 is 'unsatisfactory'.

Are evaluation reports made public?

Yes, reports are posted on the Ministry's website - www.brighterfutures.gov.ky and also in this website.

Are evaluation reports made public?

Yes, reports are posted on the Ministry's website - www.education.gov.ky and also in this website.

Will ESAU visit schools at other times, apart from a full evaluation?

In addition to individual school evaluations, ESAU also carries out surveys of particular subjects or aspects. These surveys involve short - usually one day - visits to a sample of schools across the Cayman Islands. The visits will include classroom observations and discussions with key teachers and with students.

If a school was deemed to be unsatisfactory, ESAU carries out a review one year after the evaluation. Schools are also visited between evaluations in order to maintain a general overview of provision and practice.

Schools are expected to carry out their own self evaluation. Why would ESAU have to evaluate as well?

ESAU provides schools and institutions with the opportunity to experience a clear, external and impartial evaluation of the quality of their work. This should complement and inform the school’s own self-evaluation. ESAU also produces reports to inform the Ministry and DES.

Who provides support for schools after an evaluation?

The Department of Education Services (DES) will provide support for government schools.

What happens after an evaluation?

About two weeks after the evaluation, the draft report is discussed with senior staff and the school has five wroking days to submit any comments or queries to ESAU. The final report is sent to the Ministry, and shortly afterwards it is published on this website and on the the Ministry's website - www.brighterfutures.gov.ky

After the school has seen the draft report, it has 40 working days to prepare an action plan to address the areas identified for improvement.

What happens after an evaluation?

About two weeks after the evaluation, the draft report is discussed with senior staff and the school has five wroking days to submit any comments or queries to ESAU. The final report is sent to the Ministry, and shortly afterwards it is published on this website and on the the Ministry's website - www.education.gov.ky

After the school has seen the draft report, it has 40 working days to prepare an action plan to address the areas identified for improvement.

How are schools and other educational institutions selected for evaluation?

Since the beginning of external evaluations in 1997, all government schools and most private schools have been evaluated. Evaluations took place approximately every six years. From 2005, the cycle of evaluations was reduced to four years. Schools are generally re-evaluated in the order in which they were first evaluated, unless there are extenuating circumstances that make an earlier or later date necessary.

Other educational institutions are generally evaluated at the request of the institution or Ministry of Education.

Why do schools have evaluations?

The Government has a responsibility to ensure that all children receive the best possible education, whether in government or private schools. External evaluations are a part of the Education Law. They provide an independent, objective evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning and the standards that students are achieving.

How long does an evaluation last?

Evaluation visits last three to four days, depending on the size and age range of the school. Informal, oral feedback is usually given to the senior staff the week following the evaluation.

How often are schools evaluated?

Generally, once every four years.

Which subjects are evaluated and reported on?

In primary, elementary and special school evaluations, the team focuses on the core subjects of language arts and mathematics. These subjects are evaluated and reported in depth. The team also evaluates the way that students learn and apply skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum.

In secondary school evaluations, the team focuses on English, mathematics and science as well as literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum. The three core subjects (English, mathematics and science) will be evaluated and reported in depth.

How do evaluators make their judgments?

In making their judgements, evaluators are guided by the criteria for evaluations specified in Part 3 of ESAU's 'Handbook for Evaluation of Educational Provision'

It is important to note that evaluators do not report on individual teachers. Instead, they assess the effectiveness of the teaching at a whole-school level and for individual subjects and student groups.

How do evaluators make their judgments?

In making their judgements, evaluators are guided by the criteria for evaluations specified in Part 3 of ESAU's 'Handbook for inspection and Self-evaluation'

It is important to note that evaluators do not report on individual teachers. Instead, they assess the effectiveness of the teaching at a whole-school level and for individual subjects and student groups.

Who evaluates the educational provision?

All evaluations are led and managed by an officer from the Education Standards and Assessment Unit. All members of the Unit’s core team are accredited and experienced assessors. Some evaluation teams may also include overseas evaluators and /or local occasional evaluators.

Overseas evaluators are qualified and experienced, and bring an international perspective to the judgements made. Local occasional evaluators are mainly staff from Cayman schools who have successfully completed the relevant evaluation training course. They bring a local perspective and recent experience of working in our schools.