Jamaica’s Top Performing Cape Schools – 2017 As Listed by Educate Jamaica
EducateJamaica.org has granted The Jamaican Blogs™ access to its 2017 CAPE rankings.
This ranking highlights the CAPE institutions that are doing the best at the top 3 levels of the grade scale (QUALITY SCORES). It was measured based on the percentage of pupils obtaining 2 or more subjects (UNITS) with grades 1-3 (IIII) in the 2016 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).
Grades 4 and 5 were deliberately excluded in the measurement for the ranking as Educate Jamaica believes this is a race to the bottom.
As these are Pre-university students, schools that are generating excellent results at grades 1, 2 and 3 (QUALITY SCORES) are highlighted.
And though 4 and 5 are considered passes for the purposes of examination, this ranking focuses on schools performing at the top end of the grade scale. The ranking assists parents in identifying the 6th form schools (pre-university) that are doing well, so that they are able to make a more informed choice as to which sixth form to send their child/children.
Featured School: Jonathan Grant High
Jonathan Grant High School has jumped from 54% to 74.4% in the 2017 CAPE Rankings, an increase of 20.4%. This percentage is reflective of the percentage of students who achieved grades 1-3 in 2 or more subjects (units) in CAPE 2016.
The principal, Dr. O’Neil Ankle, has been working assiduously to improve the infrastructure of the school as well as the performance of his students. He is a man who is very passionate about education, a staunch believer in data-led leadership and management and has made data-led leadership and management one of the key pillars and guide in his decision making process. The second main tool that he has in his arsenal is the ability to motivate his staff and students.
Dr. Ankle purports that motivation has the power to create powerful and effective actions as it relates to staff and students when effectively deployed. He touts his ‘Reward & Award’ ingenuity for the improved performance of his students. He has a prodigious relationship with his staff, who are his partners in the mission to improve the outcomes for students. He meets with his students on an unvarying basis, which includes his motivation sessions, which he dubs ‘power talk’.
He has expressed concerns about the overwhelming situation his students face daily due to the challenging life circumstances. He conveyed that the challenges sometimes prove to be a barrier to them making satisfactory
progress. This isn’t a new phenomenon in his life as an educator, however, it remains a daily unease and challenge for him and one that he continuously supports his students in overcoming.
Two of the ways he endeavours to support his students are through his investment and innovative approach to Student Well-Being and Student Mental Health. Onsite at the school he has units which focus on student health and well-being called The Health & Wellness Centre and a re-branded Guidance & Counselling Department, The Psychological, Social & Wellness Centre.
Jonathan Grant High School is carving out a specialist Law niche for itself at the CAPE level, as it continues to successfully place its CAPE Law students at the University of the West Indies. This is a great achievement for the school as it focuses on expanding its CAPE programme to include the Sciences. He has been working with his staff to make Jonathan Grant the top school in the parish of St Catherine and the wider Spanish Town region. The Spanish Town
area is currently served by Jonathan Grant High, St Jago High, Eltham High, Jose Marti, Innswood High & St Catherine High School.
According to Educate Jamaica, many educators we are of the view that under Dr Ankle’s watch, Jonathan Grant High will become a CAPE giant and a top 5 sixth form option for parents and students in the tri-parish area of St. Catherine, St Andrew & Kingston.
Source: Educate Jamaica
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