Understanding credentials and

articulation agreement: Tools for

marketing higher education in the

Caribbean. By Cleveland SamAssistant RegistrarCaribbean Examinations Council

Introduction• Caribbean Examinations

Council (CXC established by governmental agreement in 1972

• Offered first exams in 1979 for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC)

• Currently services the English-speaking Caribbean

Participating Countries

Antigua &Barbuda

Anguilla

Barbados

Belize

British Virgin Islands

CaymanIslands

Dominica

Grenada

Guyana

Jamaica

Montserrat

St. Kitts &Nevis

St. Lucia

Turks and Caicos Islands

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad &Tobago

External Territories

Saba

St Maarten

Suriname

CXC’s Mandate

Conduct examinations and award certificates and diplomas as a result of those examinations

System of Examinations

• Criterion-referenced examinations

• Performance is measured against specific objectives, set criteria or standards

•Focus on interpreting the candidate’s exam performance in terms of how much of the targeted learning outcomes the candidate achieved

How CXC assesses

TEACHER PREDICTIONTEACHER PREDICTION

APPLIED KNOWLEDGEAPPLIED KNOWLEDGE EXTERNAL EXAMEXTERNAL EXAM

Written papers

Multiple choice componentSchool-based assessmentTeachers Assessment

Order of Merit List

Internal Assessment

CXC Qualifications

• CAPE – Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination

• CSEC – Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate

• CVQ – Caribbean Vocational Qualification

• CCSLC – Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence

• CPEA – Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment

CSEC• First qualification offered by CXC in

1979• Flag-ship examination for Caribbean

students• Taken by students exiting high

school/private candidates • Offered in 34 subjects• 153, 120 candidates took CSEC in

May/June 2011• 610,000 subject entries in May/June

2011

CSEC – Proficiencies • General Proficiency • The General Proficiency offers learners a deeper understanding of the topics covered

in the subject and is designed for learners who are likely to pursue studies in the subject beyond the secondary level.

• Technical Proficiency• The major difference between the Technical and General Proficiencies one of orientation. The

General provides for a general education while the Technical is focused on the acquisition of the knowledge and skills for technical competence in a subject area.

• Candidates with Technical Proficiency will accordingly have the skills and knowledge to pursue tertiary education or to be employed at the pre-technician level.

• Basic Proficiency (Discontinued in 2009)• The Basic Proficiency is designed for persons who are likely to enter first level occupation. It

allows coverage of the fundamental concepts and principles of a subject matter which are applicable to everyday life. The Basic Proficiency should also form the basis for further education.

CSEC Grading Scheme

• 6-point scale

• Grades I to VI (Overall)

• Grades A to F(Profile)– Profile grades give additional information about candidates’

performance on specific content or skills• E.g.: Mathematics - Computation, Comprehension and Reasoning

Spanish – Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing

CAPE

• Introduced in 1998

• Replaced British A’ Levels in Caribbean (most)

• 46 Units in 24 subjects

• Taken by students in 6th form schools, community colleges and private institutions

• 27, 595 candidates in 2011

• 108, 380 Unit entries

Structure of CAPE1-Unit and 2-Unit courses

Each Unit has 3 Modules

Each Module has several topics e.g.: Physics Unit 1 – Mechanics|Oscillation and

waves| Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Matter

Mechanics (Topics)• SI Units• Motion• Effects of Forces• Conservation of Energy

Grading system

• Overall Unit Grade– Grades I – VI

• Module Grade– Grade A to F

Assessment• Each Unit requires

approximately 150 hours

• Each Unit is assessed by an external examination and an school base assessment– SBA accounts for

percentage of overall marks

• Projects• Research papers• Portfolio

• UK NARIC

• AIU

Articulation Agreements An articulation agreement is one that permits credits that are earned from one educational institution’s programmes to be transferred to a higher level institution.

Articulation Agreements

• Based on the CAPE Units

• CXC Associate Degrees (based on CAPE)

• Transfer Units in the area of their bachelors

• Exemptions from first year courses in there area of study

Advantages of articulation agreements

• Marketing tool for the university • Students and parents know what

to expect in terms of credits and exemptions =$$$$$$$$$

• CXC promotes the partner universities at events/website/magazine/presentations

• Joint presentations when in the Caribbean

USF

JWU

How it works

• CXC gives the school copies of all CAPE syllabuses and past exams papers(if requested)

• The school’s faculty evaluates the Units and determines credits/exemptions

• An equivalency chart is prepared by the school

• CXC reviews the chart and sends comments

• The agreement is based on the equivalency chart

UK NARIC• “We will be pleased to commend

CAPE as a higher education entry qualification to UK higher education institutions and to present its full flexibility. Our objective would be to ensure that CAPE is well understood by the full range of admissions tutors so that students with CAPE qualifications will maximize their personal benefits from UK higher education.”

• UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) July 1999

• “We will be pleased to commend CAPE as a higher education entry qualification to UK higher education institutions and to present its full flexibility. Our objective would be to ensure that CAPE is well understood by the full range of admissions tutors so that students with CAPE qualifications will maximize their personal benefits from UK higher education.”

• UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) July 1999

UK NARIC, the body that advises UK universities on international qualifications, has evaluated the CAPE syllabuses. NARIC has advised universities that six Units will be acceptable for matriculation.

“Acceptable at the two-Unit level in lieu of GCE A Levels on a subject for subject basis.”UCAS-International Qualifications booklet 2006

“Acceptable at the two-Unit level in lieu of GCE A Levels on a subject for subject basis.”UCAS-International Qualifications booklet 2006

India (AIU) “AIU has granted

equivalence to Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) conducted by Caribbean Examination Council with minimum of 5 subjects in Grades 1 & 2 with Grade 10 Examination of an Indian Board…”

“AIU has granted equivalence to Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) conducted by Caribbean Examination Council with minimum of 5 subjects in Grades 1 & 2 with Grade 10 Examination of an Indian Board…”

•Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has granted equivalence to CAPE with a minimum of 5 subjects with +2 stage qualification of an Indian board

•Candidate having passed CAPE are eligible to join conventional degree programmes at Indian universities.

Canada“We feel that students who have achieved strong results in their CAPE Units 1 and 2 examinations are well prepared for entry to McGill University, for advanced standing credits and exemptions towards our degree programmes and for successful studies with us.”Katherine Mayhew, Senior Admissions Officer, McGill University

“For each CAPE course, the equivalent of six credit hours at Saint Mary’s University is granted”.Dr Paul Dixon, St Mary’s University

US

• CSEC - We have found that these results accurately reflect students’ academic abilities and preparation for post-secondary study.

• SUNY Plattsburgh has been awarding transfer credit for successful completion of CAPE for several years. Students with satisfactory CAPE results enter with advanced standing which enables them to complete their bachelor’s degrees in three (3) years. The content of the CAPEs appears to be comparable in content and intensity to introductory-level courses in various disciplines within our course offerings.

Mrs. Jacqueline "Jackie" Girard Vogl

Assistant Vice President

International Enrollment Management

“If you are taking CAPE Unit 2 level exams and score Grades I and II on any of the following subjects, and you are admitted to AU and join our global community, you will receive advanced standing AND credits for UA level classes....We at AU value CAPE and the education that you have received at home...”Evelyn Levinson, Director of International Admissions at American University

Current Agreements

• Berkeley College

• University of South Florida

• Monroe College

• SUNY-Plattsburgh • Oglethorpe University

• Johnson and Wales

Why recruit in the Caribbean?

It is the best

bang for your

buck!!

Caribbean 39South & Cent ral Asia 24Oceania 20East  Asia 18Cent ral America & Mexico 15Europe 14Middle East 11Southeast  Asia 9South America 9Cent ral Africa 6West  Africa 5East  Africa 4Southern Africa 4North Africa 2

Ratio of students in the US per 10,000 of tertiary 

aged population

Where Caribbean students go?

State % of TOTALFlorida 23%New York 15%Texas 5%Massachuset ts 4%DC 4%

Thank YouQ & A

www.cxc.org