The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is introducing significant changes to its School-Based Assessment (SBA) system as artificial intelligence continues to reshape education across the region.
Under the new approach, traditional SBAs will be replaced with examination-based assessments in a number of subjects, while practical and skills-based disciplines will continue to use coursework as part of their final evaluation.
According to CXC Director of Operations Nicole Manning in a video statement last week, the changes are designed to safeguard academic integrity and ensure that students’ work genuinely reflects their own abilities.
She explained that practical subjects remain well suited to project-based assessments because they measure skills that cannot be replicated through a written examination.
“These are subjects where hands-on project-based assessment still gives us something that an examination room cannot replicate,” Manning said. “And for this reason, we will retain those SBAs and strengthen how they are moderated.”
The revised framework means that subjects such as English Language and other non-practical disciplines will transition away from the traditional SBA model in favor of a new examination component.
Manning said the changes represent a carefully considered response to emerging challenges posed by artificial intelligence and concerns over the authenticity of student submissions.
“For us at CXC, this is a thoughtful, deliberate design that achieves two important things,” she said.
“One, it preserves the spirit of extended reflective assessment, and two, it restores our confidence at CXC in authorship and authenticity.”
The move reflects a broader shift in education systems worldwide as examining bodies seek to balance technological innovation with the need to maintain fair and credible assessment standards.