One of our Cambridge Assessment Network members suggested a 'Day in the life' feature' to learn more about different careers in assessment. So for this Member Spotlight we spoke with Trudy Augustin, Testing and Evaluation Officer for the Ministry of Education in St Lucia about a typical day, what she enjoys the most about her role and how developing her understanding of assessment supports her career.
Trudy was born in St Lucia, and from a very young age, her involvement in various community groups and activities helped her realise that she had a love for working with children. Following a twenty-two-year career in teaching and educational leadership, Trudy now works for the Ministry of Education in St. Lucia.
“Although I enjoyed being in the classroom, I never thought twice when a job offer was presented to me to serve as a Testing and Evaluation Officer in the Educational Evaluation and Assessment Unit (EEAU), of the Ministry of Education in St. Lucia. I willingly accepted the challenge and have been serving in that position for the last four years.”
The EEAU is responsible for coordinating and overseeing:
- All local examinations including school- based assessments at primary level
- Overseas examinations including Caribbean Examination Council and Cambridge International Examinations.
The EEAU further plays a role in:
- Assessing and evaluating against curriculum outcomes/ educational standards
- Fostering greater cohesion among curriculum, instruction and assessment
- Monitoring changes and patterns in school and students performance across educational districts
- Researching best practices in assessment and introducing alternative modalities of assessment
- Diagnosing learning deficiencies and contributing to strategies aimed at improving performance in the education system
In her current role, Trudy is responsible for the Grade 2 & 4 School Based Assessments (SBA). Trudy’s responsibilities include:
- Coordinating the development of school-based assessment tasks for primary schools in collaboration with the Curriculum and Materials Development Unit
- Coordinating the moderation of the school-based assessment tasks
- Providing support to teachers in the implementation of the SBA
- Registration of candidates for the SBA
- Management of the distribution and collection of SBA projects and other materials
- Site visits to schools during the administration process
- Providing feedback to schools
A typical day for Trudy looks something like this:
8.00: Arrive in the office
8.30: Read and respond to emails or other messages
9.00: Preparation of SBA administrative letters, forms and mark sheets for each SBA task administered.
“Prior to the implementation of the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) in St. Lucia, students of Grade 2 and 4 completed two tasks - Mathematics based and Language Arts based tasks, as part of the SBA. The tasks were completed during the first two terms of the academic year. These tasks were integrative and spanned across curricula boundaries. However, with the introduction of the CPEA as the replacement to the Common Entrance Examination (which was the assessment done at the grade 6 level to gain admission to a secondary school) the CPEA internal component model was adopted in Grade 2 and 4. Thus, the SBA tasks were no longer Mathematics based or language based but rather students engaged in activities such as a writing portfolio and book report.”
12.30: Lunch. I get up at 4.00am to prepare a home-cooked meal to take with me.
13.30: Preparation of labels for returning envelopes and boxes
15.00: Print administrative documents
“The SBA tasks are sent out to the schools before the start of the term in which the tasks are to be administered. District administrative meetings are held prior to the commencement of the SBA task. The administrative meetings are facilitated by the Assessment Officers along with various Curriculum Officers. At this meeting, principals, grade 2 and 4 teachers and teachers and Assessment Officers engage in standardizing the SBA tasks.”
16.30: Work day ends
Engaging with students and teachers
“What I enjoy most about my job is interactions with teachers and students during school visits.”
“These visits provide first-hand information in terms of some of the challenges and successes that teachers and students encounter on a daily basis.
The students are able to share what they like and dislike about the SBA activities and I can observe them engaging in the activities. Some teachers and students may even share suggestions about certain topics or activities they would rather engage in. This feedback from the teachers and students informs my planning of the SBA, making it more authentic and meaningful for teachers and students. Although the school visits can be tiring sometimes, it’s a very rewarding experience to meet with teachers and students in person to lend support and assistance where needed.”
Continuing the assessment learning journey
“The courses I've undertaken with Cambridge Assessment Network have really helped to improve my practice in terms of analysing assessment results and giving meaningful feedback to colleagues. I'm now able to incorporate the skills and knowledge I've gained into my own practice at the EEAU. I have a much better understanding of the assessment process and I'm certainly more confident as an Assessment Officer.”
During Trudy’s years as an educator, she facilitated several workshops in assessment with colleagues in her school district and conducted many capacity building and developmental workshops with the Student Council at her school for which she was responsible.
“I continue to improve my skills and knowledge in assessment and have successfully completed several courses and workshops with Cambridge. I’m a member of Cambridge Assessment Network and recently gained an Assessment Practitioner Award.
I’m currently pursuing Doctoral studies in the field of Education, Specialisation in Learning Analytics K12 Education."
Would you like to feature in a future Member spotlight? We'd love to hear from you: thenetwork@cambridgeassessment.org.uk