Mastering The SBA Process

School based assessment (SBA) is an important of your school work in the Sciences and now Maths. I want to discuss a few tips that will help you become good at the SBAs practicals or Maths project you perform and just as importantly keep track of your score so you know what percentage you have before you exams begin. The mathematics, chemistry and physics SBAs are worth a maximum of 20% of your subject grade.

Doing well with the Maths SBA

The mathematics SBA gives the students an idea of how maths can be applied to investigate and understand real world situations. The break down and even a sample of a SBA is found in the syllabus as well as some websites e.g. www.csecmathtutor.com/mathematics-sba-guide.html, what many students fail at is managing their time as well as meeting the word limit.   

Managing your time - you should start planning early... The third term after you finish your end of year exams would be ideal to start discussing projects with your teacher. If you do applied subjects, e.g. physical education, industrial arts, human and social biology or information technology, chat with your teachers to see if there is a project that you could integrate your skills from maths into understanding an interesting topic in that field. If you can't start in term 3, use the vacation to search out ideas so by the time you start in term 1 of form 5 you have something to discuss with you teacher. Work backwards to give yourself a time line. If your SBA is due in April.. then what do you want to have complete by March?... if you have a goal to complete X by March what do you have to accomplish by February? and so on.


Meeting the word limit - The SBA is supposed to a minimum of 1000 words.
Your SBA will be marked on on certain criteria listed below;                                                        

1. Project Title
   
2. Introduction
   
3. Method of Data Collection
   
4. Presentation of Data
   
5. Analysis of Data
   
6. Discussion of Findings
   
7. Conclusion

To each section assign your self a world limit e.g. if you use 15 words for your title, then you have 985 words left. Now if you use 285 words for the introduction, you have left 700 words. So assign each of the seven sections a (flexible) word limit and do your best for each section. If you go over (or under) you adjust the limits for the other sections. Ask your teacher politely and respectfully to proofread each section as you do if possible. It is far easier for your teacher to correct 200 words than 1000 words. When you are finished you then just put all the sections which have been proofread and meets the word limit and you are good to go.   

Chemistry and Physics SBA

For science practicals, CXC tests four skills

1. Manipulation and Measurement (M&M) - how well and accurately you handle and use equipment;
2. Observation/Reporting and Recording (ORR) - your ability to write up scientific labs as well as record data correctly and appropriately;
   
3. Analysis and Interpretation (A&I) - the ability to make inferences, see trends and draw conclusions based on your experimental data; and,
   
4.  Planning and Design (P&D)

Each skill is supposed to assessed 3 times over the two years

In Form 4 for Physics ORR is assessed once, P & D twice,  M&M once and  A&I once. This totals 60 points. In form 5 ORR is assessed twice, P & D once,  M&M twice and  A&I once (20 points). This gives a total of 70 points.

Your teacher will go through each of these skills with you and your text books also discuss them usually in the introductory chapters. What is very important and most students don't do is to review your SBA marks, review the score and feedback your teacher gives your or puts in your lab book and really important write down your scores. Set up a table so you know what you got with what skills you have covered. 
For form 4 the marks should add up to 60 and form 5 70. Therefore not only will you be able to improve over the two years but you will know what mark you have out of 130 and therefore what your mark will be out of 20% for paper 3 - the SBA.


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