Students across the British Virgin Islands will soon experience one of the most significant changes to Caribbean secondary education in decades after the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) announced it will replace traditional School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in most non-practical subjects with supervised assessments.
The reforms, introduced in response to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), are expected to affect hundreds of students in the Virgin Islands who sit Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) examinations each year.
Beginning in 2027, CAPE students will complete the new supervised assessment, known as Paper 032, while the changes will become mandatory for CSEC candidates in 2028.
For generations of Caribbean students, including those in the Virgin Islands, SBAs have been a central component of secondary education. The projects require students to conduct research, analyse information, solve problems and apply classroom learning over an extended period, often contributing significantly to their final examination grade.
CXC says the changes are necessary to protect the credibility of its qualifications as generative AI tools become increasingly capable of producing essays, reports and other coursework with minimal human input.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley said safeguarding the integrity of regional qualifications remains the Council’s highest priority.
“The integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable,” Dr Wesley said, explaining that while CXC recognises artificial intelligence as a transformative technology, it must also ensure that examination results accurately reflect each student’s own knowledge and abilities.
The decision has, however, sparked debate throughout the Caribbean, with educators and technology professionals questioning whether eliminating traditional coursework is the best response to the emergence of AI.
Among those raising concerns is Caribbean artificial intelligence expert Christopher Christie, who argues that education systems should adapt to AI rather than attempt to assess students as though the technology does not exist.
In an editorial that has gained regional attention, Christie said the issue is not artificial intelligence itself, but assessment methods that have failed to evolve alongside it.
He contends that students entering today’s workforce will be expected to use AI and other digital technologies responsibly, making it important for schools to teach those skills rather than relying more heavily on supervised examinations.
Instead of removing traditional SBAs, Christie has proposed an “AI-Transparent SBA” model that would require students to declare when artificial intelligence was used, explain how it assisted their work and submit evidence showing how their projects developed from initial research through to completion.
The proposal also includes oral presentations, teacher questioning and supervised classroom activities designed to verify that students understand and can defend the work they submit.
According to Christie, this approach would strengthen academic integrity while preparing students for workplaces where AI is expected to become a routine professional tool.
The debate extends beyond the classroom.
For the Virgin Islands, where government and business leaders continue to promote digital transformation, innovation and a knowledge-based economy, the discussion raises important questions about how students should be prepared for future careers.
Many employers are already integrating AI into daily operations, meaning today’s students are likely to enter workplaces where understanding how to use and critically evaluate artificial intelligence will be as important as traditional research and writing skills.
Internationally, organisations such as UNESCO have encouraged education systems to develop AI literacy by teaching students how to use the technology ethically, responsibly and critically, while maintaining academic integrity.
As schools throughout the Virgin Islands prepare students for the upcoming changes, educators, parents and students will be watching closely to see how the new assessment model is implemented and whether it successfully balances examination integrity with the realities of an AI-driven world.
The changes represent one of the most significant reforms to Caribbean examinations in recent years and are likely to shape how a new generation of Virgin Islands students learns, researches and demonstrates knowledge for years to come.
What do you think? Should CXC embrace artificial intelligence as part of learning, or is replacing traditional School-Based Assessments the right way to protect the integrity of Caribbean examinations? Share your thoughts in the comments below.