Instead of sitting exams at the ages of 11 and 14, students will be assessed by their class teachers during the year.
The decision to ditch the Standardised Assessment Tests (SATs) was made after the UK told Education that they planned to start charging Jersey for the tests and that Islanders would not be allowed to sit the exams at the same time as students in England.
Director of Education Tom McKeon said that SATs in English, maths and science would stop next May.
He said a pilot study to replace the exams with teacher assessments, which started in 2003, had been successful.
‘This is evident in the schools that have also developed an increased focus on pupils’ learning, with initiatives such as assessment for learning and critical skills,’ he said.
‘We have made a big investment in teachers’ skills.’ The director of the assessment for learning unit at King’s College, Dr Christine Harrison, is in the Island training teachers today.
She said: ‘What is unique about Jersey is that it has taken this seriously, in that it wants to develop it for all the schools and teachers, whereas in England it is much more piecemeal.’
