Government will continue publishing students' test scores in the present format and will resist the temptation of setting out a "pecking order'' of school performance, pledged Education Minister Milton Scott yesterday.

Sen. Scott was replying to Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith's call in yesterday's Royal Gazette for test results to be released school by school in order to inform parents and make teachers and principals accountable for their students' performance.

Mr. Smith spoke out after Government last week released the latest Terra Nova Reading, Mathematics and Language results for Primary Three to Senior One students.

Sen. Scott said: "This Government has set a precedent by publishing test results to enable parents and the community to see what progress is being made in our schools.'' Education minister refuses to release school-by-school test results "This has never happened before, not under the previous Government and not when Mr. Smith himself was Education Minister.

"Mr. Smith said that the United Bermuda Party thinks the parents have a right to know. The Government also believes that parents have the right to know, but unlike the previous Government, we have taken action to make it happen.'' Sen. Scott noted: "Principals and teachers are meeting with each parent as part of parents' conferences and each student's strengths and weaknesses will be discussed.'' The Terra Nova results published last Thursday showed some grades improved their level of Reading ability while others stayed put or fell. Meanwhile tests in Mathematics and Language were sat by all the grades for the first time this year and will provide a baseline for measuring progress in the future.

Mr. Smith also called on Government to set targets for improvements, something Sen. Scott said would be an "important part of the process''.

However he added: "But it makes no sense to pluck a figure from the air. Now that the baseline has been set, we can look at the figures and set targets that will challenge our schools and our students without being so unrealistic that they will simply be ignored.'' Sen. Scott pointed out that prior to November, 1998, (when the Progressive Labour Party became the Government) only 25 percent of desired learning outcomes were measured in schools.

"We have expanded this to include far more and in future years a far greater percentage of desired learning outcomes will be measured,'' said Sen. Scott.

Mr. Smith also called upon Government to release the results from a second batch of tests which had been taken by students in the past.

But the Minister said: "Schools were not asked to set the Stanford (Diagnostic) test so there are no other test results to make public.