ETE × HookB · Curaçao · 2012 to today

14 YEARS OUR STORY

A journey through examinations, technology, data, difficult moments, new ideas and the people behind the work.

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A journey we never planned

We grew with the work.

From accounting and IT support to processing examination data, building digital systems and running semi-statistical analysis on Curaçao's national primary education examinations.

What started in 2012 as technical examination support gradually became something much broader. This is the story as we experienced it.

2012
The beginning

Naturalisatietoetsen

The relationship started with practical examination work. Biko joined ETE as Technisch Examenleider for the Naturalisatietoetsen, initially through Gregory Melfor, and became increasingly responsible for the IT side of the examinations.

One of the earliest projects was an instruction and technical manual for administering part 3 of the Naturalisatietoets through toets.nl at Easy Computer Curaçao.

ETE logo
2012 · Where the story begins
2014
EFO + Digital foundations

Paper, scanning and a new digital identity

2014 brought the first documented EFO project in our archive. HookB supported the processing of answer sheets and examination data, while another track was taking shape at the same time: ETE's digital infrastructure.

ETE.CW was registered, the organization moved toward its own @ete.cw email environment, and ETE was approved as a Microsoft Qualified Academic Institution.

EFO 2014 answer sheet
From the archive · EFO 2014 answer sheet
Microsoft academic institution approval
October 2014 · Microsoft academic approval
May 2014 · Behind the scenes

Before dashboards, there were boxes of paper.

Early EFO processing was physical, hands-on work. Answer sheets had to be handled, scanned, checked and converted into usable result files. The technology changed over the years, but the need for accurate processing never did.

Processing EFO answer sheets in 2014
EFO 2014 · Processing answer sheets
2015
FO Volgtoetsen

The relationship expands

After EFO, HookB became involved in the IT and logistics around the FO Volgtoetsen. In 2015 the work reached 59 schools. What initially relied heavily on Excel, Word and manual processes would eventually become one of the most important digital chapters in this story.

59
schools
FO examination landscape, 2015
The scale was already national
2016
IT work behind the scenes

Sometimes modernization starts with a cleanup

Not every project was glamorous. HookB coordinated a physical IT cleanup and inventory project at ETE. Equipment was identified, photographed, classified and documented, while obsolete equipment was separated for disposal.

It was one of several practical IT assignments alongside the growing examination and data work.

ETE IT cleanup 2016
April 2016 · IT cleanup
Old IT equipment
From the archive · equipment inventory
March 2017 · Examinations beyond EFO

Technical examination work continued to broaden.

At Easy Computer, Biko served as technical test examiner for the Decentrale Selectie Erasmus MC from the Netherlands, responsible for the IT side of the examination session.

Erasmus MC decentralized selection
Computer examination roomErasmus MC examination session
2016
17
From processing to analysis

Understanding the results

As ETE's internal capacity changed, HookB became increasingly involved in additional analysis of EFO results. By 2017 the process had been expanded with an internal methodology for cross-checking results against Cito.

The role was changing. Processing examination data increasingly required understanding the data.

The role evolves
IT → Data processing → Controls → Semi-statistical analysis
A different kind of IT assignment
2018
A difficult lesson

When the controls mattered

An error was identified in the processing of N3 EFO results. The incident led to a detailed investigation, rebuilding outputs from the original scans and strengthening the control process.

The lesson stayed with us: examination data processing is never just about software. Uniform procedures, verification and independent controls matter.

2018 EFO memo describing the identified error
May 2018 · Memo on the identified processing error
2018
The web-based future

What if schools could enter results themselves?

By 2018 the discussion had moved beyond improving manual processing. ETE, HookB and others explored a web-based application that would allow teachers to enter Volgtoets scores and receive reports faster.

On 23 April 2018, the processing room was still filled with paper. By October, the conversation was already about a web application.

Processing answer sheets in 2018
23 April 2018 · Pretest R&W processing
October 2018 web application meeting note
October 2018 · Web-based reporting discussion
2019
Working across borders

ETE, Cito and years of coordination

Working with ETE's examination data also meant years of technical coordination with colleagues at Cito in the Netherlands. Questions, files, controls and results created a longstanding professional working relationship.

At the same time, HookB was advising on ETE's wider IT modernization, including server infrastructure and the requirements for new digital examination systems.

Cito presentation at ETE in January 2019
January 2019 · Cito presentation at ETE
2019
Digital examinations

Thinking beyond the existing systems

As ETE explored digitizing the Naturalisatietoets, Lands- and Particuliere Examens, HookB contributed to early thinking around system requirements, technical conditions and the RFQ/TOR for a new web application.

The project later continued without HookB's involvement. For us it became another lesson: good requirements are only the beginning. Continuity between process knowledge, implementation, testing and operations matters just as much.

Terms of Reference for examination web application
October 2019 · Terms of Reference
ETE new server memo
2019 · Server modernization
2019 · From concept to portal

The idea became something teachers could use.

The FO Volgtoetsen concept developed into an online portal with dedicated accounts for schools and teachers. The goal was simple: reduce manual steps, bring information closer to schools and shorten the time between testing and reporting.

Teacher instructions for FO Volgtoetsen portal
June 2019 · Portal instructions for teachers
2020
A year of acceleration

Going online when the world went remote

COVID-19 accelerated ETE's digital needs. The FO LVS moved into real use, Microsoft Teams supported remote collaboration, and a dedicated ETE Helpdesk gave schools a central place for support during the examination year.

The helpdesk included ticket routing, status tracking and a knowledge base so recurring questions could be answered more efficiently.

ETE Helpdesk
2020 · ETE Helpdesk
FO Volgtoetsen online LVS
Online LVS · Entering Volgtoets results
ETE processing room at APC Plaza
ETE office at APC Plaza · Processing room
Where a lot of it happened

Behind every result was an operation.

During examination periods, this room became an operational base for scanning, verification, processing, controls and problem solving. The work was rarely visible outside ETE, but it sat behind years of examination results and reporting.

The years in numbers

Scale changes the story.

12EFO editions supported, 2014 to 2025
~1,700students per EFO year on average
163K+EFO answer sheets processed over time
400K+Volgtoets answer sheets processed
861user accounts in the online FO LVS
14.5Kstudent profiles in the LVS
59schools in 2015
53schools in 2023
563,000+answer sheets processed across EFO and Volgtoetsen
2024 to 2025 · A turning point

Some chapters end. The work still matters.

In December 2024, ETE chose a new direction for the Volgtoets platform, including direct online test administration and expanded analysis. During 2025, HookB kept the existing portal available and supported the transfer of data for the next system.

2025 was also the final EFO year. When legacy ReadSoft technology failed during processing, a new semi-automatic workflow was developed so the examination processing could still be completed.

The constant through change
Solve the problem. Protect the data. Finish the job.
The team behind the work

From Day 1 to the last EFO.

It was never about one person. It was about getting the work done.

Across fourteen years, the core HookB team worked behind the scenes on examinations, IT, processing, controls and digital systems. Different projects brought different challenges, but the approach stayed the same: understand the problem, find a workable solution and deliver.

Biko HookerProject coordination · IT · Data & analysis
Christopher HookerSoftware Development · Solution Architecture · Cloud Infrastructure · Technical examination support
Klynthed KoeimanIT support · Examination operations

The EFO and Volgtoetsen chapters have ended, but the work with ETE has not. Members of the team continue to support ETE with the Naturalisatietoets, CXC examinations and other digital and online examinations.

The constant through change

Solve the problem. Protect the data. Finish the job.

Today + what lies ahead

14 years and counting.

Onderwijs blijft onze passie.

Our connection with education did not start with ETE. Biko grew up in a home where education was part of everyday life, with a mother who spent her career teaching across different types of schools within Curaçao's Funderend Onderwijs.

Perhaps that is one reason why this work was rarely just another IT project. Behind the systems, data and hundreds of thousands of answer sheets were schools, teachers and students.

Technology will continue to change. So will the way examinations are developed, administered and analyzed. The experience, relationships and knowledge built during this journey remain.

Digital testing
Platforms, pilots and implementation support
Data & reporting
Controls, dashboards and analysis
Project & change
Requirements, vendors and implementation
Infrastructure
Cloud, security and resilient operations

We would like to remain part of that journey.