Stakeholders suggest need for new PEP model to guarantee uninterrupted assessments

 

 

The Ministry of Education has been discussing with stakeholders ways to ensure the uninterrupted assessment of students exiting primary schools in light of three significant disruptions in the last five years.

 

The disruptions to learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes Beryl and Melissa have forced the ministry to alter the Grade 6 Primary Exit Profile examination framework.

 

The Jamaica Association of Principals of Infant and Primary Schools says, since the release of the 2026 PEP results, the ministry's Student Assessment Unit has been holding consultation sessions with principals to arrive at an agreed model for the exams.

 

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday disclosed that it will continue the 2026 PEP adjustments for the 2027 sitting of the exams, which saw the removal of Science and Social Studies.

 

It said this took into account the challenges facing children in western Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.

 

Speaking with Radio Jamaica on Thursday morning, Richard Williams, General Secretary of the association, said he is in agreement with the decision, but stressed that a new model for PEP that can withstand disruptions is needed. 

 

"Last year we did the exams without them and the students were able to be placed. I remember back in 2020, 2021, there about - the COVID period - one year it was only the Ability Test that was used. So I think the decision is that every time we have a disaster, we have to be adjusting the exams, adjusting the number of exams. And then there is the other concern about how many exams the students have been doing and the assessment," he noted.

 

Mr. Williams, who is principal of Gregory Park Primary School in St. Catherine, said changes should be made to how students are assessed, starting at Grade 4.

 

"I strongly believe that at Grade 4, the focus should be on literacy and numeracy, so we get the students to do that. Then at Grade 5, we can zero in on all the Performance Task for Grade 5 students, so that they can focus now on writing and expressing themselves and doing all the performance tasks in Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. And when the students get to Grade 6, they can now focus on the curriculum-based tests in both Maths, Language and Social Studies and Ability. I don't think they need to be doing the Performance Task in Grade 6. However, the Language Arts exam does provide an opportunity for students to do Performance Task-type questions," Mr. Williams asserted.

 

Prior to 2020, students in Grade 4 were assessed in literacy and numeracy and performance tasks, and at Grade 5, students did performance tasks in Mathematics and Language Arts, alongside curriculum assessments.

 

At the Grade 6 level, the exams consisted of Performance Tasks, Curriculum-Based Tests which included, Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science, and an Ability Test.

 

In the meantime, Mr. Williams said teachers of Grade 6 will continue to give lessons on the Science and Social Studies components of the PEP syllabus, despite the removal of those subjects from next year's sitting of the exams. 

 

"For example, if we're teaching Language Arts, we would use Social Studies concepts and Science concepts...because we were preparing students for the Performance Task as well. So we will continue to use content material from Social Studies and Science to support the students' development," he explained.