The Government has announced new changes to the 2021 sitting of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam.
Addressing a virtual post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (March 10), Fayval Williams, minister of education, youth and information, said the Grade Six Ability Test, which had originally been set for February 23, then later rescheduled to March 25, has again been postponed.
The new date for the examination is May 26.
In addition to the examination date postponement, Williams also announced that, as was the case last year, there will be no Performance Task or Curriculum-Based Test.
CHANGES IN KEEPING WITH COVID RESTRICTIONS
As a result, students’ high school placement will be decided on using a combination of the results obtained from the May 26 Ability Test scores as well as their 2019 Grade Four Performance Task exams in Language Arts and Mathematics.
According to Williams, these changes have been implemented in keeping with the restrictions imposed to contain the spike in COVID-19 cases in Jamaica.
She said, following consultations with stakeholders in the education sector, it was agreed that students “would be best served by utilising a similar format that was used in 2020 for the placement of our grade-six students into high schools”.
“…The use of the Grade Four Performance Task scores alone as a placement mechanism would not give enough data points to reliably rank students for placement.”
Fayval Williams, minister of education, youth and information
She noted that, based on the data guiding the ministry, she has been advised “that the use of the Grade Four Performance Task scores alone as a placement mechanism would not give enough data points to reliably rank students for placement.
Williams added: “It is, therefore, important that the Ability Test is done on Wednesday, May 26.”
Administration of the Ability Test will be in all primary-level institutions, and presided over by external persons contracted by the ministry.
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