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Government Getting Ready To Roll Out PEP

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GLEANER:  As the Ministry of Education prepares its systems for the roll out of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), which is set for implementation in 2019, Education Minister Ruel Reid said a massive sensitisation exercise has been planned for implementation, beginning this month.

 

He said a programme of activities would take place during this academic year to prepare students, teachers and parents to allow for a smooth implementation.

 

The PEP is a new assessment for students at the primary level and will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

 

Addressing journalists at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Reid said the PEP would provide a profile of the students’ strengths and weaknesses and their readiness for grade seven.

 

In addition, he said PEP would assess students’ knowledge as well as placing increased emphasis on assessing students’ skills of communication, critical thinking and creativity.

 

According to Reid, the education ministry is seeking to have students stay in school up to grade 13, and as such PEP’s forward thinking approach would better prepare students for the workforce.

 

“The end game is that everyone will graduate with the equivalent of an associate degree at the end of grade 13. PEP’s assessment process will measure students’ performance through demonstration of 21st century skills aligned to the National Standard Curriculum and generate an academic profile of each student,” Reid noted.

 

Students who are currently in grade five will be the first PEP cohort. They will do only the grade six components in 2019.

 

The current grade four students will do their grade five performance task in 2019 and in 2020 they will do the grade six components.

 

Students who are currently in grade three will be the first cohort that will have a complete profile generated under PEP.

 

 COMPONENTS OF PEP

 

PEP consists of three key components – a Performance Task (PT), an Ability Test (AT) and a Curriculum Based Test (CBT).

 

– The PT consists of real world scenarios that will require students to apply their knowledge and skills from the following subject areas: mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. The PT will be administered in grades four, five and six. It will be administered within the student’s classroom by their teacher.

 

– The AT requires students to read analytically and use quantitative reasoning skills in responding to items. Ability tests generally assess students’ aptitude in areas of numeracy, verbal and non-verbal ability, and abstract thinking ability.

 

– The CBT will be curriculum based and will assess grade six content only, in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies and language arts. This test will consist of multiple choice items along with other item types. The CBT will be administered in April.

 

– Suggested weighting:

 

– Ability Test – 30 per cent

 

– CBT and PT – 70 per cent

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION:  Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid