KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Education Youth and Information has indicated that all is in place for the national pilot (mock exams) of the Performance Task of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

According to a release from the ministry today, grade 5 students will sit the mock Performance Task in the subjects of Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Mathematics on Monday June 18 and June 19.

While on Friday June 22 students in grade 4 will sit the Performance Task in Language Arts and Mathematics.

The Performance Task is curriculum based and assesses students’ grasp of content coming from the listed subject areas. It’ll be administered within the students’ individual classrooms by their respective classroom teachers, the ministry said.

The ministry added that while the preparation for the Performance Tasks would have taken place during class time, the completion of the actual assessment will be done under the supervision of the teacher; therefore, they will not be allowed to complete these tasks at home.

The ministry further added that in preparation for the first administration of PEP, the Student Assessment Unit (SAU) conducted a series of training sessions throughout the year with all grades 4 and 5 teachers across the country.

This training, it said, was designed to assist teachers in getting a better understanding of the Performance Task and their role in the administration of these tasks.

The national pilot, in addition to exposing students and teachers to the newest item type (Performance Task), will also assist the SAU in gathering data to inform the internal and external mechanism.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Ruel Reid said that the ministry is committed to ensuring that no child will be disadvantaged with the introduction of the new PEP, which will replace the 19 year old Grade Six Achievement Test.