Dear Editor,

I am a mother of a grade five Primary Exit Profile (PEP) student and I am very concerned that the Ministry of Education is not sending out any information related to my child’s year group. The information that has been circulating in the media and to the schools are only related to grade six.

I am happy they seem to have reached consensus to use the current grade six-ers PEP assessment scores from grade four along with an ability test in the 2021 exam sitting.

This decision will only be applicable to this group, however, given that the current grade five students were not given the opportunity to do their grade four PEP assessment due to COVID-19’s sudden burst on the scene, and our Ministry of Education’s response in addressing the shortfalls in access to education via the online platforms.

Thus, I direct my question to the Ministry of Education, and Minister Fayval Williams: What will be the fate of the current grade five PEP students? And what will be the mechanism for placements in summer 2022?

I am from the era of a single round of primary exit tests known as Common Entrance Examinations, which consisted of three separate multiple-choice (option) papers, namely mental ability, mathematics, and English. This was also adjusted to give students two attempts if they did not attain the ‘pass mark’.

I never fully understood why the ministry decided to include the additional content to form the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and created a system in which even low-performing students got high school placements when they did not show mastery of the primary content (with no pass mark affixed to exams). From this era we have heard the lament from some principals that were given students with average GSAT passes below 40 per cent. GSAT was then further reformed, with the assessment now spanning three academic years (grades four, five and six) and referred to as PEP.

Thus, the parents of current grade four and five students are wondering what will be the process for placements in high school in 2022. This matter needs to be placed on the table now and into the conversations of stakeholders so that information can be communicated to parents before the start of summer term 2021 and the end of grade five.

For the purposes of the discussion, I would like to add the suggestion for PEP to be adjusted to reduce the content in areas of general knowledge (science and social studies), then a single sitting three-paper multiple choice and short response exam be done for mental ability (multiple choice only to include reasoning, science and social studies); mathematics (multiple choice and short calculations to include primary maths concepts as in current curriculum; and English (multiple choice with one letter or one short story to focus on primary language skills as in the current curriculum). Each paper should be administered on separate days after the Easter break in 2022.

I join with the voices of concerned parents as we still work on adjusting to the new normal while seeking the best outcome for our children and nation.

We look forward to your response Minister Fayval Williams in a timely manner.

Concerned Grade 5 parent