Education Ministry fine-tunes preps for PEP implementation

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information says it is continuing to work with school administrators for the implementation of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), with the registration of students now under way.

Forms have been issued to schools for parents and students to indicate the schools of their choice for entry to the secondary level next academic year.

The ministry is also using reports on individual student's performance in the National Pilot Performance Task Exams administered in June to further inform its preparations for the full rollout of the PEP. Areas for additional focus and support are determined by the individual student's reports and will be used to further enhance the preparation of students for the PEP.

The National Pilot Performance Task enabled the ministry to test its overall readiness to administer the PEP, and equally important, provide meaningful simulation to students ahead of the actual commencement of PEP. According to the ministry, the Performance Task exposed the students to the newest item type which will form part of their profile at grade 6.

The report shows that the development of critical-thinking skills is an area that requires focused attention and continued support. The individual student's performance reports will now be utilised to determine how questions comprising the Performance Task which will be administered in December are developed and framed.

The ministry has indicated that the upcoming Performance Task will be based on areas covered in grade 6 up to the point of the assessment.