Major gains in PEP Grade 4 exams

The results, released today, reveal that 70.4% of students demonstrated mastery in numeracy, while 67% achieved mastery in literacy. The literacy results are particularly striking, with only 475 of the more than 33,000 students who sat the exam being recorded at the non-mastery level.

Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, the Minister of Education and Youth, hailed the results as a testament to the hard work occurring in schools across the island.

“These results reflect the extraordinary work being done by our teachers, principals, literacy coordinators and our students,” Minister Morris Dixon stated.

The ministry attributes this positive trend to its strategic education transformation agenda, which includes targeted literacy and numeracy initiatives and ongoing teacher professional development. To build on this momentum, the ministry outlined several key interventions it will reinforce.

These include the continued implementation of the National School Learning and Intervention Plan (NSLIP), tactical coaching for teachers, and the operation of holiday camps during the Christmas and Easter breaks. Furthermore, the ministry will facilitate school-based data review meetings to develop tailored improvement plans and identify top-performing schools to share best practices across the system.

“These gains remind us that when we invest in our teachers and support our students early, we lay the foundation for lifelong success,” Minister Morris Dixon added. “Our goal remains full literacy and numeracy for every child, regardless of background or circumstance.”

The ministry has committed to providing schools with individualized reports and intensifying its technical support to address the remaining performance gaps, ensuring that the upward trajectory continues.