PEP and Summer Reading

Parents and teachers have expressed concerns about the Performance Task component of PEP (Primary Exit Profile), which will replace the Grade 4 Literacy and Numeracy Tests in Jamaican primary and prep schools next year. The mock test was recently administered in grades 4 and 5. The headline in The Gleaner on Tuesday, June 19, 2018  was “Students sail through first day of PEP mock exam.” However, the report didn’t paint such a rosy picture. The main concern was that slow readers would be challenged, and not have sufficient time. Perhaps that test should be given over two sessions, as 70 minutes is a long time for these students to maintain concentration.

In another Gleaner article:  “New placement exam’s success rests on parents – teachers”. Noel Pennant, Principal of Windward Road Primary and Junior High School, opined that it is going to require a massive amount of help from parents. Denise Buchanan, a grade five teacher at the same school, told The Gleaner "All in all, I think PEP is relevant and I like it based on the analysis and what students are required to do. But I am not certain at this time, that they will be able to manage it because it’s overloaded with information."  I too have expressed this opinion several times in my recent blog posts.

In another Gleaner article: “Ministry understands parents’ PEP anxieties” Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean, assures us that she will continue to disseminate information about PEP, including a full publication with different kinds of questions showing how they are aligned to the curriculum. However, there doesn’t seem to be any allowance for modification of what they have planned based on feedback from teachers and parents, or suggestions that the curriculum should be cut. 

In the meantime, the best way to prepare children for PEP is to ensure that they read plenty of story books of their own choosing. It has been shown that children who read for pleasure during the summer do better in school the following year than those who don’t. I described the research on this in my blog post “SummerReading – Some Surprising Findings”.

The question then arises: “How can parents get hold of plenty of story books and what titles should they select?” I make suggestions in my blog posts on “Books by Jamaican Authors for Children”; “Summer Reading for 8-12 year-olds”; "My picks for Class Libraries"; "1000 Black Girl Books"; and "Children's Books from or about Africa". 

Parents may only be able to afford one book given the amount of money they have to fork out for books on a booklist, but they could get together, each buying one title which they could swap with other parents. Or the children themselves could form a book club and share their books. They should aim to read at least 6 titles over the summer holidays. Books in Carlong’s Sand Pebble Series sell for about J$500 and are available at Sangster’s Book Store. If family members are visiting from abroad, they could be asked to bring books for children also.

Another consideration when choosing books is that if children are forced to read a book they don’t like, or is too difficult for them, they will get turned off and not want to read at all.  For reluctant readers,
  .... a book should be compelling, so interesting that the reader is "lost in the book".

I have this challenge with a 9-year-old boy I mind after school two days a week. When I took him to the library, I picked out about a dozen books I thought might interest him. (The children’s books are arranged in alphabetical order of authors, easy readers to classics all mixed up. There’s little chance reluctant readers will find books to interest them before they get bored looking.) He chose books with lots of pictures, at a lower level than he’s capable of reading, which he could finish in about five minutes. I also took him to Sangsters to choose a book I would buy for him, but he was only interested in the skateboards! I ended up buying him one of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid books”.

I have tried to encourage him to read “Captain Underpants”; books from the Sand Pebble Series; the Beeny Bud books by Linda Gambrill; and Pinky and Rex Series by James Howe. Two titles in The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne: “The Hour of the Olympics” and “Night of the Ninjas” were the only ones he found captivating. They were the right length and at a reading level he was comfortable with. There are plenty more books in that series and they are not too culture-bound. If we are to change the reading culture of our children, those of us who are committed to reading will have to persevere with our vision until reading becomes fashionable. You will hear more from me on this topic!