Mercy schools have witnessed another year of their students’ success in annual standardized assessments which are administered nationally and regionally.
Primary Exit Profile Exams
The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams refers to a series of assessments which are administered to primary-level students and which tests students’ abilities in areas such as Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Literacy, Numeracy, and critical thinking/reasoning. This is an extremely consequential examination as it ultimately determines which high schools children will be placed in after completing sixth grade.
We are pleased to say that our students’ PEP results have remained consistently high year after year with this past school year being no exception. At Alpha Primary School (APS) for instance, 85.9% and 91.9% of grade 6 students were judged as being either proficient or highly proficient in Mathematics and Language Arts respectively. In fact, APS grade 6 students scored higher than the national average in Mathematics, Language Arts, Literacy, and Numeracy. Jaquan Broomfield and Kamilia Brown, the school’s top performing boy and girl in this year’s PEP exams, were both awarded with well-deserved grants from Bert’s Auto Parts Foundation.
Similarly, at Jessie Ripoll Primary, 99% of the grade 6 students passed for highly reputable high schools. Among these, the school’s Head Boy, Tristan Thomas, passed for Ardenne High while the Head Girl, Tarah Smith, will be going to St. Andrew’s High for Girls – two of the most sought-after high schools in the nation.
Likewise, Idris Ramsey, Jessie Ripoll Primary School’s valedictorian, passed to attend the excellent Campion College and, due to his outstanding performance (not just in PEP but throughout his primary school journey), his family was provided with a wonderful new car by Mitsubishi Motors so they could drive to graduation in style and keep it for the weekend! Mt. St. Joseph Prep (MSJ) School’s grade 6 cohort received a 100% pass rate for Language Arts and a 98% pass rate for Mathematics. Their Top PEP Girl and Boy were Nadisha Johnson and Bradli Peart respectively.
Secondary School Exams
Meanwhile, students at Mt. St. Joseph Catholic High School (MSJCHS) and Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha (i.e. Alpha Academy), have recently received their results for exams administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). CXC is a regional examinations board which assesses the academic competencies of high school students (grades 5-13) across the Caribbean region. Students’ performance on these exams affects their admission prospects to quality universities and eligibility for certain jobs. Based on their desired career paths, students choose a diverse set of subjects in which become certified. These include various sciences, mathematics, literature, history, geography, business, accounting, languages, art & design, and more.
It should be noted that primary and secondary school students across the island typically feel tremendous amounts of pressure in the time approaching these exams simply because of how impactful the results are on their educational journeys. We are therefore extremely heartened by these positive results and celebrate with our students as they face the next steps in their academic paths. Their success is a testament to their hard work and Educational Courage as well as the unwavering guidance and support from their teachers and parents.
