Changes to administration of PEP to accommodate students impacted by Hurricane Melissa. 

Detected Manipulations & Suggested Changes

Unbalanced reporting

Presenting mainly one side’s perspective while omitting other relevant viewpoints.

The article relies exclusively on statements from Acting Chief Education Officer, Terry-Ann Thomas-Gayle, and the Ministry. Examples: - “The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has announced several changes to the administration of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), to accommodate students impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.” - “The acting chief education officer emphasised that while the objectives have been condensed to focus on those that are essential, there will be no disadvantage for students.” - “I want to reassure the public that condensing to a smaller number of objectives, the students will not be at a loss,” she said. No reactions or assessments from students, parents, teachers, school administrators, or independent education experts are included, so the reader only sees the Ministry’s framing of the changes and their impact.

4 suggestions

Include comments from teachers or school principals in affected regions on how the reduced objectives and modified curriculum will work in practice and whether they foresee any challenges.

Add perspectives from parents or students about how Hurricane Melissa disrupted learning and whether the PEP and curriculum changes adequately address their concerns.

Incorporate an independent education expert’s view on the potential academic impact of reducing objectives (e.g., from 138 to 90 in Language Arts) and suspending the grade-nine achievement test.

Clarify any known criticisms or concerns raised during the “extensive consultations” mentioned, rather than only stating that consultations occurred.

Appeal to authority

Relying on the authority of an official or expert as sufficient proof, without providing supporting evidence or data.

The article presents the Ministry’s assurances as conclusive, without additional evidence: - “The acting chief education officer emphasised that while the objectives have been condensed to focus on those that are essential, there will be no disadvantage for students.” - “I want to reassure the public that condensing to a smaller number of objectives, the students will not be at a loss,” she said. These statements depend entirely on the authority of the Acting Chief Education Officer, with no data, prior research, or monitoring plan described to substantiate the claim that students will not be disadvantaged.

3 suggestions

Add information on how the Ministry evaluated which objectives are “most essential” (e.g., reference to learning standards, prior performance data, or international benchmarks).

Include any available evidence or pilot results showing that focusing on fewer core objectives does not harm student outcomes.

Mention whether the Ministry will monitor performance data after these changes and adjust if negative impacts are observed, making the reassurance evidence-based rather than purely authoritative.

Omission of key information

Leaving out relevant details that would help readers fully understand the implications of the changes.

Several important aspects are not addressed: - The article does not specify how many students or schools were affected by Hurricane Melissa, or the extent of learning loss. - It does not explain what content was removed when objectives were reduced (e.g., from 138 to 90 in grade-six Language Arts, or from 124 to 48 in grade-four mathematics) or whether and when those topics will be revisited. - The new placement mechanism for grade-nine students is mentioned but not described: “the ministry will, however, use a new placement mechanism for grade-nine students transitioning to high schools, as the grade-nine achievement test for 2026 has been suspended.” No details are given on what this mechanism is or how it will work. These omissions limit readers’ ability to assess the real impact of the policy changes.

4 suggestions

Provide approximate numbers or proportions of students and schools affected by Hurricane Melissa and the nature of the disruption (e.g., days of school lost, infrastructure damage).

Briefly outline what types of objectives were removed or deferred in Language Arts and mathematics, and whether there is a plan to reintroduce them in later grades.

Describe the new placement mechanism for grade-nine students in at least general terms (e.g., which assessments or criteria will be used instead of the suspended achievement test).

Clarify any potential trade-offs or risks identified by the Ministry when deciding to reduce objectives and suspend the grade-nine test.