When privately owned or run, these schools are called Preparatory Schools.
Primary education in Jamaica addresses the basic educational needs of students and prepares them for Secondary Education. It includes children between the ages of 5-12 years. Under the Caribbean Examination Council’s [2] Revised Primary Curriculum,[3] student assessment has changed significantly from what was generally an automatic promotion to secondary school through the former Common Entrance Examinations at the end of Grade 6. Since 1999, the National Assessment Program (NAP) and Grade Six Achievements tests (GSAT) have been utilizing a variety of teaching strategies to ensure that learning experiences are more broad based and student centered. NAP adopts an integrated approach from grades 1-3 and a discrete subject area for grades 4-6.
- Grade 1: Readiness Inventory
- Grade 3: Assessment tests in Math and Language Arts
- Grade 4: Literacy Test
- Grade 6: Achievement Test: in Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Writing.
These exams often greatly figure into which high schools students qualify to attend. In the capital city of Kingston however, where the population is denser, students are often placed in secondary schools that coincide with their postal code.
