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Short, clear video lessons that follow the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, grade by grade.
Jamaica's National Standards Curriculum (NSC) was introduced across all grades from the 2017/18 school year. It stresses project-based and problem-solving learning, STEM and STEAM, and civics, and it prepares students for the CSEC subjects they meet in later years.
Our lessons will be built by working from the Ministry's own guides, grade by grade and subject by subject. For each lesson we plan to show:
We link to the Ministry's published guides rather than copying them, so teachers and parents can always check what we say against the source.
A starting outline of what students meet at each stage in Jamaica. Subject lists are summaries: the Ministry's guides for each grade are the final word.
Language Arts, Mathematics and Integrated Studies, taught through projects and activities.
Milestone: Grade 1 Readiness Inventory.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Language Arts, Mathematics and Integrated Studies, building reading, number sense and curiosity.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Language Arts and Mathematics at the centre, with integrated studies and the creative and physical subjects.
Milestone: National Grade 3 assessments in Language Arts and Mathematics.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, plus the other areas of the National Standards Curriculum.
Milestone: PEP Grade 4: Literacy and Numeracy tests (2026 schedule).
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, with growing emphasis on problem solving and written explanations.
Milestone: PEP Grade 5: Mathematics and Language Arts performance tasks (2026 schedule).
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, and preparation for the transition to high school.
Milestone: PEP Grade 6: Mathematics and Language Arts curriculum-based tests and the Ability Test (2026 schedule). Used for high school placement.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and History and Geography taught as separate subjects, plus Spanish or French and other subjects.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Continues the Grade 7 subjects with more depth, laying groundwork for subject choices later on.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Mathematics, English, History, Geography and the sciences, with Biology, Chemistry and Physics taught separately as a foundation for CSEC.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
Students study subjects for the CSEC examinations from CXC. English Language and Mathematics are required.
Milestone: CSEC examinations.
Pilot focus: CSEC 2027 lessons in progress ›
Optional advanced programme leading to CAPE, usually needed for university entry.
Milestone: CAPE examinations.
Lessons: Coming after the CSEC pilot
The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) replaced the old GSAT and is used for high school placement. Under the Ministry's 2026 schedule, it is spread across three grades and weighted like this:
Together that is 400 points. The Ministry adjusts the format and timing from year to year, so always check the current details on the official PEP site below.
These open on the Ministry's own websites.
Outline last checked October 2026. Caribbean Curriculum Compass is an independent project of The Wynton Institute and is not run by, or endorsed by, the Ministry.
We're building Caribbean Curriculum Compass with parents, teachers and students, a little at a time. Two minutes of your time helps us decide which grades, subjects and tools come next.