By most public accounts, the pilot in Jamaica – before the full rollout next year – of the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) modular or bite-sized exam in mathematics went more than reasonably well.

While it wishes for the best, The Gleaner’s Editorial Board defers on the applause, awaiting clear evidence that this is not a case of the necessary hard work to fix a deep and systemic problem being side-stepped for the numbing effect of a palliative.

CXC officials, who were in the island last week for an assessment of the project’s performance of participating schools as well as teachers at Dinthill Technical High School in Clarendon, one of the six Jamaican institutions that were part of the pilot, acknowledged that there are kinks and gaps to be addressed. However, they were optimistic about the scheme’s possibilities for students who perennially struggle with mathematics.