Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2012
364. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the new curriculum for leaving certificate honours maths, project maths, keeps changing though students are expected to sit this paper in June 2013; the reason there seems to be no clarity on what is expected of the students. [48378/12]
View answerProject Maths is a major programme of reform of mathematics in second level schools. Project Maths began in 24 schools in September 2008 and was rolled out on a phased basis to all mainstream schools from September 2010. As of September 2012 all five strands of Project Maths were rolled out to all mainstream schools. Information on the timing and phasing has been widely disseminated.
The purpose of the initial engagement with 24 schools and the adoption of a phasing in approach was to learn from the experiences in these project schools while using this period to work with the schools to develop materials and lesson plans and resource materials, which would then be available for mainstreaming to all schools. This phase of development has therefore been evolutionary in nature, with syllabuses and resources being developed and refined during the project phase. There has been ongoing professional development made available to schools by the Project Maths Development Team. As well as CPD, there are significant resources available on www.projectmaths.ie which provide clarity on what is expected from teachers and students.
