Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 October 2014
207. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to concerns within the special education sector regarding recent changes (details supplied) to the qualification regime; and if she will address these issues. [38808/14]
View answerAs part of the junior cycle reform, there has been a move away from multi-level specification of subjects. English, Irish and Mathematics are the only subjects offered at two levels. All other subjects will be offered at a single common level. This move is consistent with good practice in curriculum specification internationally, and contributes to the development of more inclusive curricula designed for and taken by ALL students, including those with special needs. The brief for the development of subject specifications stresses the importance of learning outcomes, including those learning outcomes previously associated with Foundation Level, so students with special needs who may previously have taken Foundation Level will be able to choose from the Ordinary Level or Higher Level in these subjects. In addition, the broader range of assessment approaches and methods to be used in these subjects will also facilitate students with special needs in accessing and achieving well in these subjects. It is important to note that there is a new initiative in the reformed Junior Cycle. There will be assessment of Level 2 Learning Programmes. The Level 2 Learning Programme will target the learning and accreditation needs of certain students with general learning disabilities. These students are small in number and will have Individual Education Plans. They will be accredited for their work. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is responsible for quality assurance across higher and further education and training and also makes awards at all levels of the National Framework of Qualifications. In order to have access to QQI's awards, providers of education and training must first agree their overall procedures for quality assurance with QQI, so that QQI can be assured that they meet their rigorous quality standards. The purpose of those standards is to ensure that providers have the capacity to provide quality programmes of education and training to their learners. Since its establishment, QQI has been rolling out its own policies and criteria across its range of functions and, in the final quarter of 2013, it published the policies required to allow new providers to gain access to its awards. In addition, QQI determined the fees associated with those policies, and those fees were consented to by the then Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In the further education and training sector, those fees amounted to €5,000 for approval of quality assurance procedures, and €2,000 or €1,000 for validation of a programme of education and training, depending on the size of the award. The fees which will apply to providers which currently have access to QQI's awards, and which will be required to re-engage with QQI, are yet to be determined. There is a significant amount of work involved in assessing applications from providers seeking access to QQI's awards and these fees underpin QQI's ability to ensure and monitor compliance with its standards.
