Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2015
991. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills why her Department is insisting on referring to the proposed school based components as 40% of the total student award at the end of third year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22145/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the leadership of the two post primary teacher unions, the ASTI and TUI, reached an agreement with me on Junior Cycle reform. Our agreement was set out in our joint document "Junior Cycle Reform: Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation" published on the 22nd of May 2015. In section 2 the document outlines a dual approach, with the introduction of two structured classroom-based assessment components facilitated by teachers. For these Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) teachers will be able to select from a range of tasks appropriate to their subject set by the NCCA in consultation with the SEC. After the second of these, students will complete a written Assessment Task (AT) on what they have learned and the skills and competencies that they have developed in that assessment. This Assessment Task, along with the terminal examination at the end of third year, will be marked by the State Examinations Commission. This dual approach will recognise and value the different types of learning that take place in schools, and will allow for a more rounded assessment of the education of each young person.
