Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
443. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the actions being taken to ensure that the full leaving certificate curriculum will be covered in advance of the 2021 examinations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9884/21]
View answer523. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if additional choice will be provided on the written leaving certificate examination papers in June 2021 to take into account the significant loss of learning time encountered by this cohort of students. [10444/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 523 together.
Since Monday 11 January 2021, all students, including Leaving Certificate students, are engaging in a programme of remote learning with their schools.
The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department has already provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a Covid-19 context. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. This documentation has been complemented by Circular 0074/2020 (Communication/Teaching & Learning Platform) which requires all schools to have in place appropriate contingency measures to ensure that they are prepared to continue to support teaching and learning in the event of a partial or full closure of schools arising from Public Health advice.
Last August, I announced a series of changes that would be made to assessment arrangements for both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations for 2021. This announcement was accompanied by a published document detailing these changes, Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, and forms part of the Roadmap for the Full Return to School. On 21 December 2020, my Department published an updated version of the publication which includes clarifications in relation to a number of subjects.
These arrangements are designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students during the 2019/20 school year and to factor in for some further possible loss of learning time in the 2020/21 school year as a contingency measure. As the loss of learning through school closures affects students’ engagement with their course of study in different ways, the adjustments put in place play to students’ strengths by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice. The adjustments were arrived at through discussions between my Department, the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and key stakeholders.
These changes to the national assessment arrangements were made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, as these principles apply to assessment and examinations and refer to student to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons over time. The changes provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools.
In addition to the above the SEC has advised schools of the flexibility being provided for schools and students in the arrangements for the completion and authentication of coursework. Details of revised schedules for these components will be issued to schools shortly.
Putting in place both the examinations and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having regard to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and the loss of learning that has occurred for this group of students due to the interruption of in-person teaching and learning during the periods of school closure.
