Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
948. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to concerns raised in relation to the impact of the syllabus changes to agricultural science on leaving certificate students in the 2021 examination; the action she proposes to take to alleviate the concerns raised with her by teachers; if action can be taken for students affected by this in their exam; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39438/21]
View answerA new specification for Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science was introduced in September 2019. There has been an increase in numbers of students opting to take the Agricultural Science in recent years, with a greater proportion of students taking higher level and there is strong support for the subject. Agricultural Science is a crucial element of the science curriculum at Leaving Certificate level. Integral to the specification development was the retention of the practical component, which is viewed as core to the subject. Irish Agricultural Science Teachers' Association (IASTA) representatives were part of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Subject Development group contributing to the development of the new specification.
The core strand underpinning the specification is “Scientific Practices”, and the completion of the Individual Investigative Study is supported by this strand. The importance of this strand is demonstrated through the current award weighting of 25% of the total mark to the candidates for their Individual Investigative Study. The remaining 75% is awarded for their terminal written examination.
The other 3 strands of the specification are broken into areas which are familiar to teachers: Soils, Crops and Animals, all of which were contained in the previous curriculum specification. The format of the new agricultural science specification is based on learning outcomes rather than a list of content. Teachers are being supported in engaging with a specification in this format through the Support Services programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Aligning relevant content from the old curriculum to that of the new specification will aid some teachers in their understanding of the learning outcomes and in turn enable them to identify where the various cross cutting themes would be applicable.
In January of this year, members of the NCCA Executive and officials from my Department met with the IASTA to discuss a submission from IASTA on issues regarding the specification for Agricultural Science.
At this meeting, IASTA welcomed the new specification, noting that for many students their first experience of agriculture is through their engagement with their Agricultural Science teacher. They raised concerns regarding the Individual Investigative Study component of the specification and about support material and the challenges teachers face when using learning outcomes to plan for teaching and learning in a high stakes environment.
They advised that they had a useful engagement with the State Examinations Commission (SEC) on some issues regarding the papers and that clarifications had been provided regarding aspects of the paper, and that these had been relayed to IASTA members.
I understand that IASTA wished to have the coursework element of the assessment process cancelled or made optional for the 2021 examinations. If this request had been acceded to, it would have raised very significant issues of equity and fairness, not only in this subject but in other subjects where there is a coursework requirement in the final assessment.
The adjusted assessment arrangements for post-primary students taking certificate examinations in the 2020/21 school year were designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students. As schools have significant autonomy in determining how to sequence and pace learning for students in their schools, no centrally prescribed adjustment of the curriculum and courses of study would have been effective for students taking the certificate examinations in 2021. Consequently, the most appropriate way to reflect and take account of the challenges for students that have occurred in 2019/20 and 2020/21 was to incorporate adjustments to the certificate examinations in 2021.
Following my Department's meeting with IASTA in January, IASTA attended a meeting in February 2021 of an 'Agricultural Science in Practice Group' convened by the NCCA. The purpose of the 'Agricultural Science in Practice Group' is to be a forum that can be used to generate and collate early insights and authentic examples from practice of Agricultural Science as it is enacted in classrooms, and to publish these in an NCCA document.
