Brendan Griffin
Question:514. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the leaving certificate in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41731/21]
View answerThursday, 9 September 2021
Questions (514)
Written answers
I am conscious that students who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning.
On 30 June, the Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations received an update in relation to the 2022 Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations. Following this, I announced that adjustments would be made to the 2022 examinations which are similar to those published in December 2020 in respect of Leaving Certificate 2021.
The adjustments are outlined in Assessment Arrangements for Junior and Leaving Certificate 2022, which is available on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate.
These adjustments will leave intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice for students in the examinations.
The adjustments provide greater choice for candidates across a wide range of subjects. For example, in Leaving Certificate Biology, candidates in 2022 will be required to answer to answer five out of seven short questions in Section A, whereas previously five out of six such questions had to be answered.
In a smaller number of subjects, e.g. Leaving Certificate Mathematics, Technology and Computer Science, candidates will be required to answer a reduced number of questions on the paper, but no change will be made to the examination duration.
A summary advice note setting out the key curriculum and assessment arrangements for Leaving Certificate Applied Year 1 and Year 2 students in the 2021/22 school year has also been published and is also available on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate.
The system of Calculated Grades which operated for Leaving Certificate 2020 was intended to be a once-off event in 2020 given the sudden and very challenging position at that time and the impossibility of running examinations in their traditional form safely.
A decision was made by Government in February 2021 to offer a system of Accredited Grades to this year’s Leaving Certificate students. The rationale for this was that, given the levels of disruption to learning experienced by current Leaving Certificate students during two significant and prolonged periods during their Senior Cycle education, it would have been unfair and unjust to require such students to sit traditional Leaving Certificate Examinations without offering an alternative or parallel process.
While schools were closed as a result of Covid-19 from January 2021, a programme of remote learning was provided to all students. Students who were in fifth year were also prioritised for a return to school following the return of sixth year students.
It is hoped that incoming sixth year students will be able to complete a full year of in-school tuition when they return to school at the start of the 2021/22 school year, and will experience no further disruption to their learning as a result of Covid-19.
It was also announced, on 30 June that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will run an alternative set of Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2022, shortly following the main set of examinations. The SEC will set out the eligibility conditions for these examinations, which will be limited to certain students who are unable to sit the main set of examinations due to close family bereavement, COVID-19 illness during those examinations, and certain other categories of serious illness, to be clearly and strictly delineated. The SEC will issue further details regarding these examinations, with all arrangements guided by prevailing public health advice. There will also be further engagement with stakeholders in this matter.
All schools have an additional allocation of Special Education Teaching (SET) hours that are specifically used to support the identified additional and special educational needs of students. The decisions made by senior management in the use of those hours should be underpinned by the principles laid out in the NEPS Continuum of Support, ensuring that the students with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support. Senior leadership have autonomy to use SET hours in response to both identified and emerging needs of students. Following these principles schools can make responsive changes in provision for students with special educational needs that incorporate a variety of teaching approaches including, but not restricted to, for example; co-teaching, time bound small group withdrawal and intensive one to one support.
The Guidance and SEN departments in schools are also best placed to support students and families in applications for reasonable accommodations during state examinations (RACE). The RACE scheme is operated by the State Examinations Commission. More information on these supports are outlined on www.examinations.ie.
Question No. 515 answered with Question No. 498.
Question No. 516 answered with Question No. 498.