Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2013
98. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the framework for junior cycle document and his further views that this will change the role of the teacher from that of an advocate to that of a judge of their own students and could be less impartial than other methods of assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17877/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Leaving Certificate is a high stakes examination. It provides a direct entry access route to further and higher education and the labour market. This is no longer true of the Junior Certificate for the vast majority of students. Just as we reached a point in 1967, where there was no longer a need for a state examined Primary Certificate, I believe we have now reached that point in relation to the Junior Certificate. The abolition of the Primary Certificate did not change primary school teachers from advocates for their students to judges of them. It removed a narrow external assessment, and paved the way for the introduction of a child-centred curriculum for pupils. The Framework will create interested, independent learners who will be better prepared to meet the challenges of life beyond school. I believe these reforms will enable the educational system to deliver a junior cycle that places the needs of students at the core of quality learning, teaching and assessment.
Extensive quality assurance measures are being built into the new Junior Cycle. These include subject specifications with clear learning outcomes; a comprehensive professional development programme for teachers, principals and deputy principals in, inter alia, educational assessment, including processes of moderation; the introduction of standardised tests for all schools and students in English reading, Mathematics and Science and in Irish reading for Irish-medium schools; and the development of an assessment and moderation toolkit. Assessment for learning will have a key role and will enhance learning throughout the three years of Junior Cycle. It will be complemented by the two components of assessment of learning. There will be the school work component which will be based on work undertaken by students in their second and third years and there will also be a final assessment component at the end of third year. There will be a school report. The report will include a School Certificate of results in eight to ten subjects or their equivalents. The report will also include a student profile which will reflect their other learning experiences.
Subjects and short courses with their new modes of assessment are being introduced on a phased basis from September 2014 so that capacity in the system can be built up incrementally. Additional quality assurance measures in relation to assessment of learning at end of junior cycle, to maximise impartiality, include the following:
- The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will provide final assessment papers and marking schemes for subjects until the new school-based system of assessment is fully established
- For English, Irish and Mathematics, the SEC will initially mark these papers. This arrangement will continue until standardised testing becomes established in junior cycle
- For the school work component, schools will undertake internal moderation in accordance with the guidelines on moderation for Junior Cycle assessment which will be formally confirmed by the principal
- The results awarded on every School Certificate of Learning will be sent to the Department.
The Department will monitor the national and school patterns along with the results in the standardised testing of reading, Mathematics and Science. This monitoring will provide further quality assurance and identify any local or national anomalies. A report on overall trends will be published regularly. In the event of an unusual pattern of achievement, the Inspectorate of the Department will be advised, and support and evaluation measures will be provided for the school. In addition, national monitoring of standards will be complemented by continued participation in national and international assessments.
