Towards a Better Future

Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System
special paper set and marked by the SEC, which would focus specifically on skills such as problemsolving,
analytic thinking etc. - skills that are deemed essential for successful engagement in higher
education. The Task Force also supported proposals for reducing the number of grades in the Leaving
Certificate and a concomitant revision of the points system. The Task Force also supported the
suggestion that First Year courses should be more generic and should avoid undue specialisation too
soon. As regards alternative selection systems or supplemental approaches, it concluded that great care
would need to be taken in the use of personal statements to avoid socio-economic bias and
fraudulent submissions.
While the potential of portfolios and/or e-portfolios was recognised, it was felt that any assessment
of general portfolios would best be done in partnership with NCCA and the SEC. The Task Force
discussed a variety of supplementary assessment tests, some of which are already in use in Irish higher
education institutions, and referred in particular to the Irish experience of HPAT, to which there
have been mixed reactions. For example, there is
compelling evidence that applicants can improve
“
their score on the HPAT tests by attending
special classes or through individual coaching.
This militates against those who cannot afford
to pay for grinds or for coaching and adds yet
another obstacle to higher education entry for
those from less advantaged backgrounds. An
interview system did not get much support from
the Task Force and is unlikely to be introduced
in the foreseeable future. However, recent
reports suggest that the introduction of bonus
points for subjects that are relevant to the course
applied for is still under consideration.
While the potential of
portfolios and/or e-portfolios
was recognised, it was felt that
any assessment of general
portfolios would best be done
in partnership with NCCA
and the SEC.
”
There was widespread support among Task Force members for the HEAR scheme, whereby quotas
of places are set aside on courses in all higher education institutions for students from educationally
and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme has been in place for over a decade
and its success is widely acknowledged. While it has not removed all the barriers to participation and
retention of under-represented minorities, it has gone some way towards alleviating some of the
obstacles (HEA, 2013).
The Task Force was of the view that a feasibility study into an alternative method of selection for a
small number of its courses, currently being carried out by Trinity College Dublin, would provide
interesting and useful information. Under the terms of this feasibility study, which was introduced
in autumn 2013 and is now in its third year, 25 students are selected each year (Heaphy et al, 2016).
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