Towards a Better Future

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Chapter Three: Curriculum and one in Third Year. These assessments might include project tasks, oral language tasks, investigations, practical or designing and making tasks, field studies and artistic performance. After the second CBA, students will complete a written Assessment Task, to be marked by the SEC, on what they have learned and the skills and competences they have developed in that assessment. In addition, an externally-assessed, state-certified examination for every subject will continue to be provided at the end of Third Year. English, Maths and Irish will be provided at two levels – all other subjects will be provided at one (common) level. For each subject, the external examination will be two hours long. Slightly modified assessment structures will apply in Art, Craft and Design; Music; Home Economics and the Technology subjects. It is disappointing that the Assessment Task will account for such a small proportion of the overall marks available for the Final Examination – according to DES circular 0024/2016, ‘in the case of English, Business Studies and Science, the value assigned to the Assessment Task will not exceed 10% of the overall marks available for the Final Examination’. Had the 2012 framework been implemented, the proportion of marks for the Final Assessment would have been considerably higher. However, it is significant that for the first time in the history of Irish education, timetabled time will be made available for teachers for professional in-school meetings, referred to as ‘Subject Learning and Assessment Review’ meetings (SLARs). At these meetings, teachers will ‘share and discuss examples of their assessments of student work and build common understanding about the quality of student learning’. An additional two hours may be allocated by school management to a teacher for the co-ordination of the SLAR meetings for each individual subject. The two-hour allocation may be facilitated through the provision of paid substitution hours to the school. During the “ …it is significant that for the first time in the history of Irish education, timetabled time will be made available for teachers for professional in-school meetings, referred to as ‘Subject Learning and Assessment Review’ meetings (SLARs). ” school year 2016/17, fourteen hours of professional time (six hours of school closure and the balance through paid substitution hours) will be made available for SLAR meetings for teachers of English. Similar meeting times will be timetabled for teachers of the other two proposed new subjects, i.e. Business Studies and Science. This will be in addition to 22 hours of professional time allocated within the timetable for each full-time teacher from 2017-18 onwards. — 43 —
Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System There will be a different grading scheme for the CBAs and for the SEC examined assessments. CBAs will be assessed using the following four-point scale: ■ Exceptional ■ Above expectations ■ In line with expectations ■ Yet to meet expectations. The SEC final examinations at Junior Certificate level will use a five-point scale as follows: Grade Range (%) Distinction 90 to 100 Higher Merit 75 to 90 Merit 55 to 75 Achieved 40 to 55 Partially Achieved 20 to 40 Not Graded 0 to 20 At the end of Junior Cycle, students will be awarded the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) that will include the different assessment elements undertaken over the three years of Junior Cycle. This includes the results of the CBAs in subjects and short courses, assessed by teachers, and the grades achieved in the final examinations and the outcome of the Assessment Tasks, marked by the SEC. The DES recognises the need to support teachers and school principals in implementing the new curriculum and assessments. CPD opportunities will be provided by the JCT (Junior Cycle for Teachers) support team, both off-site and on a whole-school basis as well as to school leaders. In addition to CPD, exemplar materials and complementary online support will be provided. Teacher feedback and requests for clarification will be collated on an ongoing basis through the JCT website and through social media mechanisms, and updated materials, resources and exemplars will be made available. It is hoped that this approach will promote professional dialogue and the sharing of experiences among school leaders and teachers. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this paper, ASTI members are refusing to co-operate with the May 2015 proposal, in spite of the fact that ASTI leaders signed the revised Framework at their meetings with Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan, in May 2015 (TUI et al May 2015). Given the overwhelming evidence about the need for Junior Cycle reform, and the long and tedious efforts made over such a long period to accommodate the concerns of teachers, it is more than disappointing that more than 40 years after the need for Junior Cycle reform was first flagged, there is still no certainty about whole-scale reform of Junior Cycle curriculum. The proposed Junior Cycle framework and the new syllabi (now called subject specifications) are more than overdue and — 44 —
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Towards a Better Future

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