Towards a Better Future

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Chapter Four: Assessment: Primary and Junior Cycle CHAPTER FOUR Assessment: Primary and Junior Cycle INTRODUCTION Up to the late 1960s, assessment policy and practices in Ireland were mainly limited to externally devised and administered terminal examinations. What happened in relation to inschool assessments was in the main undocumented and at post-primary level, schooladministered end-of-term tests were mainly a mirror image of the public examinations. The experience in Ireland in this area was not very different to that in most developed countries at this time. However, policy changes introduced in Ireland from the mid-1960s onwards led to widespread debate on curriculum development and assessment. The decision to introduce comprehensive schools in 1964 threw up new challenges for the provision of programmes in the new schools, the first of which were opened in 1966 (Randles, 1975; Coolahan, J, 1981). A sharp division existed at this time between the voluntary secondary and vocational schools, each having its own distinctive programmes and examinations, with limited opportunities for cooperation or sharing across the two sectors. As the new comprehensive schools fitted neither of these curricular models, it became necessary to review the existing programmes. After a lengthy and protracted process, this ultimately resulted in the replacement of the existing Intermediate and Day Group Certificate programmes with a unified Junior Cycle curriculum and examination system in 1989. Although it was planned to introduce more varied modes of assessment in addition to the terminal examinations at this level, thus extending the range of skills being examined, oral tests in languages and practical tests in technology-based subjects were initially introduced on a voluntary basis and were devised and examined centrally. — 57 —
Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System At primary level, the abolition of the Primary Certificate examination in 1967 at the end of this cycle and the introduction of a new primary curriculum in 1971 opened up new opportunities for schools to develop assessment policies free from the demands of a centrally-devised examination system. With this newfound freedom also came the introduction of standardised tests in literacy and numeracy aimed at monitoring standards across the system (Department of Education and Skills, 2012). This scenario created a basis for renewed discussions on assessment and standards, especially in the light of hitherto unsubstantiated claims that the abolition of the external examination would inevitably lead to falling standards in literacy and numeracy. This chapter is organised as follows. The first section briefly outlines the nature, scope and purposes of assessment. The development and implementation of assessment in the primary and Junior Cyclesectors are then outlined and this is followed by a summary of the main findings of a number of standardised assessment surveys conducted at both levels. A review of performance patterns at primary and post-primary is presented in the section that follows. Some general suggestions for further developments in this area complete the chapter. NATURE, SCOPE AND PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT Internationally, following the downturn in the economy in the early 1970s, arising mainly from the oil crisis and resulting in large-scale unemployment, schools came under increasing scrutiny mainly because, it was contended, that they were not producing students with employable skills. Questions were raised as to whether schools were making a difference to the advancement of their pupils, above that already conferred on them by their home and social background. There followed a wave of research studies into school effectiveness and school improvement, and a new emphasis on assessment (Cheng Cheong, 1996; Macbeath, 1999; Madaus et al., 1980; Rutter et al., 1980; Smyth, 1999). This became evident in some countries in the competency testing movement, the introduction of standardised testing and the publication of school league tables based on examination results. Assessment involves the use of a range of techniques aimed at capturing the achievement of students across a wide span of knowledge and competences. It is defined by the NCCA (2007, p.7) as: The process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using, and reporting a child’s progress and achievement in developing knowledge, skills and attitudes. While the emphasis is generally placed on the assessment of cognitive and psychomotor skills, it is also important not to lose sight of the role of key skills in the ‘affective domain’ that can have a significant influence on the motivation and development of learners. Thus, such skills as the ability — 58 —
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