Towards a Better Future

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Chapter Five: Transition from Second Level to Higher Education CHAPTER FIVE Transition from Second Level to Higher Education INTRODUCTION This chapter will focus on the transition of students from second to third-level education. It will outline the processes used by higher education institutions in Ireland to select school leavers and will discuss the central role of the Leaving Certificate in the process. It will trace the growth of the Central Applications Office (CAO) and the development of the Points system, and will discuss possible alternative selection mechanisms, taking account of international experience. TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION The proportion of school leavers who proceed to higher education in Ireland is high by international standards. The number of new entrants to higher education in 2015 was 45,000, or over 60% of the relevant age cohort. This is a tenfold increase since the mid-1960s when fewer than 4,500 per annum entered higher education annually. The number of new entrants is projected to grow during the next decade to at least 53,000 in 2025 (DES, 2014). Not all those in higher education come directly from second-level education. About 20% of higher education entrants either are mature students, or come from further education with Quality and — 83 —
Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System Qualifications Ireland (QQI) Level 6 qualifications. In addition, quotas of places are set aside in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), under the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) schemes, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and for students with disabilities (HEA, 2016). In the case of these students, contextual factors such as special educational needs, educational history, home circumstances etc. are taken into account in selection. This chapter will focus on the transition of students from second-level to higher education and will not address the selection of mature students, international students, or those entering the system with QQI further education (formerly FETAC) qualifications. Irish HEIs focus almost entirely on student performance in the Leaving Certificate when selecting applicants, unlike HEIs in some other countries, where factors such as performance on Standardised Aptitude Tests (SATs), school references, applicants’ involvement and success in extra-curricular activities, personal achievements and motivation, performance at interviews etc., are also taken into account. In countries which have national assessment and certification at the end of second-level education, applicants’ results in national examinations are usually taken into account for third-level selection, but these results are often just one of a number of factors taken into consideration (Kellaghan, 1995). There is a heavy emphasis in the (established) Leaving Certificate in Ireland on the terminal or endof-cycle examination, which is marked and graded by external examiners. Most subjects are examined by one three-hour examination paper, with the exception of Irish, English and “ Mathematics, where students sit two three-hour papers 1 . In some subjects, other modes of assessment are used in addition to the terminal written examination. For example, in languages, a component of the marks is allocated for an oral exam; in Geography and History, students may submit a written project in advance of the examinations. There are also practical/ performance assessments in subjects such as Music and Art. However, unlike other countries where a significant proportion of marks in There is a heavy emphasis in the (established) Leaving Certificate in Ireland on the terminal or end-of-cycle examination, which is marked and graded by external examiners. ” national (or state) examinations are allocated for continuous school-based (and teacher-marked) assessment 2 , the Irish Leaving Certificate is entirely marked by external examiners with no involvement in marking or grading by the students’ own teachers. 1. In practice, three hours and 20 minutes are allowed for examination papers that have a high linguistic component, e.g. English and History. 2. However, there is an increasing tendency in other countries to reduce the element of internal marking and to increase the proportion allocated to external marking. — 84 —
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Towards a Better Future

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