Ms Elaine Sheridan:

It has been acknowledged a couple of times already throughout the morning but it is back again to the need to do research. Again, looking at it, it is hinging on the externally based moderation piece working for this to be successful. We all want it to be successful, because once there is a school-based assessment, it allows for greater variety and individual approaches for assessment. However, how will this moderation be structured? That is where we need to do the research because there are many different approaches to doing this. For example, it could be a stand-alone statistical approach, moderation within the schools by sampling material within and across schools or a combination of both, using a statistical approach and sampling of material and getting re-marking of it by external moderators appointed by ourselves. We need to make sure that the best blend, the hybrid or whatever approach is taken for the moderation, is the one that will work, because it is the crux of making this work and us actually trying to break the perception of the leaving certificate being the matriculation in order that the same value is put on the work of our students who are sitting the leaving certificate applied and who do not choose go to third level but choose some other pathway. It is in working collaboration with the NCCA, looking to see what happens elsewhere and seeing, discussing and researching the different approaches and combinations of such we can bring together to ensure the most successful approach in order that the senior cycle reform is a successful change for our students in the future.