Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have been very clear about the need for the reform of senior cycle and I have outlined the aspects on which we have already moved. We have already made considerable changes on foot of the announcements for senior cycle. For example, the students availing of the LCA programme may now avail of maths from the established programme. There is a crossover between the different programmes available at leaving certificate. Equally, students who wish to study the LCV programme are no longer prohibited on the basis of the subjects they choose; it is open to everyone.

We have also said that there will be a revised transition year programme. We are currently developing a structure where the L1 and L2 programmes, which are available to children with special educational needs, will be also available at senior cycle. We have been very clear that there will be 40% teacher-based assessment. We have been also very clear that all this will be worked through in what we are calling our network schools so that the students and teachers are co-authors of the programme. We have been also very clear that students will not need to experience any single day in June where all their marks are dependent on their performance on that day. We have also made clear that as part of the syllabus, there will be various methods of adjudicating students' abilities, whether it is oral presentations-----

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