Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his proposals for progressing with reform of the junior certificate; if students in schools that have not implemented the new junior cycle English curriculum will automatically lose 10% in their English examinations in 2017 if their teachers do not agree to engage with the new assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11138/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The new framework for junior cycle 2015 offers a significant opportunity to improve the experience for learners, to broaden the range of competences which they acquire and to facilitate more flexible teaching, catering to the different needs of students with ongoing feedback.

The Department has set out a schedule for the roll-out of this new approach across all subjects over a five-year period. Before the introduction of any subject, there is a process of development of detailed subject specifications by the NCCA. There is also a dedicated programme of professional development for teachers which includes guidance on teaching and learning methods, supports for the new methods and the assessment approach.

As the Deputy knows, English was the first subject and the three-year cycle started in September 2014. The first students emerging from this cycle will receive their new junior cycle profile of achievement in autumn 2017. The profile of achievement will record outcomes from a broader range of learning experiences across the three-year programme. It will include the outcome of the two classroom-based assessments as well as the separate final State-certified written examination. The final written examination result will incorporate the result of an assessment task based on the student's own written evaluation of his or her learning experience on their second classroom-based assessment task, and that is worth 10% of marks. It is intended that the profile of achievement will also include other learning achievements, including learning on short courses, other experiences and events and achievement in the area of well-being.

Students currently in second year who have not completed their first classroom-based assessment will, as agreed with the teacher unions, have the opportunity to complete this early in the first term of the coming school year.

It is a matter of deep regret that the ASTI has failed to deliver on the 2015 agreement with their leadership. Their continuing refusal to co-operate with the new framework is impacting on current junior cycle students of English.

I have also received a letter from the general secretary of the ASTI, dated 9 May, indicating that the ASTI looks forward to engaging with me on a number of named issues, including junior cycle reform.

I welcome the indications of the ASTI in this regard. If the ASTI requires further clarifications on any aspects of the published framework, I am happy to facilitate its request. My Department has already clearly signalled that it is willing to support the ASTI in revisiting this issue with its members. I intend to make contact with the ASTI to arrange for an appropriate engagement in follow-up to the letter of 9 May.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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What will the consequences be for the exam results of those students in ASTI-staffed schools if this issue is not resolved? In support of the ASTI, the Minister's predecessors had a very bad approach and attempted to railroad through these reforms. We all know of the controversy of the past number of years in that regard. I am glad to hear the union is willing to meet with the Minister but if I was a parent of a junior cycle student, which I am not yet, I would be very concerned if this was not an urgent and a priority matter. There will be significant stress, even at this point, on students who might eventually miss out. Can the Minister indicate what exactly the consequences are and when he proposes to meet with the ASTI?

I appreciate the Minister is only two weeks into the job and needs a bit of time but this must be one of those issues requiring immediate and urgent attention because of the consequences, which I hope he will outline.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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To be fair to the Department and my predecessors, a lot of work has gone into trying to accommodate the introduction of the junior cycle. I understand that detailed negotiations took place, which amended it and did away with some of the biggest concerns the teachers had about assessing their own pupils in a certified State exam. Agreement was reached with the two trade unions, the TUI and the ASTI. In the case of the TUI, it was accepted, but in the case of the ASTI, it has not been accepted. However, the door is always open to proceed. The new junior cycle is in the best interests of pupils and I welcome the willingness of the ASTI to discuss the matter.

It is a State-based examination. The examination board sets the outcome and it has assigned 10% of the marks to this written assessment of the student's experience. If the student does not provide that, it means those marks will not be available to him or her. It has been agreed that this need not occur until next year, so it is not a matter of immediate pressure.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that but it still is a matter of deep regret that students' exam results will be put in peril if the Minister and the ASTI do not sort this out. The 10% in question will be missing from next year's results and that is a matter of deep concern. It needs to be sorted out by September at the very latest, so we need to get the skates under everybody. I am glad the ASTI has offered to engage and I encourage it to keep at the Minister and the Department for their own sake. I hope, and expect, the Minister will ensure the issue is resolved because of the potential consequences for students. They do not need that stress because of differences between the ASTI and the Department. The leaving certificate is far more significant than the junior certificate but the junior certificate has its role and those who are studying for the junior certificate at the moment see nothing else. They should not have this hanging over them.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I agree that this is disappointing, so late in the day. This process started in November 2011 when the NCCA published its document Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle, which was very much welcomed as a hugely positive approach, to move away from rote learning and the final examination to value a broader range of experience. Much work was done to get that agreed. It has been agreed by one union and I hope the ASTI can also come to an agreement. It is to the benefit of pupils and it is also to the long-term benefit of teaching to be able to facilitate this approach to learning.