Mary Moran (Labour)

Absolutely. One came out and said one got X amount of honours and that was it. Nowadays, every year we hear "I got nine As" or "I got ten As". There is not a mention of the C or the B that might have been very well earned. There is too much pressure to get A grades. An A grade now seems to be the equivalent of an honour. Nowadays the pictures on the school "walls of fame" are of students who have achieved ten, 11 or 12 As in their junior certificates and 590 or 600 points in their leaving certificates, which can place a terrible amount of pressure on younger siblings and peers. I welcome the news that the new junior certificate will include tasks that will allow students to focus on improving their observation, inquiry and critical thinking skills and learn to value what it means to be an active citizen with rights and responsibilities in local and wider contexts, rather than the ability to learn from a book. Maybe they will appear on the school wall of fame for their team spirit, their musical ability or their charity work.

Students will study no more than eight subjects, or seven subjects and two short courses, or six subjects and four short courses. Again, I welcome the introduction of these short courses. I am wholeheartedly in agreement that students should be accredited for involvement in school activities such as musicals, sport or debating, which will give them the opportunity to excel in their chosen areas of interest. I also welcome, as spokesperson on disability, the level 2 award that is to be introduced for students with special needs for whom level 3 is not suitable, and the news that the assessment for this will be within the school. I welcome the assessment aspect of the proposed changes and again urge that it is carefully thought out before implementation. Any danger to the new system will be at the assessment stage.

The move away from rote learning is to be welcomed. In the classroom I have seen many examples of students who perhaps do not apply themselves as well as they could but are excellent at cramming for exams, only to forget the information the following day. I have also seen, with greater frequency, the student who works extremely hard throughout the year, giving her best but never gaining the marks she deserves. The idea of assessment, if implemented correctly, will benefit the student who deserves to achieve better grades for effort alone but will never attain these marks under the current exam system. As the Minister said, if the exam does not change, nothing will, and that is a prime example. It is proposed that the written exam will be worth 60% of the overall grade and the portfolio 40%. The issue of assessment within the school needs careful consideration and I urge the Minister to hasten slowly and tread carefully in this regard.

To speak about my own subject, when the new junior certificate music syllabus was introduced in 1994, students did a short practical exam, worth 25%, as part of the overall exam. As a teacher in a VEC, I was allowed to examine the students myself, and did. Senator Power brought up the issue of assessment, and the preparation for assessment in these exams was very well thought out by the Department, with a one-day in-service course which taught the examiner how to examine. I hope the situation will be similar under the new system - I am sure it will. The facts of the assessment and what is to be assessed must be carefully thought out and shown to examiners. A lot of time can be wasted on irrelevant things at in-service courses. They should stick to the facts.

At the moment, the practical part of the music examination at leaving certificate level is worth 50%. Speaking to my colleagues, I have heard that they do not want the responsibility for that final 50%. I can understand this, as we all do continuous assessment on a weekly or monthly basis in the classroom. This can be worked out, but it needs careful consideration, particularly when there are so many marks involved.

A cap seems to be proposed, according to today's newspapers, on the number of students entering third level education. I listened to a debate on this on Radio 1 this morning in which someone commented that if such a cap is implemented, junior certificate students may continue to think in terms of the leaving certificate, working towards the points they need. I ask the Minister to take this into consideration also. I welcome the news of the junior cycle review and ask the Minister to consider my proposals.