Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 659: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress made in relation to the programme for Government proposal to review the format and content of transition year. [28708/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The proposals of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for reform of senior cycle envisaged a re-structuring of programmes into subjects, short courses and transition units. The Council proposed the development of Transition Units as 45 hour units of study which would provide a broad range of experiences for learners, incorporating innovative methodologies and supporting the development of key skills. The Council proposed that school based assessment would be inbuilt into each transition unit, and models for the validation of schools to develop their own Transition Units would be explored. The units would cover such areas of learning as creative applications, skills, personal achievement, sampling of subjects, enterprise, civic and social education, and work and future.

In response, the then Minister Mary Hanafin TD welcomed the measures to standardise transition units, and indicated her concern that the Transition Year Programme should remain as a single year programme for equity reasons.

The NCCA has established a network to undertake development work with schools. A standardised framework for Transition Unit descriptors has been developed, and organisations are using these as new programme options for TYP are being developed. The decriptors are designed to promote better planning and communication and provide for greater clarity and coherence in the implementation of the programme. They require schools to set out the aims of the unit, its learning outcomes, how key skills are being integrated, what methodologies and assessment approaches will be taken and how it will be evaluated.

New Transition Units have been developed and posted to the NCCA website in a range of areas and a guide has been produced to help schools to develop their own units in keeping with the descriptor format. Schools may forward their Transition Units to the NCCA for further feedback and support.