Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the junior cycle profile of achievement will be different to the junior certificate; if they will be issued to students at the same time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3710/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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A phased implementation of the new Junior Cycle Programme commenced in schools in September 2014. One subject was introduced in 2014 - English. Two further subjects commenced in September 2016 - Business Studies and Science. The 'Framework for Junior Cycle 2015', published by my Department in August 2015, sets out the key changes under the new programme which includes a new award for students - the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA). During the years when students are studying subjects for which new specifications have been provided alongside existing Junior Certificate subjects, the results of the latter will be included in the JCPA. The format of the JCPA will evolve as the various phases of junior cycle reform are rolled out. The Junior Certificate will no longer be issued by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). However, the SEC will continue to issue provisional examination results to each examination student in September as in previous years.

Arrangements for 2017 and thereafter

Students who commenced first year in September 2014 (and thereafter) and who complete their Junior Cycle Programme in 2017 (and thereafter), will receive a Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) following completion of the Junior Cycle Programme.

The JCPA will differ from the Junior Certificate in a number of ways:

1. It is a report rather than a certificate.
2. It is awarded by the school.
3. It reports on a much wider range of student achievements over the 3 years of Junior Cycle including Subjects, Short Courses and Other Areas of Learning.  Priority Learning Units will also be reported where the student has studied short courses at Level 2.
4. Grades are no longer used as descriptors of achievement in State examinations

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he has put in place to ensure that junior certificate English students will not be disadvantaged should the ASTI vote to reject the proposals resulting from talks with his Department in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3711/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Teachers of English who are members of ASTI have been directed by their union that, while they are to teach the new Junior Cycle subject specification, they are not to undertake Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs) with their students. CBAs form a key element of the new Junior Cycle. Therefore, students who are taught by a teacher who is a member of the ASTI will not receive a grade for their CBAs and also since the written Assessment Task which is to be completed by students is linked to the second CBA, which is worth 10% of the marks for the final examination, these students cannot complete the Assessment Task, or gain marks for this examination component. Candidates for Junior Cycle English in 2017 who do not complete the assessment task can only be marked and graded based on a maximum of 90% of the available marks.

My Department requested the ASTI to provide an immediate derogation from their directive regarding the CBAs for current teachers of English in order that some current third year English students are no longer unfairly and unjustifiably disadvantaged.

Following talks with the teacher unions in late 2016, facilitated by the Chair of the Teachers Conciliation Council, it was provided that, on a once-off basis, the NCCA and SEC would communicate arrangements in respect of a second calendar window in the 2016/17 school year to allow for the completion and submission of the Junior Cycle English Assessment Task by students who were prevented from meeting the initial deadline.  These arrangements were notified to schools in the week beginning 19th December 2016.

This second window was agreed as a result of an acknowledgement by the parties that a significant number of students were not in a position to meet the timing requirement of completion between 5th and 9th December 2016, as a result of industrial action taken by the ASTI.

I welcome the decision of the ASTI to give its members a say on the overall offer now available following the recently concluded talks under the Chair of the Teachers Conciliation Council.  In addition to the elements relating to Junior Cycle, the proposals involve immediate pay increases and other benefits for ASTI members.  While the ASTI’s leadership has recommended rejection, a decision on whether to accept the proposals or to reject them and engage again in industrial action will now be taken by the wider membership at ballot.  The ASTI is currently conducting its ballot of members and it is important to respect the democratic process that is now underway.