Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the practice of secondary schools contracting out the setting of mock junior certificate and leaving certificate papers in addition to the marking of these papers; his further views on whether the school teachers should do this themselves; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this imposes extra costs on parents of children attending secondary schools; the measures which can be taken in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39490/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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At the outset I wish to state that, neither my Department nor the State Examinations Commission has any role in relation to the setting or marking of mock examinations. Mock examinations can either be set by teachers themselves or are sourced from commercial providers. Similarly, they are either marked by the class teacher or many mock providers offer a marking service. This is a decision for the school.

The updated Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) published by my Department in July 2015 provided for the introduction of a modernised Junior Cycle curriculum across all subjects. The Framework provided for final Junior Cycle Examinations marked by the State Examinations Commission and new classroom-based assessments conducted by classroom teachers. This dual approach will help to ensure a learner experience appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. It is recognised that embedding classroom-based assessment and formative assessment for learning represents a major culture change for teachers and schools – and students and parents. The Junior Cycle Framework is moving away from reliance on a single external examination and promoting a wider range of learning opportunities for all.