Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment will provide a more detailed and dedicated specification document to agricultural science teachers with regard to the specification design and learning outcomes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35528/20]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will undertake to consult with an association (details supplied) on the on reforms to the curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35529/20]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment will provide the promised teacher guidelines document to accompany the new agricultural science specifications to agricultural science teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35536/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 to 125, inclusive, together.

A revised specification for Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science was introduced in September 2019. The revised specification was approved as a draft by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in September 2017 before being submitted to my Department for approval.

The curriculum development process undertaken by the NCCA is a rigorous and collaborative process. A subject development group comprising representatives with suitable expertise, nominated by their respective stakeholder organisations, deliberate and decide, in the context of their subject, what knowledge should be acquired through study of the subject. This is then expressed as a series of learning outcomes by the subject development group.

The work of this specialist group is monitored and discussed regularly by the Boards and Council of the NCCA to ensure that young people in Ireland receive an appropriate, relevant, and high standard education. Throughout the process, there are several opportunities where the work of the development group is informed by public consultation.

This process was applied in the development of the revised Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science specification, and consensus was sought through extensive deliberation informed by relevant research, consultation and the expertise and experience of stakeholder representatives. This is evidenced by that fact that, following feedback received from the consultation on the draft curriculum specification, the NCCA’s Agricultural Science Subject Development Group amended 43 learning outcomes to provide additional clarify, and added 8 new learning outcomes before finalising the specification.

Since the early 2000s, there has been a move in Ireland towards an outcomes-based approach to curriculum development, with learning being defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that students will have learned and developed students at the end of a course.

Using learning outcomes in the development of new curricula places emphasis on the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that students will learn, as well as focusing on the subject matter of the course or syllabus. They also play a significant role in ensuring that the aims and objectives of the curriculum, the learning/teaching strategies adopted, and the assessment used are consistent with each other.

It should be clarified that at no point during the development of the subject specification did the NCCA, or my Department, commit to the provision of further guidance beyond what has been provided. When the work of the subject development group was concluded, the group was informed that the requirements for supporting the introduction of the specification would come into focus and that guidance in relation to coursework would be developed. This guidance to support the completion of the coursework in the subject has been available since 2019.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) has appointed a dedicated support team of experienced teachers to developing in-service training and materials to support teaching and learning of the new curriculum.

As is usual in the case of new subject specifications the NCCA will complete a brief review of the specification following the first examination in the subject, following which any required clarifications to elements of the specification can be provided.

In addition, my Department published guidelines on the adjusted assessment arrangements for state examinations in summer 2021. The Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021 are available at the following link:

Syllabus/assessment-arrangements-junior-cycle-and-leaving-certificate-examinations-2021.pdf.

These adjustments were arrived at through discussions between my Department, the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the NCCA and key stakeholders. The key stakeholders that were consulted in relation to the document included unions representing teachers, and school management bodies.

On 16 September 2020, the SEC also published information clarifying the level of flexibility available to students in completing their coursework for Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science for the 2021 examinations. This document is available at the following link: . The SEC consulted with my Department and the NCCA on the development of this document. It was drawn up following consideration of the concerns of the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers Association which had been sent to the SEC, NCCA and my Department. This additional flexibility for the 2021 cohort allows all candidates to meaningfully complete their examination coursework in line with the expectations of the Brief and the Guidelines in these exceptional circumstances due to Covid-19. In addition, the PDST Agricultural Science team has prepared additional supports for teachers in light of the exceptional challenges arising this year.