Written answers

Thursday, 20 January 2022

Department of Education and Skills

State Examinations

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is considering changes to junior certificate assessment examinations (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2711/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021 until schools reopened on 12 April 2021, all students, including students who are due to sit the Junior Cycle state examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context.

The nature of distance learning, which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools in 2020 and 2021, required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils’ continuity of learning during that period. Assisted by Department-funded resources and supports, schools and teachers demonstrated great innovation in adapting to the unprecedented situation including the use of digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.

My Department put a series of measures in place to assist schools in mitigating the impact of the school closures.  During the period of school closure, schools were required to implement a plan of action to enable continuity of learning for all pupils.  This involved teachers, including special education teachers, providing remote teaching and learning to all pupils in their class or on their caseload.

In September of 2021, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published revised arrangements for the completion of Classroom Based Assessments for students in 3rd year in 2021/2022 (cohort of students 2019 – 2022). These arrangements are designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 school year. As the loss of learning through school closures will have affected students’ engagement with their course of study in different ways, the adjustments put in place will play to students’ strengths by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice in and reducing the number of Classroom-Based Assessments. The revised arrangements also remove the requirement for an Assessment Task to be completed.

The adjustments were arrived at through consultation between my Department and the NCCA and key stakeholders. These revised arrangements are available here: ncca.ie/en/resources/revised-arrangements-for-the-completion-of-classroom-based-assessments-cbas-in-school-year-20212022-1/

Junior Cycle papers are structured to reflect the learning outcomes based approach to the design of the subject specifications. This means that the elements are used to integrate the strands of the specifications resulting in assessments that require students to apply knowledge and skills acquired rather than examinations that depend on knowledge recall only. Candidates are required to answer all questions and no choice is provided. Questions are not of equal length or marks. Making any changes to the format of the papers would undermine the approach taken by teachers in developing units of learning that mediate the curriculum specifications.

These changes to the national assessment arrangements were made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, as these principles apply to assessment and examinations and refer to student to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons over time. The changes provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools. The assessment arrangements also provide progression opportunities for students who intend to pursue paths outside of school after Junior Cycle, such as those who may enter apprenticeships.

The State Examinations Commission will issue further details regarding the 2022 examinations. All aspects of the examinations will be conducted in accordance with the prevailing Public Health advice.

It is planned that the Junior Cycle Music practical performance test and the Home Economics practical test will take place during school time as normal.

By way of further information, my Department has provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool

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