Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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626. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review correspondence (details supplied); if she can address the issues outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34345/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Following extensive stakeholder consultation, new L1 and L2 specifications for Junior Cycle Irish were introduced in September 2017. Due the disruption to learning and cancellation of the summer 2020 and 2021 Junior Cycle examinations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic it was not possible for students to engage with the final assessment component which is set by the State Examinations Commission until this year. The cohort of students currently taking Junior Cycle examinations are therefore the first to have engaged with the full range of learning and assessment experiences in line with the specifications for Junior Cycle Irish. 

As part of the ongoing cycle of curriculum redevelopment, the NCCA reviews the enactment of subject specifications by conducting interim reviews once each subject specification has been experienced across the three-year span of the Junior Cycle. The purpose of such reviews is to capture feedback from teachers, students and stakeholders on their experiences of the new specifications. In February 2021, the NCCA opened a public consultation on draft L1 and L2 specifications for Leaving Certificate (established) Irish. In response to subsequent stakeholder requests, the NCCA extended the timeline for this consultation and also undertook to conduct and early enactment review of the specifications for Junior Cycle Irish. Accordingly, the NCCA commissioned Dublin City University to conduct this review which I am advised is expected to be completed later this year. The draft report, will in due course, be presented to NCCA Council for consideration.