Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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658. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider implementing measures to alleviate Leaving Certificate stresses (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12831/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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On 29 March 2022, I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience which will:

- Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century

- Enrich the student experience and build on what’s strong in our current system

- Embed wellbeing and reduce student stress levels

The reforms I announced include initiatives to spread the assessment load for students and do so in a way that enhances student wellbeing. The redeveloped Senior Cycle also includes the development of new and revised subject curricula, with a significant emphasis on additional assessment components outside of the traditional final written examinations.

However, in my announcement I also noted my conviction that we need to get a better balance in the range of ways we assess student learning.

For this reason I have decided that, in the future, all Leaving Certificate subjects will have assessment components additional to the conventional written examinations. These components will also allow for a greater range of students’ skills and competences to be assessed, as well as spreading the assessment load for students.

For each subject there will be a State Examinations Commission (SEC) externally-moderated, teacher-based form of assessment which will be worth 40%. This will be designed on a subject-by-subject basis.

In addition, to teacher-based assessment, subjects may also have other additional components outside of the final written exam.

The introduction of teacher based assessment offers the potential to assess a greater range of the skills and knowledge gained by students than through written examinations only and is in line with international practice in many high performance education systems.

Setting a weighting of 40% for the teacher-based form of assessment demonstrates our commitment to deliver on the objectives of encouraging the development of a broad range of skills whilst also addressing the stress for students that many experience arising from the exams.

In addition, I have asked the NCCA to publish by September 2023 a schedule of dates by which revised subject specifications will be introduced in annual blocks. The first tranche of new and revised specifications are introduced in Network Schools in September 2024.

My approach to Senior Cycle redevelopment is ambitious, optimistic and inclusive. Senior Cycle redevelopment will ensure that the diversity of students’ learning needs and strengths are addressed. The redevelopment of Senior Cycle will ensure that all learning pathways in school are accessible and equally valued. It will broaden the ways used to assess and accredit students’ achievement, to better reflect and encourage the learning we wish to promote. And finally, we must ensure that students and their wellbeing are at the forefront of everything we do.

The new approach will enable students to follow a broad curriculum, develop their interests and skills and participate in a final assessment process consistent with international best practice, which will support them in their next phase of life whether that’s third level, further education and training, apprenticeships or the world of work.