National Qualifications Framework
A national framework of qualifications is being introduced in Ireland. The aim is to develop a single, coherent qualifications system for all levels of education and training, and the development is also linked to the national objective of moving towards a 'lifelong learning society' and recognition of learning activity throughout life. Each of the ten levels of the framework is based on specified standards of knowledge and skills, which define the outcomes learners must achieve to gain qualifications at each level. They apply to qualifications obtained in a broad range of learning environments, including schools, the workplace, the community and colleges, from the most basic to the most advanced levels of learning. At each level, there will be one or more award types. The development is intended to provide a framework for existing qualifications and to provide a framework into which any newly developed qualifications will fit. The framework has been developed by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI). Further information is available from the NQAI's website at http://www.nqai.ie.
Junior Certificate examination
On completion of junior cycle education (students aged around 15), which marks the end of compulsory education in Ireland, students usually take the Junior Certificate examination. This is available in all subjects at Ordinary Level and Higher Level and, in the case of English, Gaeilge (Irish) and mathematics, a third (lower) level - Foundation Level - is available.21
The Junior Certificate programme was introduced in 1989 and the first phase was examined (by the first Junior Certificate examination) in June 1992. It replaced the previous Intermediate Certificate and Day Vocational (Group) Certificate examinations. For the first time, all students had access to the same examination and therefore the same certificate at the end of the junior cycle of post-primary education.38
The Junior Certificate examination and assessment in general at junior cycle level are included in the current review of the junior cycle being undertaken by NCCA.35 See section 5.3.1 in addition.
In addition to the Junior Certificate, a small number of students - approximately 1,500 - follow the Junior Certificate School Programme. This is an intervention programme, only available in a limited number of schools, which is particularly targeted at students who might benefit from a more flexible approach to the programme and its assessment and who might be at risk of leaving school early.35Those following this programme take at least two subjects in the Junior Certificate examination, usually English and mathematics at 'foundation' level, and may take other subjects as appropriate. The remainder of the curriculum focuses on key components of the curriculum in other curricular areas. A student profile is kept as a positive record of the student's achievement. On completion of the programme, students receive both State certification based on the subjects taken in the Junior Certificate examination and a school-assessed student profile.39
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)
The NCCA was established in November 1987. Its brief is to advise the Minister for Education and Science on matters related to curriculum and assessment for early childhood, primary and post-primary education. The tasks given to the NCCA under the terms of the Education Act 19982 include:
In this context, NCCA is involved in:
The Minister for Education and Science appoints the Members of the Council for a three-year term of office. Currently, there are 22 members in all, coming from the various bodies that represent teachers, school managers, parents, employers and trade unions. Other members include Department of Education and Science (DES) representatives and nominees of the Minister. In addition, the NCCA has a small, full-time executive, professional and administrative staff, and is assisted by a number of part-time Education Officers.
The latter are mainly subject specialists, usually appointed on a secondment basis to the NCCA. The NCCA works in close cooperation with officials of the DES.5
The work of the NCCA is carried out by a number of specialist committees with the guidance of the Executive. The committees comprise teachers, inspectors, representatives of teacher unions and school managerial bodies, parent and subject associations and higher education interests including universities and other colleges. These committees draw up the syllabus or course for each subject, curriculum area or programme.5
A State Examinations Commission has recently been established in Ireland. This statutory body is responsible for the operation of all state examinations and has been set up to ease the administrative burden which the examination process causes for the Department of Education and Science (DES). The Commission also has responsibility for the hiring of supervisors and examiners, and for the content and layout of the papers for the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations. 63
Assessment is seen as a continuous, dynamic, formal and informal process which is carried out by the student's teacher for formative, summative and diagnostic purposes.38
Formative assessment is used to inform decisions on teaching and learning. Such assessment, which may be formal or informal, also provides valuable information to the student on his/her own progress and learning, as well as to the teacher and parents.38
Summative assessment usually takes place at the end of a course or a unit of work and provides information on what the student has learned and the effectiveness of the course or unit of work. Under current arrangements, certification on completion of junior cycle education (the Junior Certificate) draws entirely on summative assessment.38
Diagnostic assessment - which is closely linked to formative assessment - is used to identify learning difficulties, whether associated with specific learning disabilities or a particular range of skills or understanding. Assessment for formative or summative purposes may have diagnostic outcomes - problems may be evident through teacher observation or through a series of poor test scores.38
In addition to the above professional purposes, there are system-focused purposes for assessment in the junior cycle, such as accountability and certification:
Currently, in junior cycle education, formative and diagnostic assessment is a matter for individual schools. The state is involved only in summative assessment for certification purposes through the Junior Certificate examination.35
At the time of the development of the Junior Certificate programme and arrangements for its assessment, trends in schooling indicated that, for the vast majority of students, the Junior Certificate examination would not be the final (terminal) school examination, even though students can leave compulsory education at this time. The certificate would rarely be used for selection, for further training or employment. This pattern has accentuated, with 82 per cent of students completing senior cycle education (at age 17 or 18).38
The results of the Junior Certificate examination may be used by some students and schools as a guide to the selection of options for senior cycle education (age 15+). However, many students select their subjects and senior cycle pathways prior to the end of the third year of junior cycle education, that is, prior to having these results. A student's choice of subjects for the Leaving Certificate (taken at age 17 or 18) is usually determined by the subjects chosen on entry to post-primary junior cycle education at age 12+ (see section 5.3.2 in addition), and the level of the paper taken in the Junior Certificate examination, as well as by the result in the Junior Certificate examination.38
The majority of schools organise formal tests a few months prior to the sitting of the Junior Certificate Examination. The purpose of these tests is to assess the performance levels of students as well as to allay examination nervousness.10
The vast majority of students completing junior cycle education (aged around 15) take Junior Certificate examinations.
In addition, all schools organise tests for all students. These usually take place just before Christmas, in May, and towards the end of the school year. These school-based examinations are usually formal and set by the subject teachers. Many teachers also give regular tests within class periods to stimulate the learning process.10
Junior Certificate
When the Junior Certificate programme was introduced (the first examination session took place in June 1992), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) recommended that assessment in the programme should make use of the widest possible range of assessment techniques. These included terminal written examinations, orals, aural tests, practical tests, and project work and assignments, which would be congruent with the aims and objectives of the particular syllabuses. The need for moderation was stressed as was the need to train teachers in the range of modes and techniques to be used in the assessment programme.38
However, the NCCA's recommendations for the assessment of the Junior Certificate programme were not fully implemented.38Many teachers were, and continue to be, opposed to assessing their own students for certification purposes. This means that no component of coursework is included in the Junior Certificate examination.35 As a result, the terminal written examination paper remains the main means (and in many cases, the sole means) of assessing the subjects taken by the majority of students.38
An optional oral examination is generally included in the assessment regime for English and Gaeilge (Irish) - 0.1 per cent of students took an oral examination in English in 1997 and 0.3 per cent in Gaeilge in the same year. Project work can be assessed in geography and, in 1997, 0.1 per cent of students took this option. While such options are available, however, no training or support is provided for teachers wishing to offer such opportunities to their students. Indeed, some teachers of these subjects are unaware that the option exists.38
In modern European languages, oral work can be assessed by the student's own teacher and a grade submitted. In the 1998 examination, 1.9 per cent of the candidates examined in French took advantage of this option, as did 2.2 per cent of those taking the examination in German and .04 per cent of the candidates taking the examination in Spanish. In addition, there is a local studies option in science. This has been available to all schools since 1996 and, in 1997, 3.4 per cent of the Junior Certificate cohort took this option. Some support is available for teachers who wish to select this option.38
Since 2000, all schools have presented candidates for the Junior Certificate in a new subject area - civic, social and political education (CSPE). The NCCA study "Subject Choice and Candidate Performance in the 1994 Junior Certificate and the 1996 Leaving Certificate Examinations" showed that 85 per cent of the students who take the Junior Certificate examination take Gaeilge (Irish), English, mathematics, history, geography and science. 70 per cent also take French and business studies. No other subject has more than 35 per cent of the cohort.38
Continuous assessment
All schools also organise their own tests for students. These usually take place just before Christmas, in May, and towards the end of the school year. Such school-based tests are usually formal and set by subject teachers. Many teachers also give regular tests within class periods to stimulate the learning process. A small number of schools (mainly fee-paying , voluntary secondary schools) have more frequent tests and forms of evaluation to provide information for students and parents. The majority of schools also organise formal tests a few months prior to the sitting of the Junior Certificate examination. The purpose of these tests is to assess the performance levels of students as well as to allay examination nervousness.10
Junior Certificate
The Junior Certificate examinations were until recently set and marked centrally by the Department of Education and Science (DES).11,35 These responsibilities have now passed over to the State Examinations Commission.
Continuous/in-school assessment
As a rule, student assessment in second-level (secondary/post-primary) schools is the subject teacher's responsibility10. The subject teacher is also responsible for setting and marking the tests which usually take place in December and May (see 6.3.4), using either teacher-devised or commercially available tests.
Junior Certificate
Junior Certificate examinations are marked by letter grade. The award of a 'D' grade in a Junior Certificate - at any level - is generally accepted as implying a mastery of the basics in a particular subject. The achievement of 5 D grades is accepted as evidence of a minimum threshold for basic achievement at the end of compulsory schooling (age 15). The award of C grades on Higher Level papers is generally accepted as evidence of a good standard of achievement, and an A grade is perceived as a recognition of excellence.38
See section 6.3.2.
General
Under the Education Act 19982 , students aged 18 or over have a right of access to their own school records. The rights of students younger than 18 are exercised by their parents.21 Reports are normally sent to parents.10
Junior Certificate
The Education Act 1998 allows the Minister of Education and Science to prevent publication of the overall results in any year of students in a particular school in a particular examination, such as the Junior Certificate examination. Similarly, the Minister of Education and Science may also prevent the publication of the comparative overall results in any year of students in different schools in any examination.2
A significant number of the students who transfer from primary to post-primary school do not complete the junior cycle. For example, tracking the 70,909 students who started the first year of junior cycle in September of 1993 to the January of their third and final year in this phase reveals that 2,200 students - about three per cent - have left the system. 36
If the students in the 1993 group are tracked to the Junior Certificate examination in 1996, a further drop in numbers is found. Only 67,386 students took the Junior Certificate English examination in June 1996. This contrasts with the 70,909 students who commenced junior cycle three years earlier, and represents a shortfall of approximately 3,500 students (or 4.9 per cent) who did not take the Junior Certificate examination three years after commencing junior cycle. Between January and June of 1996, 1,500 third year students left school as the Junior Certificate examination approached.38
A number of factors may contribute to this sudden surge in school leaving in the third year. Firstly, and probably of greatest significance, is that fact that, in that six-month period a number of students would have reached the school leaving age of 15 and can then leave school; they are not legally obliged to stay in school to complete a course or take an examination. Secondly, for those students who generally experience failure in school, the approaching examination may have been an incentive to leave. Thirdly, teaching and learning may have focused on preparation for the Junior Certificate examination and this may have had a negative influence on students who were already alienated from the classroom.38
However, although compulsory education finishes at age 15, the vast majority of students stay in education until the age of 17-18. There is a government initiative to encourage at least 90 per cent of students in Ireland to remain in school until they complete their Leaving Certificate at age 17/18. 38
However, as there are considerable job opportunities, particularly in the service sector, for students who elect to leave school on completing the compulsory phase, the percentage remaining in school to take the Leaving Certificate is estimated at around 82/83 per cent, but varies widely. For example, 67 out of the country's 759 secondary schools have retention rates of below 50 per cent, while a further 50 schools have rates of only 51-60 per cent and 86 have between 61-70 per cent.46
In a bid to improve retention rates, an initiative was announced in 1999, whereby funding of around £40,000 per school was made available for individual schools experiencing retention problems. Schools applied for this additional funding, detailing how it would be used to carry through a programme of action to improve retention rates. Examples of measures which schools could be funded to put in place included:
This initiative was targeted particularly at those schools which experienced students dropping out of school during the period of compulsory education (that is, in junior cycle).35
In 1997: