Towards A FRAMEWORK FOR JUNIOR CYCLE

TowardsA FrAmework For Junior CyCle

Contents

1.InnovationandIdentity–theBigIdeasAboutChange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.Vision,ValuesandPrinciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.LearningintheJuniorCycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4.AssessmentandEvidenceofLearninginJuniorCycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

5.QualificationsinJuniorCycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

6.References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

TablesTable 1. CurriculumPrinciplesforJuniorCycleEducation . . 10

Table 2. StatementsofLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Table 3. KeySkillsofJuniorCycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Table 4. SummaryofAssessmentArrangementsforJuniorCycleCurriculumComponents. . . . . . 30

Table 5. AnOverviewoftheNationalCertificateofJuniorCycleEducation(Level3) . . . . . . . . . 34

Table 6. AnOverviewoftheNationalCertificateofJuniorCycleEducation(Level2) . . . . . . . . . 36

FiguresFigure 1. ThenewJuniorCycle–MainFeatures . . . . . . . . 7

Figure 2. JuniorCycleCurriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 3. TheTimescaleforKeyDevelopmentsinAssessmentandQualifications . . . . . . . . . . 31

innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle

Arguably,generatinganewjuniorcyclecurriculumanddifferentassessmentarrangementsisnotthatchallenging,on paper.Thedevelopmentoftheunifiedthree-yearjuniorcycleinthe1980sistestamenttothefactthatitcanbedone.Butthatdevelopmentalsopointstooneofthemostconsistentanduniversalironiesofthechangeprocessineducation,namely,thatchangecanhappen,butthestudentexperiencecanremainlargelythesame.Educationalchangeisoneofthoseprocesseswhichhasahabitofresettingitselfbacktohowthingshavealwaysbeendone.That’snotjustanIrishphenomenon.Thepowerofthestatusquohasbeenwelldocumentedineducationalreformsacrosstheworld.It’seasiertodochangeon paperthaninrealclassrooms.Themessagefromrealjuniorcycleclassroomsandthosewhoworkinthem,fromresearchandthroughtherecentconsultationisclear.Itistimeforrealchange.

Atthelaunchoftheconsultationoverayearago,NCCAflaggedthetwo‘bigideas’,asinnovationandidentity. Wewantedtofocusattentionontheschoolasthesiteofinnovation,andonteachersandschoolleadersastheagentsofanychangeprocess.Equally,wewantedtofocusattentiononyoungpeopleandtheirexperienceandexpectationsofthosethreeyearsofjuniorcycle.Theiridentityasyoungadolescentsneededtobefrontandcentreinourdeliberations,butwealsoneededtobemindfuloftheseeminglyperpetualidentitycrisisoflowersecondaryeducation.Shouldlowersecondaryeducationbeacontinuationofprimaryschool,orapreparationforseniorcycle?Couldeducationatthislevelcontributetobothwhileatthesametimeretainingitsownidentity?

WeproposedtheideaofaFramework for Junior Cyclewithinwhichschoolsmightorganisejuniorcycle,withsomeelementsbeingforallstudentsandallschools,

andothersbeingschooldesigned.This,wesuggested,wouldallowforschoolstooffertheirstudentsajuniorcycleexperiencethatwasbothafollow-onfromprimaryeducationandapreparationforseniorcyclebutthatwasfirstandforemostconnectedtothelivesandlearningof12–15yearolds.TheFrameworkwouldgiveschoolsmorechoiceinwhattheyofferedtheirstudents,andflexibilityinhowthelearningcouldbeorganised.

How far and how fast should we move – the debateWebeganthedebatewiththetwobigideasandtheFramework.ThesubmissionsandresponsespresentedinInnovation and Identity: Report of the Consultation Findingstellthefullstoryorratherthemanystoriesofmanypotentialfuturesforjuniorcycleproposedinthecourseofthatdebate.Theymakeforinterestingreading.Theytellofgenuineinterestintheissuesatatimewhentheeducationsystemandschoolinginparticularwascomingunderconsiderablepressure.Theyalsotellofaconcernforthewellbeingofyoungpeopleatthiscriticalstageoftheirjourneyfromchildhoodtoadulthoodinacomplexandchallengingenvironment.

Participantsintheconsultationwereencouragedtopositiontheirideasalonganumberofthematicpathwaysfromsmallchangetomajorreform.Forthosepositionedtowardsthe‘moreofthesame’sideofthecontinuumthedebatesfocusedontheneedtoestablishthenumberandnatureofcompulsorysubjects,concernforthereadinessofthoseenteringpost-primaryeducationtoengagewiththepost-primarycurriculum,andfortheallocationoftimetosomesubjects.Theneedtoaddmorecomponentsto

1. innovation and identity – the Big ideas About Change

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innovation & identity 1. Innovation and Identity – the Big Ideas About Change

theJuniorCertificateexaminationinarangeofsubjectssothattheexaminationmightbettermatchtheaimsandobjectivesofthesyllabusesalsofeaturedatthisendofthedebate.

Forthoseattheoppositeendofthecontinuum,thedebatestendedtofocusmoreontheneedtodescribetheessentiallearningthatwouldbecommontoallstudents,onthequalityoftheirlearning,ontheneedtomakegreateruseofnewtechnologiesinthehomeandatschool,ontherightbalancetobeachievedbetweencontrolfromthecentreandschoolautonomy,andonthefutureofanexaminationthathadbecomeadress-rehearsalfortheLeavingCertificateinsteadofasupportforlearninginjuniorcycle.

How far and how fast should we move – the evidenceThesubmissionsandotherconsultationitems–rightacrossthecontinuum–alsoshowthatthefindingsfromresearchcommissionedbytheNCCAintotheexperiencesofagroupofstudentsastheymovedfromprimaryintopost-primaryeducationhavehadarealimpactbothinsideandoutsidetheeducationsystem.Theevidencefromthatstudyhasservedtoconfirmwhatmanyhadalreadybelievedabouttheexperienceofjuniorcycleeducationforstudents–thatithasthreedistinctphases–afirstyearaboutsettlingin,athirdyeardominatedbytheexamination,andasecondyearwherestudentseitherbecomemore,orlessconnectedtoschool.Theresearchalsoshowedthatthequalityofengagement–withtheschools,withteachersandwithlearning–iscentraltothisphaseofeducation.Disengagementwithanyoftheseinjuniorcycleisnotaphase,oraglitch,butaprocessthatwilldeepeninseniorcycleandhaveconsequenceswellbeyondschooling.Thedisengagementismoreacutelymarkedinboys,andinstudentswhocomefromdisadvantagedbackgrounds.

ThatthemeofengagementwasaconstantintheresponsestotheNCCAconsultation.Evidencefromclassrooms,asreportedbyteachers,andsometimesbystudentsthemselves,indicatedthatwhilestudentswerepresentinclass,theircreativeenergieswereoftenlacking,withteachersincreasinglyfeelingthattheyweretheonesdoingthehardworkinschools!

Recently,wegotmoreevidenceaboutthequalityofthatengagement,whentheOECD’sProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA)resultsforIrish15yearoldswerepublished.Whilewemightcontestthescaleofthedeteriorationitis,nonetheless,likelytobethecasethatsignificantnumbersofjuniorcyclestudentsarenotdevelopingtheskillstheyneedtolearn,toliveandtowork.

Thisevidencepresentsanurgentchallengetothestatusquo.Ifthelastdecadehasseenadeclineinliteracyandnumeracystandardsof15yearoldsrelativetoothercountries,thenunlesswetakestepstoaddressit,thedeclinewillcontinue.Ifthesecondyearofjuniorcycleremainsasitis,itwillcontinuetobethepointofdisengagementforasignificantproportionofstudentswhoneverfullyreconnectwithschoolingagain.AndifthethirdyearofjuniorcyclecontinuestobedominatedbytheprospectoftheJuniorCertificateexaminationandpreparationforitcontinuestobefocusedonrehearsingquestionsandanswers,thenstudents,andtheirteachersandtheirparentswillcontinuetobelievethatthisapproachisallthatisrequiredforsuccessinthisexamination,inthesubsequentLeavingCertificate,andinlearningbeyondpost-primaryschooling.

Whatwehavelearnedfromourresearch,ourconsultationsandourPISAscoresisthat,oncloseinspection,whatwecurrentlyofferatjuniorcycleisfallingshortofwhatstudentsneed.Ironically,theevidenceisthatcontinuingaswearewillnotkeepthingsthesame.Itwillprobablymakethingsworseforouryoungpeople.

But when we do move nothing happens – the historyAnumberofthesubmissionsreceivedbytheNCCAaspartoftheconsultationnotedthatIrelandhadexperiencedwavesofjuniorcyclereformrhetoricontwopreviousoccasionsinrecenttimes,eachadecadeorsoapart.

Twentyyearsago,thefirstreportsonthenewunifiedJuniorCertificateprogrammeintroducedin1990suggestedthatthemismatchbetweenthere-designedcurriculumandtheterminalexaminationhadresultedinthelowersecondarysystemresettingitselfbackto

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thestatusquodespitethenewlabelling.Why?Because,forthemostpart,theassessmentreformsassociatedwiththenewcurriculumwerenotdelivered,leadingtoanewcurriculumbeingstrangledbyanoldexaminationsystem.

Tenyearsago,theNCCAandtheDepartmentofEducationandScience(asitwasthen)jointlyledaseriesofnationwidedebatesonthefutureofjuniorcyclecurriculumandassessment.Aspartofitsjuniorcyclereviewatthattime,theNCCApublishedaProgress Report: Issues and Options for Development (1999)andthethenMinisterlaunchedaDESdocumentonreformingtheJuniorCertificateexaminationcalledThe Junior Certificate: Issues for Discussion (1999).

Asaresultofthediscussionsthattookplaceatthattime,theNCCAbeganaprocessofre-balancingJuniorCertificatesubjectsyllabusesinanefforttoaddresswhatwaswidelyseenasanovercrowdedcurriculum,andwithaviewtocreatingmorespacefortheactivelearningandstudentengagementoriginallyenvisagedforjuniorcycle.Thatworkisalmostcomplete,buttheoverwhelmingfeedbackfromthecommitteesundertakingtheworkwasthatunlesstheexaminationchanges,nothingelsewill.

Thiswasalsoamessagefromtheconsultationthistimearound–unlesstheexaminationattheendofjuniorcyclechanges,whathappensinthethreeyearsbeforeitwillsimplystaythesame.Whiletherewasrecognitionthatovertheperiodsinceitsintroduction,contestationaroundtheJuniorCertificateexaminationhadbeenconsiderable,atbestithadresultedinminortweakingbutnorealchange.Asaconsequence,littlehadchangedforstudents.TheevidencefromtheESRIresearchissimilarlyunequivocal.Thepaththoughjuniorcycleisapathtowardstheexamination,Theclosertheterminalwrittenexaminationbecomes,thegreateritsinfluenceonhowandwhatstudentslearn,andhowteachersplanandteach.

Theimplicationisclear.Therhetoricforchangeatjuniorcyclehasemergedfromresearchevidence,publicandpoliticalconsensus,andprofessionalconcern.Therealityofchangewillemergefromchangingtheexamination.AnewFrameworkforJuniorCyclemustincludecurriculumand assessmentchange.

Local flexibility, but system change…Innovation and Identityhighlightedtheimportanceofthechangeprocessforthereformofjuniorcycle.DrawingontheNCCA’sstrategicpaperLeading and Supporting Change in Schools,itsuggestedthatunlessschoolsledthechange,meaningfulchangewouldneverfinditswayintotheclassrooms.Itsuggestedthatourtraditionalmodelofchange–thatviewedschoolsandclassrooms(andsometimes,teachers)astheobjectsofthechange,hadrunitscourse.Thissetofideaswasthefocusoflotsofcommentanddiscussioninthecourseoftheconsultationprocess,withstrongsupportforplacingschools,teachersandstudentsatthecentreofthechangeprocess.Butinthecourseofthedebates,aconcernwasexpressedthatflexibilitymightleadtofurtherpolarisationintheschoolsystem.

WhileInnovation and Identity proposedanationalFramework for Junior Cyclewithinwhichallschoolswouldplantheirjuniorcycleandengagewiththechangeprocess,reservationswereexpressedthatthisapproachwouldprovidean‘out’forsomeschoolstoengagewithchangeataminimallevel.Anumberofsubmissionsspeculatedthatthismightleadtoascenariowheresomeschools,servingparticularkindsofcommunitieswouldhavea‘new’juniorcycle,whileothers,servingdifferentgroupsofstudentswouldlargelyretaina‘traditional’juniorcycle.Localschool-ledchangewaswelcomedbutitwassuggestedthatitneededtobebalancedwithleadershipfromthecentre.ThebalanceachievedbetweenthetwohadtobeaneffectiveoneifjuniorcycledevelopmentwastocontributetoaddressingcurrentinequalitiesinIrisheducation.

Inthiscontext,theproposalsthatfollowarebasedonthepremiseofallschoolsmovingatthesametime,allschoolsmovinginthesamedirectionandallschoolsarrivingatthesameendpoint.Butthedegreeof‘movementinthesamedirection’willbewhereschoolswillhaveflexibility.Inthisway,wecanhavethatbalancebetweenschool-ledchangeandsystem-widechangethatwilldeliveranewjuniorcycleandarealdifferenceinthelearningexperiencesofyoungpeopleatthisstageoftheireducation.Suchflexibilityandcreativityarekeyconditionsformakingschoolsplaceswhereyoungpeoplelearnrisk-takingand

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innovation & identity 1. Innovation and Identity – the Big Ideas About Change

innovation,butsuchconditionscannotemergepiecemeal–theymustbesystemwide.(HargreavesandShirley,2009,OECD,2008,OECD,2009,McKinsey,2010,Sahlberg,2011).

“Unless the examination changes, nothing else will...”

Thatsystemwidechangehastobeginwiththeexamination.Unlessitdoes,attemptstorenewteachingandlearning,tobuildschoolandprofessionalcapacity,andsupportstudentengagementwillabsorbresources,timeandenergybutdeliverlittle.‘Real’changeacrossjuniorcyclewillbeginbychangingwhathappensattheendofjuniorcycle.Thechangesproposedarenotradicalbyinternationalstandards;thenewqualificationsandtheassessmentarrangementsproposedwillstillincludeexternallysetandmarkedexaminations,andanationalqualificationforallstudents.ButbyIrishstandards,forapost-primarysystemsofocusedonexaminations,theyrepresentaradicaldeparture.Thechallengeslienot

onlyinsupportingandqualityassuringthenewassessmentarrangements.Afurtherchallengeliesinchangingsystemandpublicexpectationsofassessmentandqualificationsatjuniorcycle.Theycannotcontinuetobea‘LeavingCertificatelight’.

Engagementwithparents,atbothlocalandsystemlevel,iskeytomakingthischange.Ajuniorcycleprogrammewithgreaterconnectionstolocalcommunities,dialoguewithparentsontheprogressoftheirchildreninkeyskillsaswellasinsubjects,andschool-homeencouragementofgreaterlearnerresponsibilitywillalsohelpinshiftingtheemphasisawayfromtheterminalexamination.

Tosupportthisnewperspectiveonjuniorcycleassessmentandqualifications,anewnameforthequalificationattheendofthisphaseofeducationisproposed–theNationalCertificateofJuniorCycleEducation.Achangeoflabelandnameisoftendismissedascosmetic.Andthechangestotheexaminationarenotradical–muchwillremain.Butthepowerofthosechangestolevertheother‘realchanges’isbeyondquestion,andisthebasisforanewname,andanewsymbolicvalue.These‘real’changesaresummarisedinTable1.

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Figure 1.The New Junior Cycle – Main Features

� Studentsmakingagreaterconnectionwithlearning� Improvingthequalityoflearningthattakesplace� Betterliteracyandnumeracyoutcomesandastrongprofileforkeyskills

The FoCus is on...

� Whatastudentwilllearnisdescribedin24statements of learning.

� Theskillsofliteracyandnumeracyandsixotherkey skillsfeaturestronglyintheareasoflearningandthecurriculum.

leArning

� Subjectswillcontinuetoplayanimportantroleinjuniorcycleandshort courseswillalsobeavailable.

� Schoolscandevelopsomecoursesoftheirown.� Curriculumspecificationswillbelessdetailedthancurrently.Teacherswillhavethescopetoensuredeeperlearning,tofocusonkeyskills,andtosupportandmonitorstudentprogress.

CurriCulum

� Assessmentwillbeafeatureofclassroompracticeoverthethreeyearsofjuniorcycle.

� Studentswillbemoreresponsiblethancurrentlyforgenerating,gatheringandpresentingevidenceoftheirlearning.

� Teacherswillprovidefeedbacktostudentsonthatevidenceandwillreportonstudentprogress.

AssessmenT

� Therewillbetwonationalqualifications.Thefirst,atLevel3,willreplacetheJuniorCertificate.Thesecond,atLevel2,willbedesignedforstudentswithparticularspecialeducationalneeds.

� Thequalificationswillbesmaller,givingschoolsmorespaceandtimetospendondeeperlearning,literacy,numeracyandkeyskills.

QuAliFiCATions

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Vision Juniorcycleeducationplacesstudentsatthecentreoftheeducationalexperience,enablingthemtoactivelyparticipateintheircommunitiesandinsocietyandtoberesourcefulandconfidentlearnersinallaspectsandstagesoftheirlives.

ValuesThedevelopmentofvaluesisapersonalandsocialprocessthatcontinuesthroughoutlife.Thevaluesofequality and inclusion,justice and fairness,freedom and democracy,andrespect for human dignity and identityarefundamentaltothevisionofjuniorcycleeducation.Theyguidedecisionmakingonthecurriculumand,whenreflectedintheeducationalexperienceofstudents,shouldhaveanimpactontheformationoftheirvalues.

2. Vision, Values and Principles

The vision, values and principles of junior cycle are set out below. They are designed to assist schools in reflecting on junior cycle education and in planning junior cycle programmes.

PrinciplesPrinciplesinformtheschool’sthinkingabouttheintendedcurriculum(whatwewantstudentstolearn),theenactedcurriculum(howteachersteachandstudentsengagewiththeintendedcurriculum),andtheexperiencedcurriculum(howindividualstudentsexperiencethecurriculum).Theseprinciplesinformtheplanningforanddevelopmentofjuniorcycleprogrammes,butschoolsmaywishtoaddotherprinciples,includingthosethatreflectaparticularethosorstrongconnectiontoplace.

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innovation & identity 2. Vision, Values and Principles

Table 1. Curriculum Principles for Junior Cycle Education

wellBeing

Thecurriculumcontributesdirectlytothephysical,mentalandsocialwellbeingofstudents.

QuAliTy

Allstudentsexperienceahighqualityeducation,characterisedbyhighexpectationsoflearnersandthepursuitofexcellence.

ChoiCe And FlexiBiliTy

Thecurriculum,whilebroadinnature,offerssufficientchoiceandflexibilitytomeettheneedsofstudents.

CreATiViTy And innoVATion

Thecurriculumprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstodeveloptheirabilitiesandtalentsintheareasofcreativity,innovationandenterprise.

inClusiVe eduCATion

Theeducationalexperienceisinclusiveofallstudentsandcontributestoequalityofopportunity,participationandoutcomeforall.

engAgemenT, releVAnCe And

enJoymenT

Theexperienceofthecurriculumencouragesparticipation,isengagingandenjoyableforstudents,andrelevanttotheirlives.

liFelong leArning

Thecurriculumsupportsstudentsindevelopingthelearningskillsthatwillassisttheminmeetingthechallengesoflifebeyondschool,offurthereducation,andofworkinglife.

ConTinuiTy

Thecurriculumenablesstudentstobuildontheirlearningtodateandactivelysupportstheirprogressinlearning.

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Theorientationofthenewjuniorcycle–therationaleforchange–istoplaceagreateremphasisonstudentlearning,onthequalityofthatlearning,andontherespectiverolesofteachersandstudentsinthatprocess.That’snottosaythatlearningdoesnothappeninthejuniorcyclewehavenow.Ofcourseitdoes.Buttheevidencefromresearch(ESRI2004,2006,2007),andthefeedbackfromtheconsultationindicatesthateachyearofjuniorcycleisassociatedwithaparticularlearningchallenge.Infirstyearthechallengeisoneofprogress. Whileschoolsmakeconsiderableeffortstohelpstudentstosettleintopost-primaryschool,theyarelesssuccessfulonconnectinglearninginprimaryschoolwiththelearninginpost-primaryclassrooms.Asaresult,researchshowsthatmoststudentsmakelittleprogressinthekeyareasofreadingandmathematicsinfirstyearandsomeevenregress.

Insecondyear,thelearningchallengeisdifferent.Here,theissueisthequestionpurpose.Studentsarenotsureofthepurposeofsecondyearandsomedriftintodisengagementthatwillbecomemoreacuteintheyearsahead.Asstudentsmoveintothirdyearthechallengeisallaboutproduct.Studentlearningnarrowsandbecomesmoreandmorefocusedonpreparingfortheexamination.Duringthistime,anover-emphasisbyteachers,withthesupportoftheirstudents,onthestructureoflessonsandcoveringthecourseattheexpenseofdeeplearningemerges.Thekeytoaddressingthesechallengesliesinadifferentapproachtoassessmentandtheexamination.Theseproposedchangesareoutlinedinthenextchapterbutsomedevelopmentwillalsobeneededinhowlearningisorganisedacrossthejuniorcycle.

A Framework for Junior CycleTosupportschoolsindevelopingahighqualityjuniorcycleprogrammethatmeetstheneedsoftheirstudentsandthatprovidesaclosefitwiththecontext,environmentandcommunityoftheschool,aFramework for Junior Cyclewillbeintroduced.

TheFrameworkdescribeswhatalljuniorcyclestudentsshouldlearn.Itprovidesforthenationalqualificationsassociatedwithlearninginjuniorcycle.Butitalsogivesschoolmanagementandteacherstheprofessionalspaceandflexibilitytodecidehowbesttoorganisethelearningandadjustittomeetthelearningneedsoftheirstudents.Inthissense,theprimaryfocusoftheframeworkistoensurethatallaspectsofthecurriculumanditsorganisationarefocusedonimprovingthelearningandteachingthattakesplaceeverydayineveryclassroomandsiteoflearning.Recentresearchintoeducationalchangeinimprovingeducationsystemsworldwideshowsthatwhilestructuralchangeandresourcesarestillimportant,thevastmajorityofinterventionsnowfocusonlearningandteachingand‘spend more of their activity on improving how instruction is delivered than on changing the content of what is delivered’(McKinsey,2010).

Theframeworkwillcombinestatementsofpurposeandintentrelatingtojuniorcycleeducationwithinformationdesignedtoguideschoolsinplanninganddevelopingtheirjuniorcycleprogramme.Itsetstheparametersforschoolsandsupportsschoolsengagedinplanningforthedevelopmentoftheirjuniorcycle.

3. learning in the Junior Cycle

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innovation & identity 3. Learning in the Junior Cycle

How will the Framework support better learning in junior cycle?TheFramework for Junior Cyclewillprovideschoolswithgreaterautonomyandmoreflexibilitythantheyhaveatpresentastheyplanandorganisejuniorcycleprogrammesthatfocusonthelearningtakingplaceinclassroomsineachyearofjuniorcycle.Theframeworkisdesignedtoencourageinnovationinschoolingandteachingandcreativelearningintheclassroom.Itwillalsofacilitatetheschoolinensuringthatliteracy,numeracyandkeyskillsareembeddedinthelearning.

Theframeworkwillhaveaclearandconcisedescriptionofwhatitisthatstudentsshouldlearn.Thisisexpressed,in24statements of learning.Thestatementsdonotsetouteverythingthestudentcanlearninjuniorcycle,buttheirintroductiondoesreflecttheviewthatitisinadequatetodescribewhatstudentsshouldlearnintermsofsubjectsalone.ThestatementswillprovidethebasisforschoolsplanningandevaluatingtheirjuniorcycleprogrammesThatprocessofplanningwillinvolvethinkingaboutthecombinationofcurriculumcomponents(subjectsandshortcourses)andlearningexperiencesthatwillensurethatallstatementsoflearning,alongwithkeyskillsandliteracyandnumeracyskills,areaddressedintheprogrammesofalljuniorcyclestudents.Thecombinationofthesestatementsoflearningandskillswilleffectivelyrepresentthelearningwithwhichallstudentsinjuniorcyclewillbeexpectedtoengage.Thestatementsarealsousefulforstudentsandtheirparentsasaguidetowhattheyshouldexpectfromthejuniorcycleexperience.

Thejuniorcyclestatementsoflearningdescribewhatitisessentialforstudentstoknow,understand,valueandbeabletodoasaresultoftheirtimeinjuniorcycle.Giventhatschoolswillbeplanningtheirownprogrammes,thesestatementsprovidethebasisforconsistencybetweenschoolsandforthemonitoringandevaluationoftheworkofschools.Theysetoutthefocusofteachingandlearningacrossallareasoflearning.ThestatementsoflearningaresetoutinTable2.

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Table 2. Statements of Learning

The student

1 communicateseffectivelyusingavarietyofmeansinarangeofcontextsinL11

2 reachesalevelofpersonalproficiencyinL2andoneotherlanguageinreading,writing,speakingandlistening

3 creates,appreciatesandcriticallyinterpretstexts(includingwritten,oral,visualandothertexts)

4 recognisesthepotentialusesofmathematicalknowledge,skills,andunderstandinginallareasoflearning

5 usesmathematicalknowledge,reasoningandskillsindevisingstrategiesforinvestigatingandsolvingproblems

6 describes,illustrates,interprets,predictsandexplainspatternsandrelationships

7 improvestheirobservation,inquiry,andcritical-thinkingskills

8 developsanunderstandingofthenaturalworld

9 valueswhatitmeanstobeanactivecitizen,withrightsandresponsibilitiesinlocalandwidercontexts

10 learnshowtothinkandactsustainably

11 understandsthedistributionofsocial,economic,andenvironmentalphenomena

12 valueslocalandnationalheritageandrecognisestherelevanceofthepasttocurrentnationalandinternationalissuesandevents

13 makesinformedfinancialdecisionsanddevelopsgoodconsumerskills

14 takesinitiative,isinnovativeanddevelopsentrepreneurialskills

15 usesappropriatetechnologiesinmeetingadesignchallenge

16 appliespracticalskillsastheydevelopmodelsandproductsusingavarietyofmaterialsandtechnologies

17 creates,presentsandappreciatesartisticworks

18 bringsanideafromconceptiontorealisation

19 usesICTeffectivelyandethicallyinlearningandinlife

20 takesactiontosafeguardandpromotetheirwellbeingandthatofothers

21 appreciatesandrespectshowdiversevalues,beliefsandtraditionshavecontributedtothecommunitiesandcultureinwhichtheylive

22 developsmoral,ethicalandresponsibledecisionmakingandasenseofpersonalvalues

23 understandstheimportanceoffoodanddietinmakinghealthylifestylechoices

24 participatesinphysicalactivityconfidentlyandcompetently

1 L1isthelanguagemediumoftheschool(IrishinIrish-mediumschools).L2isthesecondlanguage(EnglishinIrish-mediumschools).

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Curriculum componentsEngagementwiththestatementsoflearningwillbebuiltaroundthreecurriculumcomponents;subjects,shortcourses,andforthesmallgroupofstudentsworkingtowardsaLevel2qualification,PriorityLearningUnits(PLUs).

TheNCCAwilldevelopandpublishthespecifications(syllabusdocuments)forallsubjectsandPLUsandsomeshortcoursesThenewsubjectspecificationswillrepresentmorethanatweakingofwhat’salreadythereoraneweditionwithlearningoutcomesreplacingtopiclistsorobjectives.Asdiscussedinsection1,theframeworkistheessentialconnectionbetweencurriculumandassessment.Withthenewassessmentarrangementsinplace,thesubjectspecificationstakeonaroletheyhavenothadsofarinpost-primaryeducation.Theybecomethetoolsforplanning,the meansbywhichlearningissupported,andprogressmonitored,andtheresourceforreportingtoparents.Thecourseisnolongeranentitytobe‘covered’.Ratheritbecomesthefocusofand resourceforlearning.

SubjectsTheNCCAwillprovidethecurriculumspecificationsforsubjectsandthesewillbeoutcomes-basedandinmostcasesatacommonlevel.English,IrishandMathematicswillbespecifiedattwolevels.

Thelearningoutcomesinthesespecificationswillbelessextensiveanddetailedthanatpresentandwillbedesignedforapproximately200hoursoflearnerengagement.Theterm‘approximately’isusedhereinrecognitionofthefactthattheamountoftimedevotedtothelearninginaspecificationwillvaryfromschooltoschoolaccordingtotheprioritygivento,amongotherthings,itstimeallocation,thelearningandteachingapproachesandactivitiesused,andtheparticularcohortofstudentsinvolved.The200hoursshouldbeviewedasaminimumanddoesnotprecludeaschooldevotingmoretimewhereit’sneededordesired.Topromotethedevelopmentofliteracyandnumeracyskills,English,Irish,andMathematicswillbedesignedforaminimumof240hoursofengagement.Theincreasedfocusonliteracyandnumeracyacrossthecurriculumwillalsocontributesignificantlytolearningintheseareas.

Toassistintheplanningforlearningandteaching,thespecificationswillindicatethetimetobespentonassessmentactivityandhomework.Thespecificationswillalsoestablishhowthelearninginasubjectorshortcourselinkstoparticularstatementsoflearning.

Thekeyskillsofjuniorcyclewillbeembeddedinthelearningoutcomesofthesubject.Throughoutthespecifications,therewillbeastrongfocusonlearningandteachinginthesubject,andthesectiononassessmentandevidenceoflearningwillreflectthechangedapproachtoassessmentatjuniorcycleandindicatehowevidenceoflearninginthesubjectcancontributetowardsjuniorcyclequalifications.

Throughtheuseofexemplification,thecurriculumspecificationsforsubjectswillensurethatschools,students,andparentsareclearaboutthelevelofachievementorstandardexpectedofstudentsastheyengagewiththecurriculum.ThelistofcurrentjuniorcyclesubjectsispresentedinTable4(page30)andnewcurriculumspecificationswillbedevelopedinthesesubjects.

Short courses Whyshortcourses?Becauseschoolsaskedforopportunitiestoconnecttotheircommunities,toconsolidateandstrengthenaspectsofstudentlearning,toincludenewanddifferentlearningexperiencesandICTinthejuniorcycleexperience.Shortcourseswillbedesignedforapproximately100hoursoflearnerengagement.

TherangeofpotentialshortcoursespresentedinTable3indicatesthescopeforschoolinnovationofferedbythiscomponent.Inthefirstinstance,NCCAwillproducespecificationsforsixshortcoursesforusebyschools.ThesewillofferschoolsexamplesofshortcoursesofdifferenttypesatastandardalignedwithLevel3oftheNationalFrameworkofQualifications.Howeverinmanycases,schoolswilldeveloptheirownshortcoursestoatemplatedesignedbytheNCCA.Tosupporttheminthisdevelopmentalactivity,andinadditiontotheexemplificationofferedbyNCCAshortcourses,NCCAwillprovidematerialstoguideschoolsthroughthedevelopmentalprocessandassisttheminensuringthecoursesareatanappropriatestandard.

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Someshortcoursesmaylookquitelikeshorterversionsofsubjectsbasedaroundaparticularlearningfocusoraparticularareaofcompetence,suchasChinese language and culture orMathematics for living and work. Othersmayfocusonthemesthatspananumberofdomains,forexampleSustainable living and resource managementorBeing innovative; product design.PersonalisedlearningskillscanalsobedevelopedbymeansofshortcoursesthatfocusonenquirybasedlearningorICTbasedlearningaroundatopicorthemeofinteresttostudents.Fromawholeschoolperspective,theformatofshortcoursesisflexibleenoughtoencompassspecificlearningactivities,initiativesandeventsorganisedbytheschool,suchasschoolmusicalsorbookclubs.

Asinthecaseofsubjects,thespecificationswillsetouttheaimsandlearningoutcomesofthecourse(includingembeddedkeyskills),howevidenceoflearningwillbegenerated,gathered,judgedandreportedon,andhowthatevidencecancontributetowardsjuniorcyclequalifications.

Itisenvisagedthatshortcourseswillbeintroducedatanearlystageinthejuniorcycledevelopments.Theywillbedistinctivefeaturesofthenewjuniorcycleandthoughtherewillbealimitonthenumberofshortcoursesthatcanbeusedinthequalifications,theirintroductionoffersschoolsopportunitiestoengageincurriculumdevelopmentontheirown,withotherschools,withcommunityorganisationsorwithexternalagencies.Supportswillbeprovidedtoassistthoseinvolvedinthisprocessandexperiencesgatheredasthedevelopmentofshortcoursesprogresseswillbesharedwidely.

Toensurethequalityofshortcoursesandthestandardofoutcomesforlearners,shortcourseswillneedtobedeliveredbyteachers.Whilecommunityorexternalagencyinvolvementistobeencouraged,theleadershipoftheeducationprofessionalinthedevelopment,supportandevaluationofthesecoursesisessential.

Priority Learning Units (PLUs)ForthesmallgroupofstudentsworkingtowardsaLevel2qualification,muchoftheirprogrammeatjuniorcyclewillcentreonPriority Learning Units (PLUs),themaincurriculumcomponentofthatqualification.ThePLUsencompassthelearningthatismostimportant,relevantandbeneficialtothestudentsinquestion.TherearefivePLUs–Communicating and literacy, Numeracy, Looking after myself, Living in a community, and Preparing for work.

CurriculumspecificationsforeachPLUwillbedevelopedbytheNCCA.Eachunitisdesignedforapproximately250hoursofstudentengagement.

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Figure 2. Junior Cycle Curriculum

� ArtCraftDesign� BusinessStudies� Classics� CSPE� English� French� Geography� German� History� HomeEconomics� Irish� Italian� JewishStudies� MaterialsTechnology(Wood)

� Mathematics� Metalwork� Music� PhysicalEducation� ReligiousEducation� Science� Spanish� SPHE� TechnicalGraphics� Technology

� Culturalstudies� Sustainablelivingandresourcemanagement

� Debating/publicspeaking

� Write-a-book� Developmenteducation

� Leadership� Bookclub� Makingchoices� Personalfinance� Schoolmusical/dramaperformance

� Coachinginthecommunity

� Beinginnovative-productdesign

� Webdesign� Creatingane-portfolio

� Chineselanguageandculture

� Mathematicsforlivingandwork

leVel 2

QuAliFiCATion

� Communicatingandliteracy

� Numeracy� Lookingaftermyself� Livinginacommunity

� Preparingforwork

key skills

� Keyskills� Managingmyself� Stayingwell� Communicating� Beingcreative� Workingwithothers� Managinginformationandthinking.

liTerACy

numerACy

suBJeCTs

PoTenTiAl shorT

Courses

PrioriTy leArning

uniTs

skills

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Key skills of junior cycleKeyskillshavebecomethefocusofdevelopmentsatalllevelsofeducationsystemsaroundtheworld.Irelandhasalsobeenactiveinthisregardleadingtotheconsolidationofaskillsemphasisinearlychildhoodeducation,theprimaryschoolcurriculumandseniorcycle.Injuniorcycle,whilespecificskillsareencounteredinsubjectsandshortcourses,keyskillshavearoletoplayindeepeningthestudents’learningandinmakingthemmoreself-awareaslearners.Thiswillcontributetoequippingthemtotakeupthechallengesoffurtherstudyinseniorcycleandbeyond.

Thisnewfocusonkeyskillsisalsosignificantforthechangesproposedinassessmentatjuniorcycle.Helpingstudentstobecomemoreawareofhowtheylearn,alongsidewhattheyarelearningwillenablethemtogenerateevidenceofthatlearningastheyprogress.

Thekeyskillsofjuniorcyclearegroundedinbothnationalandinternationalresearchandpractice.ThestartingpointwastheOECDDeSeCo—thedefinitionandselectionofkeycompetencies—framework(DeSeCoExecutiveSummary,2005)whichsetsoutthreebroadcategoriesforkeyskills/competencies:usingtoolsinteractively;interactingwithheterogeneousgroups;andactingautonomously.TheapproachtokeycompetenciesinanumberofothercountriessuchasNewZealand,Queensland,AustraliaandCanadawerealsoinfluentialindevelopingthissetofkeyskills.

TheselectionofkeyskillsatjuniorcyclealsoreflectsalsoreflectstheimportanceofmakingandmaintainingconnectionswithskilldevelopmentintheotherphasesofeducationinIreland.Earlychildhoodandprimaryeducationemphasisesself-helpskills,communicationskills,thinkingskills,skillsofco-operation,creativethinking,problem-solvingskills,inquiryskills.Increasingly,atseniorcycleskillssuchascriticalandcreativethinking,communicating,informationprocessing,beingpersonallyeffectiveandworkingwithothersarebeingintroduced.Whilethekeyskillsofjuniorcyclehavebeendevelopedwiththejuniorcyclelearnerasthemainfocus,theyarealso

connectedtotheskillsatseniorcycleandtheskillsalreadydevelopedinearlychildhoodandprimaryeducation.Thechoiceofkeyskillswasalsoinformedbyinteractionswithschools,inparticularthoseschoolswhohadexperienceofworkingwithkeyskillsatseniorcycle.Themainmessagesfromtheschoolswere:keepthelanguageoftheskillsappropriatetotheageofthelearners;providedetailsofeachkeyskillwithelementsandoutcomesthathelpteacherstorelatethekeyskillstotheirsubjectcurriculum;providetoolsthathelpteacherstointegratethekeyskillsintotheirplanningandclasswork.Juniorcyclestudentswillengagewithskillsappropriatetotheirstageofdevelopmentwhileatthesametimeexperiencingcontinuitywithpreviousandfuturelearning.

Theskillshaveaparticularvalueforfirstyearstudents,allowingthemtoconsolidatewhattheyhavelearnedinprimaryschoolandtodevelopskillsthatwillgivethemastrongfoundationforsecondandthirdyear.Inthiswaytheyactasavehicletosmooththetransitionfromprimarytopost-primaryschool.Learnerscanbegindevelopingresponsibilityfortheirownlearningandcanusethekeyskillstohelpthemnavigatethenewlearningenvironmentofjuniorcycle.

Thekeyskillsofjuniorcycleare Managing Myself, Staying Well, Communicating, Being Creative, Working with Others, Managing Information and Thinking. Aslearnersdeveloptheircompetenceineachofthesixkeyskills,theyalsodeveloptheircompetenceinlearningbyusingtheskillstoconstantlyimprovehowtheylearn.Workingwithnewtechnologiesalsoformspartofeachoftheskills.

Thekeyskillswillbeembeddedinthelearningoutcomesofallcurriculumspecificationsandteacherswillbeencouragedtobuildthemintotheirclassplanning,theirteachingapproachesandintoassessment.TheelementsoftheskillsaresetoutinTable5,describingwhatthelearnerisexpectedtoknowandbeabletodoinrespectofeachone.Thekeyskillsareexpressedinlearner-friendlylanguagesothatlearnerscanusethemtosupport,monitorandevaluatetheirownprogress.

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Table 3.Key Skills of Junior Cycle

Being CreATiVe

� Imagining

� Exploringoptionsandalternatives

� Implementingideasandtakingaction

� Changingandtakingrisks

� Learningcreatively

� BeingcreativethroughICT

working wiTh oThers

� Relatingeffectivelyandresolvingconflict

� Co-operating

� Respectingdifference

� Contributing

� Learningwithothers

� UsingICTtoworkwithothers

mAnAging myselF

� Knowingmyself

� Makingpersonaldecisions

� Settingandachievingpersonalgoals

� Beingflexibleandbeingassertive

� Learninghowtodirectmyownlearning

� UsingICTtomanagemyself

sTAying well

� Beinghealthy,physicalandactive

� Beingsocialandsafe

� Beingspiritual

� Beingconfident

� Beingpositiveaboutlearning

� UsingICTsafelyandethically

CommuniCATing

� Listeningandexpressingmyself

� Usinglanguage

� Usingnumber

� Discussinganddebating

� Communicatingmylearning

� UsingICTtoconfidentlycommunicate

mAnAging inFormATion And Thinking

� Beingcurious

� Gathering,recording,organising,andevaluatinginformation

� Usinginformationtosolveproblemsandcreatenewideas

� Thinkingcreativelyandcritically

� Reflectingonandevaluatingmylearning

� UsingICTtoaccess,manageandshareknowledge

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How are key skills included in learning and teaching?Developingtheseskillsinavarietyofcontextsandinawaythatwillleadtoactionrequiresacreativeapproachtoteachingandlearning.Learnersneedtoencountereachoftheskillsfrequentlythroughoutthecurriculumandexperiencemanyopportunitiestoworkwithothers,toreflectontheirlearningandtotrynewwaysofdoingthings.Arangeofdesigntoolsandothersupportmaterialswillbemadeavailabletosupportteachersinincludingkeyskillsintheirjuniorcycleteaching.Studentswillalsobeprovidedwithself-assessmentmaterialtomonitortheirownengagementwithandprogressinthekeyskills.

Whenincorporatedimaginativelyandenergetically,andwhensupportedbyassessmentprocesses,theroleofkeyskillsinbringingaboutarenewaloflearningandteachingcannotbeunderestimated.Theexperienceoftheirintegrationinotherlevelsinoureducationsystem(evidencedforexamplebytheNCCA’sworkatseniorcycle)andoftheemergingtrendsinothercountriespointstotheirsignificanceasameansofdeepeningthequalityofengagementacrossthecurriculumandinotheraspectsofthelivesofyoungpeople.InprogressingtoseniorcycleandpreparingfortheLeavingCertificate,studentswhoareskilledinlearningwillbeabletomakethemostofthevariousprogrammesonoffer.

Linking literacy and numeracy to the key skillsThekeyskillsalsosupportthedevelopmentofliteracyandnumeracy,whicharecrucialforlearnersinaccessingthecurriculumandintheirfuturelifechances.Forexample,skillsincommunication,problem-solving,accessingandselectinginformationwillcontributetoliteracyandnumeracydevelopmentinalloftheareasofthelearning.Thesubjectsandshortcoursesrelatedtolanguageandmathematicsinparticularwillcontributedirectlytothedevelopmentofliteracyandnumeracyskills.Onabroaderfront,learningoutcomesrelatedtoallcurriculumcomponentspromotetheintegrateddevelopmentofliteracyandnumeracyskillsacrossthecurriculumaswellaspromotingkeyskillslearning.

Referencewasmadeearliertothechallengesfacedbylearnersinmakingprogressinareassuchasmathematicsandreadingandbyschoolsinprovidingopportunitiesforthemtodeveloptheseskills.TheplanninganddesignflexibilityprovidedbytheFrameworkforJuniorCyclewillallowschoolstoputprogrammesinplacethatfocusontheconsolidationofliteracyandnumeracyskillsinthefirstyear.Aswellasenablingstudentstomakeprogressintheskillsthemselves,suchafocusedprogrammewillgivethemastrongfoundationforsecondandthirdyearwork.Forthistohappeneffectively,thedevelopmentoftheskillsmustformpartoftheschool’svisionforjuniorcycle.

Inpost-primaryschoolsitisnotjustteachersofEnglish,Irishandmathematicswhohavetheresponsibilityfordevelopingliteracyandnumeracyskills;teachersofallsubjectshaveanimportantroletoplay.Allteachersmustbeconsciousofimprovingthelearners’capacitytocommunicatemeaning—fromspeakertolistener,fromwritertoreader,fromcreatortoviewer—andtousenumberwithconfidenceinallareas;theyshouldseekopportunitiesintheirownsubjectsforthedevelopmentoftheskills.Thenewsubjectspecificationsshouldgiveteachersandstudentsthespaceforthisengagement,andthenewshortcoursesofferthechance,forthefirsttime,forschoolstoofferskill-specificcoursestostudentsaspartofjuniorcycleiftheybelievethatsuchanapproachisneeded.

Junior cycle programmesSchoolswilldesigntheirownjuniorcycleprogrammesandeachprogrammewillbemadeupoftheparticularcombinationofsubjects,shortcourses,keyskills(orPLUs)withwhichthestudentwillengageduringtheirjuniorcycle.TheprogrammehastobeconsistentwiththeFrameworkbut,beyondthat,schoolswillbefreetodecidewhatshouldbeincludedintheirjuniorcycleandhowitshouldbeorganised.

TocomplywiththeFrameworkaschool’sprogrammemust;

� subscribetoandfullyreflectthevision,valuesandprinciplesofjuniorcycleeducation

� addressthestatementsoflearning

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� emphasisethedevelopmentofthekeyskillsofjuniorcycle–Managingmyself,Stayingwell,Communicating,Beingcreative,Workingwithothers,andManaginginformationandthinking

� facilitateassessmentandtheprocessbywhichevidenceoflearningisgenerated,gathered,judgedandreported

� contributetowardstoajuniorcyclequalification

� ensurecontinuitywithprimaryeducationandofferprogressionopportunitiestowardsseniorcycleeducation

How will the programme be organised?Thejuniorcycleprogrammewilllastforthethreeyearsofjuniorcycle.Theymaybeplannedandstructuredonayear-by-yearbasisorinadifferentway.Manyschoolsfavourafirstyearofjuniorcyclewhichconcentratesonstudentsmakingasuccessfultransitionfromprimaryschool,onconsolidatingskillsandonputtinginplaceasoundbasisforlearninglaterinjuniorcycle.Theseschoolsseefirstyearassomewhatseparatefromthefollowingtwoyearswhenstudentlearningturnstoabroadexperienceacrosstheareasoflearning,leadingtoajuniorcyclequalification.Regardlessofthedecisionsschoolsmakeonstructuringthejuniorcycle,theframeworkwillmakeexplicitthatevidenceoflearningfromfirstyearwillnotfeatureintheassessmentforqualification.

Toacertainextent,thejuniorcycleprogrammeofaschoolwillbeinfluencedbythequalification/spursued.Forexample,schoolswithstudentswhoarepursuingtheLevel2juniorcyclequalificationwillhavetodevoteconsiderabletimetoPriorityLearningUnits(PLUs),themaincurriculumcomponentinvolvedinthatqualification.ButschoolswillfindthatthedemandsthatthequalificationplacesontheprogrammewillbelessthaninthecaseofthecurrentJuniorCertificatebecausetheoverallnumberofcurriculumcomponentsinvolvedinthequalificationwillbefewer.Thismeansthatschoolswillhaveconsiderableflexibilityinplanningandorganisingtheprogramme.

How will schools develop their junior cycle programme?Schoolscanbuildontheirexistingjuniorcycleprogramme,adaptitandaugmentit.TheycanfeatureelementsofprogrammessuchastheJuniorCertificateSchoolProgramme(JCSP)aspartoftheiroveralljuniorcycleprogramme.SchoolswithstudentsworkingtowardstheLevel2juniorcyclequalificationwillhaveextensiveguidelinesavailabletothem,includingexamplesofprogrammesalreadydevelopedbyschools.

Inabroadercontext,someschoolswillworkwiththeNCCAoveraperiodoftimeonplanninganddevelopingtheirjuniorcycleprogrammeandsampleprogrammesfromtheseschoolswillbecomeavailableonlineforotherstouseasaresource.Otherschoolswillformsmallnetworksandcollaborateindevelopingarangeofprogrammes.Workwiththeseschoolswillalsoindicatethescaleoftimeforcollaborationneededandshowhowschoolscandeploycurrentallocations,andmakebestuseoftheadditionalonestobemadeavailabletoschoolstosupportthiswork.Planningtoolsandtemplateswillbedevelopedandmadeavailabletocontributetotheplanninganddevelopmentworkofschools.BuildingontheexperienceofthePrimaryCurriculumPlanningTooltheNCCAwilldevelopanonlinetoolthatlinksthelearningoutcomesinsubjectsandthestatementsoflearningwhilealsoprovidingexemplificationofthestandardexpected.

Theflexibilityavailableindesigningandplanningtheprogrammewillpresentschoolswiththepossibilitytoinvolvestudentsandtheirparentsaswellasstaffindiscussionsaboutthekindofprogrammethatwillbestservethelearninginterestsandneedsofthestudents,whileatthesamesupportingtheparticularmissionandgoalsoftheschool.

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Programme evaluationTheextenttowhichaschool’sprogrammesupportsstudentsindevelopingkeyskills,improvingliteracyandnumeracy,andinlearningrelevanttoallthestatementsoflearningwillbeevaluatedinthefirstinstancebytheschoolitselfthroughanon-goingprocessofself-evaluation.Inthisprocess,assessmentinformationgatheredthroughoutjuniorcyclewillundoubtedlybeuseful.ThisinternalevaluationwillbesupportedandsupplementedbytheevaluationcarriedoutbytheDepartmentofEducationandSkillsthroughtheworkofitsInspectorate.

Thestatementsoflearning,keyskills,subjects,shortcoursesandPLUswillsignalthenewfocusonlearningdiscussedattheopeningofthissection.Butthedegreetowhichthisfocuswillmakearealdifferenceforstudentsdependsonchanginghowthatlearningisassessed.Theproposalsinthenextchapteroutlinethosechanges.

In conclusionThemainfocusoftheFramework for Junior Cycle willbeonlearning.ThefocusofthatlearningisclearlysetoutintheStatementsofLearningandintheKeySkillsofJuniorCycle.Thevehicleforthelearningwillbeprogrammesthatusenewlyspecifiedsubjects,newshortcoursesand,insomecases,PLUs.Theaimisforallthesetocontributetoconnectingthelearnertotheexperienceofjuniorcycleeducationfromstarttofinish.

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4. Assessment and evidence of learning in Junior Cycle

Assessmentispartoftheeverydayworkofteachersandstudents.Itistheprocessofgeneratingevidenceoflearning,ofmakingandsharingjudgementsaboutthatlearning,andinsomeinstances,reportingassessmentoutcomestoawideraudience.Teachersengagewithevidencetoplanforlearningandtoexercisesoundinterpretationofstudentprogresswhetherthatisforthepurposeofformativeassessmentofstudentlearningonanongoingbasis,orformoresummativepurposesattheendofaperiodorsequenceoflearning.

Theprocessofteachersandstudentsworkingwithevidenceoflearning:

� isanongoingpartofteachingandlearning

� involvesstudentsandteachersinidentifyinglearninggoalsandnextsteps

� generatesfeedbackthatencouragesstudentprogressandgivesstudentsgreaterunderstandingandownershipoftheirlearning

� orientatestheteacherandstudenttowardsfutureimprovementsinlearning,allowingthemtoevaluatethelearningprocess,toidentifywhathasbeenunderstoodandwhathasnot,andtoadjustthelearningandteachingaccordingly

� assurestheteacher,theschoolandthewidereducationsystemthatthestudent’slearningisprogressinginlinewithexpectations

� isaneffectivebasisforcommunicationwithparentsinawaythathelpsthemtosupporttheirchildren’slearning.

� providesthematerialfortheacknowledgementandrecognition(viaqualificationsandcertification)thatlearninghastakenplace.

Theprocessispartofwhatiscommonlyacceptedas‘goodteaching’.Researchhasindicatedthat,typically,teachersspendbetweenathirdandahalfoftheirclasstimeengagedinoneoranothertypeofassessmentorevaluationactivity(StigginsandConklin,1992).Alessonfocusedongeneratingevidencefromaninvestigationofalocalhistorytopic,forexample,containsboththelearningANDtheassessmentactivity.Generatingtheevidenceoflearninginthiscaseispartofthelearningprocess.Adefiningfeatureofahighqualityassessmentsystemisthatassessmentisascloseaspossibletolearning,andfocusesnotona‘performance’forthesolepurposeofassessment,butisintegratedintotheprocessoflearning(OECD,2009;Tierney,2006).

Goodassessment,goodteachingandgoodlearningareverycloselyrelatedandarepartofeverydayclassroompractice.Whathashappenedinjuniorcycleovertheyearsisthatthisgoodpracticetendstobeconsignedtothesidelinesbypracticeforexaminations,whichisoftenseenbyteachers,studentsandtheirparentsasthebest practice. Inthenewjuniorcycle,teacherswillcontinuetoassessandreportontheirstudents’progressandachievementinthesubjects,shortcoursesandkeyskillsthatmakeuptheprogrammeoftheschool.Thiswillinvolvethemandtheirstudentsintheprocessofgenerating,gathering,judgingandreporting onevidenceoflearningashasalwaysbeenthecase.Butinthenewjuniorcycleacloserrelationshipbetweenassessmentandlearningisenvisaged,arelationshipsupportedbyareducedfocusonassessmentinterminalexaminations.

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innovation & identity 4. Assessment and Evidence of Learning in Junior Cycle

Generating and gathering evidence of learningThekindofevidencecurrentlyusedinclassroomsandthewaysinwhichitisgeneratedcanvary.Muchdependsonwhattheevidenceisbeinggatheredfor.Inmostcases,thepurposeistodiscussandidentifywhathasbeenlearnedandtoworkouthowtoprogressthelearningtothenextstageorlevel.Themethodscurrentlyusedtogenerateandgatherevidencevary:

� thestudentcanreviewtheirprogressthemselvesorindiscussionwiththeirpeers

� agroupofstudentsand/orteacherscancompareanddiscusssamplesofdifferentstudents’work

� samplesofstudentworkcanbeassembledinaportfolioanddiscussedperiodicallyonanindividualbasis

� theteachercanaskquestionsaboutanddiscussthestudent’sworkandideasinavarietyofways

� theworkofstudentscanbeobservedanddiscussed

� theteachercandesigntasks,projects,practicaltestsandexaminationsforthestudenttotake

� thestudentcanundertakeanexaminationpreparedorsetbyasourceexternaltotheschool.

Thesearejustsomeofthepossibilities,amongmany,forgeneratingandgatheringevidenceoflearningandbringingittothepointofdiscussionorjudgement.

Inthenewjuniorcycle,thesubjectsandsomeoftheshortcoursestakenbythestudentwillbespecifiedbytheNCCA.Thatspecificationwilldescribethefullrangeofassessmentactivityinthesubjectorshortcourse.Ingeneralterms,theaimisthatassessmentwill:

� bebalancedbetweenwhathappensinclassroomsandschools,andwhathappenstowardstheendofjuniorcycleforqualification

� beongoingandprogressive,itwon’tallhappenattheendofasequenceoflearning,allowingtheincrementalprogressofstudentlearningtobeseenandbuiltupon

� useavarietyofmethods,tasksandstrategiessothatenoughevidenceisgatheredtomakesoundjudgementsaboutlearning

� bevalid,inkeepingwiththeaimsandlearningoutcomesofthesubjectorshortcourse,andwiththeplannedlearninggoalsforthestudent

� promoteahighqualitylearningenvironmentthroughthetasksandmethodsinvolved

� befairtostudents,enablingthemtodemonstratetheirlearningachievementsovertimeandinarangeoflearningcontexts

Judging and reporting on evidence of learningThoseinvolvedinmakingjudgementsbasedonevidenceoflearningincludestudentsthemselves,theirteachersandsourcesexternaltotheschool.Equally,reportingonevidenceoflearninghappenswithvariousaudiencesinmind.Studentsarethemostimportantaudienceforfeedbackontheirlearningandtheirprogress.Parentstooneedreportsontheprogressoftheirchildren.Schoolsneedinformationonhowtheirstudentsareprogressing.Lastly,theeducationsystemneedsevidenceoflearningtoensurethatcurriculumaimsarebeingmetandthatsystemqualityisbeingmaintainedandimproved.

Ofcourse,it’salsotruethatnotalllearningandnotallevidenceoflearningneedstobejudgedorreportedon.Thechallengeatjuniorcycleistoputinplaceausefulandproportionatesystemofreportingthatisn’tundulyonerousforthoseinvolved,andthatplacesafirmfocusonthelearningtakingplace.

Inthenewjuniorcycle,therewillbetwoparticularsupportsforjudgingandreportingonevidenceoflearning.NewReportCardTemplates,buildingontheReportCardTemplatesusedbyprimaryschoolstosupportreportingtoparentswillbemadeavailable.Inadditiontothesereportingtools,andtosupportteacherjudgementofstudentlearning,thespecificationswillincludeexamplesofstudentworkthatillustratethestandardofworkexpectedfromdifferentkindsofstudentsatdifferentstagesofjuniorcycle.Thesewillbegeneratedwithteachersandincludetheircommentaryonstudentwork.Parents,studentsandthegeneralpublicwillalsohaveaccesstothese.

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The student and evidence of learning in the new junior cycle Studentsalsohaveanimportantroletoplay.Theyneedtobemoreactivelyinvolvedingeneratingevidenceoflearning,withthesupportofteachers.TheESRILongitudinalStudy,whenitlookedatthestudentexperienceoftheJuniorCertificateexamination,notedtheextenttowhichtheexperienceofstudentsledthemtolinkmostoftheresponsibilityforpreparingfortheexaminationwiththeteacher(ESRI,2009).Thisisaninevitableconsequenceofplacingtheemphasison‘performance’intheexaminationratherthanontheprocessoflearning.Classroomsbecomerehearsalspacesfortheexaminationandstudentsfocusonlearningthescriptfortheperformanceratherthanonthelearningitself.

Thefocusonevidenceoflearninginthenewjuniorcycleaimstorestorethebalanceandbuildontheexperienceofothereducationsystemswhichhavemovedtoplacethestudentatthecentreoftheassessmentprocess(Absolumetal,2009).Itwillstressthegeneratingandgatheringofevidenceoflearningasacentralpartoftheprocessoflearning,andencouragethestudent’sinvolvementinthis,withtheguidanceandsupportoftheteacher.Thislevelofactiveparticipationbythestudentisparticularlyvalidinjuniorcycle,wheretheassessmentstakesarelowerthanatLeavingCertificatelevel.

Evidence of learning for the new qualificationsInthenewjuniorcycletheJuniorCertificatewillbereplacedbytwonewqualifications.Theassessmentarrangementsforthesewillcombinethefamiliarandthenew.Thechallengeinvolvedforthesysteminmovingawayfromcurrentpracticeisnotunderestimated,butthechangesinassessmentandqualificationswillnotberushedandwillbealignedwiththegreateremphasisonconnectingassessmenttolearningthroughoutjuniorcycle.Theywillhappentoatimescalewhereschoolsandteacherscanfamiliarisethemselves,preparewellandfeelcomfortableandfullyengagedwiththechange.Essentially,qualificationsinjuniorcyclewillmovefromthecurrentsituationwhereterminalexaminationsare

theprimarymethodofassessment,toonewheretheworkofstudentsinschoolsisalsoincluded.ThiswillbringjuniorcycleinIrelandmoreinlinewithwhat’sacceptedasgoodpracticeatlowersecondarylevelinternationally.IncountriessuchasAustralia,CanadaandScotland,assessmentforqualificationincludesanexternallymoderatedschool-basedelement.Suchmoderationprovidesassurancetoallthatwhereschool-basedassessmentisused,thereisconsistencyofstandardacrossschools.

Supportingassessmentchangeforthequalificationswillbecriticaltothesuccessofthenewjuniorcycle.Thesupportsforschoolsandteacherswillpreparethegroundforchange,contributetoqualityassuranceandbuildprofessionalcapacity.Theywillalsocontributetoadvancingthenewrelationshipbetweenassessmentandlearningacrossjuniorcycle.

support 1: Teacher professional development and support for schools and parents

Tointroducethenewjuniorcyclesuccessfully,teacherswillrequireprofessionaldevelopmentandschoolswillneedtobesupported.Educationalassessmentandtheprocessofengagingwithevidenceoflearningwillbeamajorfocusoftheprofessionaldevelopmentofteachers.Alimitedengagementwithassessmenttheoriesandpracticeshaslongbeenrecognisedasasystemweaknessininitialandongoingteachereducationandthejuniorcycledevelopmentsareanopportunitytoaddressthis.ThisisnotjustanIrishproblem.Researcherselsewherehaveexpressedconcernthatscantattentionispaidtothisareainteachereducationprogrammes(CummingandWyatt-Smith,2009).

Assistingschoolsinplanningforthenewjuniorcycleandinthemanagementandadministrationofassessmentactivityrelatedtoqualificationswillalsobeamajorfocusforprofessionalsupportandresourcing.Inaddition,informationforparentsandstudentsontheFramework for Junior Cycle,onnewassessmentarrangements,andonthepotentialjuniorcycleprogrammesinschoolswillalsobeessential.

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support 2: The assessment specifications for curriculum components will be set out centrally to support quality assurance

Specificationsforsubjects,PLUs,andNCCAshortcourseswillbepublishedandwillencompassongoingclassroomassessmentandassessmentforqualifications.Inthecaseofassessmentforqualifications,theywilloutlinetheassessmentmethodsinvolved,howevidenceoflearningistobegenerated,andinformationonhowtheevidenceistobejudgedandsubmittedaspartoftherelevantjuniorcyclequalification.

Ingeneralterms,thedevelopmentofassessmentspecificationsinsubjects,shortcoursesandPLUswilltakefullaccountoftheneedforassessmenttobemanageableforthesystem,thestudentandtheteacher,tobeadministration-light,andtoariseeasilyoutofregularlearningandclassroomactivity.

support 3: Assessment exemplification will be an important reference point for schools and teachers in assuring quality

Asthenewjuniorcycleisintroducedandschoolsandteachersengagewithnewarrangementsforassessmentandqualifications,theNCCAandSECwillprovidearangeofmaterialexemplifyingtheapproachtoassessmentincludingsampleexaminationpapersandguidelinesontherangeofassessmentmethodsinvolvedincludinghowtogenerateportfoliosofstudentwork.These,togetherwiththeexamplesofstudentworkprovidedtoteachersandstudentsbytheNCCAshouldactasreferencepoints,assistingteachersandschoolsinfullyengagingwithevidenceoflearningandhelpingtoclarifythelevelofachievementandstandardsexpectedofstudents.

support 4: external moderation of school based assessment for standard setting and fairness

Theprocessofexternalmoderationappliedtoassessmentforqualificationswillbeafurthersupportforschoolsandteachersintheirengagementwithassessmentandevidenceoflearning.Theprocesswillhelptoensurethatallassessmentarrangementsareconsistentacrossschoolsandfairtostudents.Participationandengagementwiththeseprocesseswillalsoofferteachersopportunitiesfordevelopingtheirownprofessionalexpertiseinassessing

studentworkandcontributingtothedevelopmentofsharedunderstandingofstandardswithcolleagues.ModerationwillserveafurtherimportantpurposeinanIrishcontext.Teachershaveexpressedconcernabouttheimpactthat‘judging’theirownstudents’workforanationalqualificationmighthaveontheteacher-studentrelationship.Externalmoderationensuresthatteacherscanofferaprofessionalinterpretationofstudentachievementthatissubjecttoaprocessofmoderation.

support 5: resourcing capacity in schools

Intheschool,becauseprocessesofinternalassessmentdependonteacherinvolvement,teacherswillneedtimetoengagewithnewassessmentandqualificationsarrangements.SchoolswillneedadministrativeandtechnologicalcapacitytogathertherelevantassessmentinformationandengagewiththeSEC.Ingeneral,therequirementsofgreaterschoolflexibilityandagreaterfocusonassessmentwillneedtobefullysupported.

Amovefromarelianceonexternalassessmenttoasystemthatcombinesexternalassessmentwithassessmentinschoolsatatimewhenschoolsaresubjecttothepressuresofworkingwithreducedresourcesischallengingforallconcerned.Thesepressuresarewidelyfeltacrosstheeducationsystem,butcan,ironically,generategreatersupportforchangesinpracticethathaveadirectimpactonlearning.Perhapsthisisbecause,forteachers,engagementwiththesekindsofchangespresentstheopportunitytoworkdifferentlywiththeirstudentsandtheirsubjects,andtobuildtheirprofessionalcapacityandcompetence.Nevertheless,deliveringontheassessmentproposalswillrequireimaginativethinkingonthepartofthosewhoallocateresources,andincreasedflexibilityforthosewhodeploythematschoollevel.

Assessment and evidence of learning for the new junior cycle qualifications – what might it look like?Thespecificationforcurriculumcomponents,preparedbytheNCCA,willincludethedetailsofassessmentforqualificationpurposes.Therewillbetwoassessmentcomponentsforeachsubject–aportfolio basedonschoolworkcompletedduringthejuniorcycle(withaweightingof40%ofthemarks)andanexamination

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completedinYear3(withaweightingof60%ofthemarks).Thestudentmustpresentevidenceoflearningforbothcomponents.Inthecaseofallshort courses and PLUs,therewillbeasingleassessmentcomponent–aportfolio basedonschoolwork.

Theexamination willbesetbytheSECinlinewiththespecificationforthesubject.TheschoolwillberesponsibleforrunningtheexaminationstoaschedulesetoutbytheSEC.Ingeneral,examinationswillcompriseasinglepaperorassignmentandbeshorterthanatpresent(maximumof1½–2hours).Sampleexaminationmaterialwillbeavailableforstudentsandteachersinadvanceofthefirstexamination.

Discussionsaretakingplaceontheformofexaminationthatwilldifferentiatemosteffectivelyforthewiderangeofabilityamongstudentstakinganexaminationthatwill,withtheexceptionofEnglish,IrishandMathematics,bebasedonacommonlevelsubjectspecification.Alloptionsandpossibilitiesarebeingconsidered,includingtheuseoftieredexaminationpapers,separatepapers,differentmarkingschemes,differentlystructuredquestions,andoptionalpartsoftheexam.

Theportfolio willbecompiledinlinewithspecifications generatedbythe NCCA/SEC.Thespecificationswillsetouttheassessmentmethodsthatcanbeused,thetypesofevidencethatcanbeincludedforagivensubject,shortcourseorPLU,andinformationonhowtheevidenceistobejudgedandsubmittedaspartoftherelevantqualification.Examplesofassessmentmaterialfortheportfolioandhowitistobepresentedwillalsobeavailable.Theassessmentmethodsandevidenceincludedintheportfolioislikelytovaryacrosssubjectsandshortcourses,reflectingtheirdifferentnatureandcontent.But,acrossthefullrangeofsubjectsandshortcourses,therangeofportfolioevidenceinvolvedislikelytoincludeassignments,projects,casestudies,performances,practicalactivitiesandtests/tasksofdifferentkinds.

So,inEnglishitmightincludeacollectionofcreativewritingandaninvestigationofthelanguageofsocialmedia.InScience,itcouldincludepracticalworkandinvestigations.Althoughtheterm‘portfolio’tendstobeassociatedwithaphysical,oftenpaper-basedartefact,itisusedheretodescribetheoutcomesoftheongoingactivityofgeneratingevidenceoflearningasmuchasacollectionofwork.Thatcollectionmay

bedigital,oradigitalcaptureofaprocess.Whileinitially,portfolioassessmentwillbeconnectedtoeachsubjectandshortcourse,thepossibilityforthesameportfoliotobecountedformorethanonesubjectmayariseasteachersandstudentsbecomemorefamiliarwiththeprocessovertime.Workproducedinthefirstyearofjuniorcycleisexcludedfromtheportfolio.Thisistofacilitateamuchneededfocusforsecondyearandforsecondyearstudents.

Inpreparationforexternalmoderationschoolswillreviewandverifytheportfolioassessmentprocess.Theywillbesupportedinthisactivitybyguidanceonhowtoorganisereviewandverificationsothataconsistentapproachtostandardisachievedwithineachsubject,usingtheexamplesofstudentworkprovided.Wherethereisonlyoneteacherofasubject,thiscanbedonebetweenschools.Resultsfromtheschoolswillbeprovisionalandsubjecttoexternalmoderationofthesubjectportfolio, conductedbytheSEConasamplebasisacrossanumberofschoolsannually.Thepurposeoftheprocesswillbetoensureconsistencyofstandardsacrossschoolsandfairnesstostudents.Itwillcontributetoassuringthequalityofschool-basedassessment.Finally,theSECwillcertifytheachievementsofstudents.

Allshortcourseswillbeassessedinternallyandwillbesubjecttoreviewandverificationatschoollevel.TheschoolwillissuetheresultstotheSECforinclusiononthecertificate.

Intheassessmentcomponentsrelatedtosubjectsandshortcourses,anapproachtogradingbroaderthanthecurrentA-NGsystemisenvisaged.Thesystemwillincludefivegradingpoints.

Introducing the assessment arrangements and qualifications AseparateImplementation Planisinpreparationaddressinghowthenewjuniorcyclewillbeintroducedandsupportedinallitsaspects.Here,particularattentionisgiventofeaturesrelevanttotheintroductionofchangeinassessmentandqualificationsandhowtheymightbeintroducedinschoolsandacrossthesystem.Theimportanceofthesechangesastheleverforallotherchangeatjuniorcyclecannotbeoverstated.Asdiscussedintheopeningsection,iftheexaminationdoesnotchange,nothingelsewill.

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september 2012: Preparing for a new junior cycle

From2012schoolswillstartplanningfortheintroductionoftheFramework for Junior Cyclein2014.IntheNCCA,workisalreadyunderwayonestablishingnetworksofschoolstosupportthepreparationofguidelinesonhowschoolscanplanfortheirjuniorcycleprogrammesinthisperiodbeforethenewFrameworkisintroduced.Ofnoteisthatanumberofschoolshavealreadyvolunteeredforparticipationinsuchanetwork.

Astartingpointforanewjuniorcycleinschools,andalead-intotheintroductionofthetwonewqualifications,couldbeadecisionbytheschooltoreducethenumberofsubjectsastudenttakesintheexistingJuniorCertificateexamination.Thisreductioncouldstartwiththosestudentswhocommencejuniorcyclein2012andsittheJuniorCertificateexaminationin2015.Thereductionwouldnotimplyanyrestrictiononwhatisstudiedaspartofthestudent’sjuniorcycleprogramme.

DuringtheperiodleadingtotheintroductionoftheFramework,studentlearningandachievementacrossallaspectsofthecurriculumwillcontinuetoberecordedandreported,includingthosesubjectsthatmaynotbetakenforexamination.NCCAwilldevelopReport Card Templatesinavarietyofformatsforusebyallschoolsinthiscontext.Attheendofjuniorcycle,aswellasthecertificateprovidedbySECofthegradesachievedintheJuniorCertificateexaminationstaken,studentscouldhaveareportoftheir

achievementacrossallareasandsubjectsoftheirjuniorcycleprogrammes,includingreporting,forthefirsttime,onliteracyandnumeracyinjuniorcycle.

september 2014: the new Junior Cycle commences

ItisenvisagedthatthenewJuniorCyclewillcommenceinallschoolsinSeptember2014,withthenewqualificationsavailableforthecompletionofjuniorcyclein2017.Theintroductionofrevisedspecificationsforsubjectswilltakeplaceonaphasedbasisfrom2014.Atthatpoint,thesubjectEnglish(andpossiblyArt,Craft,Design),willbeintroduced,followedeachschoolyearbyanumberofothersubjects.Thephasinginofsubjectsisintendedtosupportschools,teachersandtheeducationsysteminbecomingaccustomedtousingtheFramework for Junior Cycle andthechangedassessmentandqualificationsarrangementsandtoallowforthegenerationofmonitoringdatatosupportevaluationoftheimpactofthechangesastheyareintroduced.

2014–2017: the new assessment and qualifications arrangements are introduced

Themovetonewarrangementsforassessmentandqualificationsinthejuniorcyclewillcommencein2014intherelevantsubjects,shortcoursesandPLUs.Fromthatdate,therollingoutofsomeexternallymoderatedschool-basedassessmentinjuniorcyclewillcommence,withtheportfoliocomponentbeingassessedbyschoolsandtheexaminationbeingassessedexternally.

Table 4. Summary of Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle Curriculum Components

Curriculum component Assessment by weighting moderation

subjects Examination 60% ExternalbySEC

Portfolio 40% InternalbyschoolExternalmoderationbySEC

short Courses Portfolio 100% Internalbyschool

Priority learning units (Plus)

Portfolio 100% InternalbyschoolExternalmoderation

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Figure 3.The Timescale for Key Developments in Assessment and Qualifications

2012� ReportCardTemplatesavailableforusebyschools� SchoolcanopttoreducethenumberofJuniorCertsubjectstaken

2014� NewFramework for Junior Cycleintroduced� Phasedintroductionofsubjectscommences� Assessmentcombinesexternalandschool-basedelements

2017� Studentscompletenewjuniorcycle� Newqualificationsawardedforfirsttime

2014–2019� Datagatheringandreviewofassessmentarrangementscompletedbytheendofthisperiod

In2017,thefirstcohortofstudentswillcompletethenewjuniorcycleandgainthenewqualifications.

Asthefirstcohortsofstudentscompletethenewjuniorcycle,feedbackanddatawillbecollectedfromteachers,schoolsandtheeducationsystemontheprogress,impact,effectivenessandmanageabilityofthenewassessmentarrangements.Theevidenceemergingfromthisreviewwillinformanyfuturedevelopmentofassessmentatjuniorcycle.

In conclusionAssessmentinthenewjuniorcyclewillseethosedaily,classroomassessmentactivitiesalreadyfamiliartoteachersincreasinglymovecentrestageandbecomepartofawiderassessmentlandscapewherethefocusongenerating,gathering,judgingandreportingonevidenceoflearningwiththecloseinvolvementofstudents,teachers,schoolsandtherelevantnationalbodiesbringslearningatjuniorcycleandassessmentintocloserrelationship.

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5. Qualifications in Junior Cycle

Therewillbetwoqualificationsavailable,oneatLevel2andtheotheratLevel3oftheNationalFrameworkofQualifications(NFQ).TheywillbenationalqualificationsapprovedbytheDepartmentofEducationandSkills.TheirworkingtitlesaretheNationalCertificate of Junior Cycle Education (Level 2)andtheNational Certificate of Junior Cycle Education (Level 3).

How the two qualifications are describedThemainfeaturesofthetwoqualificationsarepresentedonthefollowingtablesthatsummarise:

� thecurriculumcomponents,andthenumberoftheminwhichastudentwillpresentevidenceoflearning

� whowilldecideanddescribethecurriculumcontentandassessmentarrangementsforthecomponents

� whatrolestheNCCA,theSECandtheschoolwillplayinsupportingandimplementingtheproposedassessmentandcertificationarrangements

� theproposedtimescalefortheintroductionofthequalificationinschools.

Thenewjuniorcyclequalificationswillbemorethanjustexaminations.Theywillbeattheserviceoftheschool’sjuniorcycleprogrammeandoflearning,notthedriverofit.Thiswillbeachieved,inpart,bythequalificationbeingsmallerinsizethantheJuniorCertificate:togainthequalificationstudentswillbeassessedinfewercurriculumcomponentsthanatpresent.Thiswillhelptocreatethespaceforrealflexibilityinthecurriculumchoicesschoolscanofferwithintheirprogrammeandwillcontributetoaddressingtheperceptionofcurriculumoverloadinthejuniorcycle.Withincreasedflexibilityandchoice,schoolsshouldbebetterplacedtocreatethespaceandtimeforfocusingonlearningintheclassroomandonliteracy,numeracyandkeyskills.

Forthesmallnumberofstudentswholeaveschoolafterjuniorcycle,thenewqualificationswillcontainimportantinformationforpotentialemployersandforaccesstotrainingandfurthereducation.Forthevastmajority,thequalificationsaredesignedtoserveandreflectthelearning,teachingandthejuniorcycleprogrammebeingfollowedbystudentsintheirschool.Tothisend,theywilldrawonevidenceoflearninggeneratedboththroughexternalexaminationsandbytheschool.Thequalificationswillbeunderpinnedbyprocessesandproceduressetouttoassuretheirquality,inlinewithgoodinternationalpracticeincountriessuchasScotland,NewZealand,Australiaandothers.

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innovation & identity 5. Qualifications in Junior Cycle

Table 5. An Overview of the National Certificate of Junior Cycle Education (Level 3)

key questions Curriculum Componentssubjects and short Courses

What components can be included in the qualification?

Allcurrentsubjects

AnyNCCAshortcourses

Anyschooldevelopedshortcourses

How many components make up the qualification?

Studentspresentevidenceoflearningin:

EightsubjectsORSevensubjectsandtwoshortcoursesORSixsubjectsandfourshortcourses

EvidenceoflearningmustbepresentedinthesubjectsEnglish,Irish2andMathematics.

What time should be allocated to the component on the school timetable?

Ingeneral,200hoursforeachsubjectand100hoursforeachshortcourse.

InEnglish,IrishandMathematicsthetimeallocationshouldbe240hours.

Who specifies the curriculum and assessment arrangements to be followed?

NCCAprovidesspecificationsforallsubjects.

TheschoolortheNCCAoranothersourceprovidesspecificationsforshortcourses.

NCCAwillalsoprovideguidelinesandtemplatestoassistschoolsindevelopingshortcourses.

What role will the SEC and NCCA play in assessment for the qualification?

Forsubjects,SEC/NCCAwillspecifytheassessmentarrangementsandprovideschoolswithsampleassessmentmaterialsforthecomponentsinvolved.

TheexaminationcomponentofsubjectswillbemarkedexternallybytheSEC.

TheportfoliocomponentofsubjectswillbesubjecttoexternalmoderationbytheSEC.

What role will schools play in assessment for the qualification?

Schoolswillcarryouttheassessmentoftheportfoliocomponentinsubjectsandshortcourses,issuetheresultstotheSEC,andparticipateinthemoderationprocess.

How will the components be graded?

Gradingofsubjects,NCCAshortcoursesandschooldevelopedshortcourseswillbeonthebasisoffivegradingpoints.

2 WhereastudenthasanexemptionfromIrish,evidenceoflearninginEnglishandMathematicsmustbepresented.

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Note that: TheSECwillbetheawardingbodyforthequalification.

Studentswillreceiveacertificatestatingtheirresultsinallcurriculumcomponentstaken.

Thenewjuniorcyclecurriculumspecificationsforsubjectsandshortcourseswillbeintroducedinschoolsonaphasedbasis.Becauseofthis,therewillbeaperiodwherestudentsreceivecertificatescontainingresultsinJuniorCertificatesubjectsaswellasresultsinsubjectsandshortcoursesforthenewjuniorcyclequalification.Thiswillhappenforthefirsttimein2017,forthosestudentswhostartjuniorcyclein2014.

Background to the National Certificate of Junior Cycle Education (Level 2)TheLevel2Certificateisdesignedtosupportpost-primaryschoolsandspecialschoolsindevelopingprogrammestomeetthespecificlearningneedsofagroupofstudentswhoareparticipatinginjuniorcycle,butareusuallyunabletoachievethelearningoutcomesinvolvedinsubjectsleadingtotheJuniorCertificateexamination.Thestudentsinquestionhavelearningdifficultiesfromthelowerfunctioningmildtohigherfunctioningmoderatecategoriesofgenerallearningdisability.Assuch,theyaresmallinnumberandrepresentthetargetgroupforthisqualification.Atpresenttheyparticipateinarangeofsettings:inmixed-abilityclassesandspecialclassesinpost-primaryschools,andinvarioustypesofclassesandgroupsinspecialschools.TheLevel2qualificationisdesignedforthistargetgroup,sothattheirlearningachievementsinjuniorcyclearefullyrecognised.Itisaqualificationthatwillbetakenonanexceptionalbasis.

StudentsworkingtowardsthisqualificationwillhavecompletedLevel2LearningProgrammes.Therearetwocurriculumcomponentsthatarecentraltotheseprogrammes–PriorityLearningUnits(PLUs)andshortcourses.ThefivePLUshavebeenoutlinedearlierintheFramework.Schoolsandstudentscanalsoincludeevidenceoflearningintwoshortcoursesaspartofthequalification.TheshortcourseswillbesimilarintypetothoseatLevel3:theywillbedevelopedbyschoolsandtheNCCAwhilesomecouldalsobesourcedfromoutsidetheschool.AswithPLUs,thecontentofshortcourseswillbealignedwiththelearningindicatorsatLevel2oftheNationalFrameworkofQualifications.

ThisdoesnotmeanthatstudentsfollowingaprogrammeleadingtotheLevel2CertificatearecompletelyconfinedtolearningassociatedwithLevel2.ManywillbeinclassroomswherelearningleadingtotheLevel3qualificationwillbetakingplace.Whereitissuitableforthestudentinvolved,she/hecouldtakeasubjectorshortcourseatLevel3andalsoreceiveacertificateatthatlevel.

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innovation & identity 5. Qualifications in Junior Cycle

Table 6. An Overview of the National Certificate of Junior Cycle Education (Level 2)

key questions Curriculum ComponentsPriority learning units and short Courses

What components can be included in the qualification?

PriorityLearningUnits

� Communicatingandliteracy� Numeracy� Personalcare� Livinginacommunity� Preparingforworkinglife

AnyNCCAorschooldevelopedshortcourses

How many components make up the qualification?

Studentspresentevidenceoflearningin

AllelementsofallfivePLUsANDTwoshortcourses

What time should be allocated to the component on the school timetable?

Approximately250hoursforeachPLUand100hoursforeachshortcourse.

Who specifies the curriculum and assessment arrangements to be followed?

TheNCCAwillprovidespecificationsforthePLUsandguidelinesintheformofaToolkitfortheiruseinschools.

TheschoolortheNCCAoranothersourcewillprovidespecificationsforshortcourses.

NCCAwillalsoprovideguidelinesandtemplatestoassistschoolsindevelopingshortcourses.

What role will the NCCA play in assessment for the qualification?

TheNCCA,throughtheToolkit,willprovideschoolswithsampleassessmentmaterialsforthePLUs.

TheNCCA,throughsampleshortcourses,willalsoprovideschoolswithsampleassessmentmaterialsforshortcourses.

What role will schools play in assessment for the qualification?

SchoolswillcarryouttheassessmentsandissuetheresultsforallcurriculumcomponentstothebodyresponsibleforawardingtheCertificate.

Theywillalsoparticipateinanymoderationprocessputinplace.

How will the components be graded?

GradingrelatedtothePLUswillbeonthebasisofSuccessfulorReferral3.

Gradingofshortcourseswillbeasdeterminedbytheschoolorothersourceoftheshortcourse.

3 ThegradeSuccessfulindicatesthatthestudenthaspassed.ThegradeReferralindicatesthatthestudentneedstoaddresstheoutcomestheywereunsuccessfulinandre-presentevidenceoflearningrelatedtotheseoutcomes.

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Note that: Theawardingbodyforthequalificationhasyettobedecided.ThedecisionwillbetakeninconsultationwiththenewQualificationsandQualityAuthorityofIreland(QQAI),whichisthebodyemergingfromtheproposedamalgamationoftheagencies–NQAI,FETAC,HETACandtheIUQB.

Studentswillreceiveacertificatestatingtheirresultsinallcurriculumcomponentstaken.

Thequalificationwillbeawardedforthefirsttimein2017forstudentsfromthetargetgroupinquestion,whostartedtheirjuniorcyclein2014.

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innovation & identity 6. References

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November 2011