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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 3. Learning in the Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 3. Learning in the Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 3. Learning in the Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 3. Learning in the Junior Cycle
� 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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 4. Assessment and Evidence of Learning in Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity 4. Assessment and Evidence of Learning in Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
Note that: Theawardingbodyforthequalificationhasyettobedecided.ThedecisionwillbetakeninconsultationwiththenewQualificationsandQualityAuthorityofIreland(QQAI),whichisthebodyemergingfromtheproposedamalgamationoftheagencies–NQAI,FETAC,HETACandtheIUQB.
Studentswillreceiveacertificatestatingtheirresultsinallcurriculumcomponentstaken.
Thequalificationwillbeawardedforthefirsttimein2017forstudentsfromthetargetgroupinquestion,whostartedtheirjuniorcyclein2014.
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innovation & identity Schools developing Junior Cycle
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November 2011