Junior Cert students given deadline over English exam
The new deadlines will be used if the Association and Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) accepts pay and junior cycle reform proposals, but the union’s leadership is recommending the 17,500 members reject them in voting later this month.
Schools have been sent the revised dates for completing various elements of the new assessments in English, the first subject in which the reforms have taken effect.
Students whose teachers are members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland should already have completed their assessment tasks in early December.
This task will be worth 10% of Junior Certificate marks in English and will be marked at the same time as each student’s written exam that will be taken in June.
The task is based on one of two classroom-based assessments which forms part of the reformed junior cycle.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has told principals and teachers that March 24 will be the latest date for students to submit work for the second classroom-based assessments.
April 24 to April 28 has now been set as the window in which those who have not already done the assessment task can do so.
All the arrangements are contingent on acceptance of the proposals that emerged from talks at the Teachers’ Conciliation Council in November.
As well as junior cycle reform, the proposal document clarifies details of improved pay and conditions on offer, including revised salary scales and quicker access to secure contracts that was agreed for more recently-qualified teachers between the department and other unions in September.
The ASTI’s industrial action saw a number of one-day strikes last term.
It was deferred when the conciliation talks began after just one day of indefinite closures at over 400 schools when the union had separately banned members undertaking supervision and substitution work.
