Positive response to exam proposals

TEACHERS and students have responded positively to a proposal to break up the Leaving Certificate exams into two sittings with some papers, practicals or project work taken earlier in the year.

The changes would not affect students about to enter Leaving Cert cycle, however, as it is likely to take several years to work out the practical arrangements.

The proposal came to light yesterday in a letter sent by Education Minister Mary Hanafin to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in response to a masterplan the Council submitted last April for wide-ranging reform of senior cycle subjects, curriculums and examinations.

Ms Hanafin asked the NCCA to carry out further research on possible changes to subjects and curriculums, especially around the idea of running multiple short courses on diverse subjects such as drama, enterprise and social studies while maintaining the traditional two-year courses on core subjects like English, Irish, maths and science.

She also gave particularly strong backing to the idea of reducing the emphasis of the intensive period of testing represented by the current Leaving Cert exam.

That could involve setting one paper of two-paper subjects like maths and English earlier in the year, deliberately breaking up one-paper subjects into two parts or giving greater emphasis to practicals or project work.

In her letter she said: “This would have the benefit of reducing the stressful impact on students of a single high stakes terminal examination.” She added yesterday that she could see a system where students could compete for anything up to 50% of their total marks before the main Leaving Cert exams.

The Minister’s response appears to have finally and firmly laid to rest the idea of using continuous assessment to ease the pressure in June. In her letter she said: “Issues arise such as the need to protect against practices such as plagiarism and inappropriate outside help.”

The largest secondary teachers union, ASTI, welcomed the proposals.

“We’re very well aware of the pressures felt by students every June when they come to do the Leaving Cert. We are very interested in any reforms that aim to diminish the one-off element,” spokeswoman Gemma Tuffy said.

The Union of Secondary Students also reacted positively.

“For a long time we have been saying that having one exam with everything dependent on whether it goes well or not puts too much stress on young people,” said president Hazel Nolan.

The NCCA will set out an action plan in the autumn detailing how it intends implementing the proposed changes.

Deputy chief executive John Hammond, said: “This does signal a point of departure in terms of the NCCA getting down to some serious work in relation to deciding the future shape of the senior cycle.”

Ms Hanafin rejected the NCCA’s proposals to integrate Transition Year into a three-year senior cycle with standardised “transition units” comprising taught and practical subjects which would count towards the overall Leaving Cert result.