Teachers fear changes to the Junior Certificate will undermine standards

Secondary school teachers fear planned changes to the Junior Certificate could damage educational standards and break down trust between students and parents.

They have particular concerns about more school-based assessments and the potential for new short courses to advantage students at schools with more resources.

In a report of feedback from 320 of the 520 schools where its members work, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said there are also concerns the timeframe for changing the three-year junior cycle is inadequate.

Under plans unveiled by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn last October, schools will teach students starting second-level from 2014 a new English course, with other subjects being rolled out in later years. There will no longer be centrally-marked exams, with continuous assessment and the final exams to be marked and certified by schools themselves.

A major element is the freedom for students to take two half-year short courses in a place of a core subject, and there will be an upper limit of 10 subjects in which students can be certified.

The ASTI consultation found a positive response about the potential to improve learning outcomes, with a new qualification for students with special educational needs, and scope for greater use of technology in classes and assessment.

However, Gerry Breslin, ASTI president, said there was anger at significant departures from advice given to Mr Quinn by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

“Teachers are resoundingly stating that the minister’s plan to remove the state exam and state qualification at junior cycle is a retrograde step that is fundamentally unfair to students and threatens to lower standards.”

They are concerned a move to entirely school- based assessment and the marking of their own students’ work will be seen as unfair by some students and parents. “Perceptions of favouritism could quickly emerge, leading to an erosion of trust in the assessment process itself,” said the ASTI report.

The Department of Education said Mr Quinn’s plans went beyond NCCA advice on assessment, as evidence repeatedly shows that, unless the exam changes, nothing else will.

A spokesperson said 90% of Junior Certificate students now went on to senior cycle, and treating it as a high-stakes exam had negatively affected teaching and learning.

About €10m a year will be provided for reform of the curriculum as well as teacher training, and the department said the eight- year period in which the changes are being phased in will reflect the system’s capacity to change.