Teachers will take their Junior Cert campaign to parents
As a number of motions were passed opposing his proposal that they mark their own students for the new Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA), delegates at the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) spoke of the need to get their message to parents.
The first changes will affect students starting second-level next September, who Mr Quinn wants teachers to assess on course work for the first time in summer 2016, although the final exam a year later would be corrected for now by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). But ASTI and Teachers’ Union of Ireland members are refusing to do any assessment for the JCSA, but more immediately to do any training or planning for the new system.
Noelle Moran of ASTI’s Tuam branch said the message needs to be conveyed to parents that it is an education issue, and not just an industrial relations row for teachers.
The convention directed the union to begin a public and media campaign to inform parents of the issues and consequences of the JCSA, but particularly on the assessment issue and short courses which would form part of the school-certified award.
The pressures that teachers fear they will face from parents over how they mark their students is a significant concern. Many speakers said the only way to guarantee fairness and the same standards in all schools is to have the mark continue to be done by the SEC.
Beth Cooney from Nenagh said she was insulted by Mr Quinn’s assertion that nothing else will change unless assessment does first.
Dublin South delegate Robbie Cronin, the union’s main subject representative for Irish, said non-permanent and other vulnerable teachers are already being singled out by ASTI-member principals to assess their own students for an optional Junior Certificate oral Irish test.
The union’s general secretary Pat King said it is made clear to schools and principals that, under ASTI directives, teachers should not mark their own students for these or any other State exams, and schools should not use any ad-hoc arrangements like bringing in teachers from other schools to test students.
