Teachers back review of junior cycle before further Leaving Certificate reforms

ASTI president Ann Piggott. Picture: Dave Cullen

The externally-assessed Leaving Certificate has high levels of public trust and is essential for the maintenance of high educational standards, the president of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) has said.

Addressing members at the union’s annual Easter conference, Ann Piggott said any future changes to the senior cycle must enhance what is currently working well, while also addressing problems.

Ms Piggot acknowledged one such problem was the role the Leaving Certificate serves in providing points for access to higher education.

“We need to develop an entry model to higher education which does not rely exclusively on the Leaving Cert,” she said.

Ms Piggott said it was 'heartening' to hear that many students this year have signed up to sit the Leaving Certificate exams.

The accredited grades model, previously known as calculated grades, is not an option favoured by the union, Ms Piggott added, "and we would only have liked to see it used as a last option contingency". 

Prior to the president's address, ASTI members passed a motion demanding “a full and comprehensive” review of the implementation of the junior cycle framework be undertaken and published by an independent educational body prior to any further changes being proposed or implemented at Leaving Certificate level.

ASTI member John Conneely, science teacher at St. Flannans, Ennis, Co Clare. Picture: John Kelly

Teachers also backed a motion calling for “depth of treatment and range of subject knowledge” to be included in the design template of all future Leaving Certificate subject specifications, including those currently under development.

The motion was proposed by John Conneely, a physics teacher from St Flannan’s College in Ennis, Co Clare.

Mr Conneely said: “For a Leaving Certificate syllabus design to conform to international best practice, it should contain considerable detail on the topics to be studied, depth of treatment of these topics, and subject specific details such as lab practice work, fieldwork, or practical skills.” 

“It should also contain guidance for teachers and pupils to ensure that the syllabus is implemented effectively in the classroom as well as information on how it will be assessed.” 

Pointing to a 2014 report by educationalist Professor Áine Hyland of University College Cork on the design of Leaving Certificate science syllabi and its international comparatives, Mr Conneely said Ms Hyland had “not come across any centralised or public examination syllabus at this level which provides only a list of topics and learning outcomes”.

The approach being adopted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment does not sufficiently detail how deeply to go into a topic or what areas to cover, it was argued.

Mr Conneely quoted an agricultural science teacher as saying he didn’t know whether he should be spending “two months, two weeks, two days or two hours” on a topic.

“How can teachers, students, and parents have confidence in a type of syllabus that doesn't work, and hasn't been tried anywhere else? A syllabus that will inevitably be vague and dumbed down?” he asked.

“There’s no evidence to support what we’re doing.” 

A recent survey by the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers’ Association found just 0.4% of teachers rated the clarity of the learning outcomes within the new specification as “very clear”.