New curriculum - State fails to make grade in science
A total of 4,500 extra pupils did science in the Junior Certificate this year, but there are already some disturbing indications.
Most of those students sat the higher-level paper, but a mere 10% scored an A, compared with one in seven under the old syllabus. The drop in standard is partly explained by the increased number.
Business and state agencies have been campaigning to get more people to take science and technology courses at third level in order to increase the chances of investment to boost the national economy. The latest figures from the Central Applications Office showed a drop in students choosing science degrees as their first preference for third-level courses this year.
The obvious place to start is to interest students at secondary level. The science syllabus was revised in 2003 to encourage more young people to take subjects like physics and chemistry for both the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate. Of course, the arguments for students to study such subjects must be based on more than national economic considerations.
While the overall results of the 57,000 pupils who sat the Junior Certificate are generally in line with previous years, problems have again arisen with the results in science. Particularly disturbing was the failure of 1,260 of the 49,742 candidates to claim credit for course work during the year for which candidates can get up to 10% of the total marks in the subject.
Nearly 900 of those students were ordinary level but more than a quarter of them were sitting the higher-level paper. Students who failed to claim coursework credit came from more than a third of the 740 schools, so it is a widespread phenomenon.
Last year was the first year in which the examination was based on the new curriculum. The same deficiency was recognised at that time, when 1,300 students failed to claim credit for course work.
The more than 250 schools involved will be notified, and a small percentage of the students could have their results upgraded. Questions must be asked, however, about why so many candidates failed to submit course work. The failure undoubtedly had a negative impact on the overall grades in science.
In this aspect the system is obviously falling down. The 2002 report of the taskforce on physical sciences recommended the appointment of lab technicians in schools, but nothing has been done about this recommendation.
Following last year’s results the State Examinations Commission introduced changes designed to assist students in answering questions. As a result the number of ordinary level science students getting As increased by 7% to 79%, and the number failing the exam dropped 1% to 5%.
The first real indication of the impact of the new syllabus should become apparent early in the new year when the figures are announced relating to the number of students choosing to take science as a Leaving Certificate subject in next year’s examination.
The interim indications would seem to suggest, however, that not enough has been done.
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