Continuous assessment needs more teachers

I am concerned about the proposals to abolish the Junior Certificate exam and to introduce continuous assessment in our second-level schools.

First, the Junior Certificate provides students with their only opportunity to experience the “high stakes” intensity of the Leaving Certificate at first hand. This intensity is not adequately replicated by ‘mock exams’. Until such time as the Leaving Certificate is substantially revised, I believe that it would be unwise and unfair to deprive students of the chance to sit the Junior Certificate.

Second, I am concerned that the resource implications of the proposed introduction of continuous assessment at second level have not been fully thought through. Continuous assessment is widespread in the Institutes of Technology and a large amount of time and effort is devoted to it. My personal experience suggests that approximately 25% of a lecturer’s workload is devoted to continuous assessment. It would be impossible to fit in an additional 25% workload on top of seconday teachers’ existing duties. The proposed introduction of continuous assessment up to Junior Certificate level would therefore require a reduction of about 20% in class contact hours for teachers and the consequent employment of an additional 12 000 teachers across Ireland.