Junior Cert Change Raise Concerns  –

 

Dublin South West representative Seán Crowe TD has expressed a cautious welcome to some of the measures announced  in proposals to reform the Junior Certificate Examination but  has expressed huge concerns that teachers and schools will now be expected to assess their own students’ work

Deputy Seán Crowe said:
“The worrying fall in literacy and numeracy standards in recent years can be partly  attributed to the Junior Certificate and there is a general consensus that this 20-year-old exam needs to be reformed.

“Education Minister Ruairí Quinn is implementing radical changes to an exam that traditionally was of key importance to young people during their first four years at secondary school.

“I support the concept of providing a system where  there is less emphasis on learning by rote and greater importance placed on a student having to think and work out problems with continual assessment throughout their school years.

“ The new revised Junior Certificate exam syllabuses are to be drawn up by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and will combine traditional subjects with a number of short courses in areas such as digital media, entrepreneurship, sustainable energy and living and are to include for the first time the Chinese language and culture.

“Many of these proposed changes have the potential to create an educational environment where  future generations of young people leaving Irish schools are better equipped to meet the demands of an evolving workplace and the Global Market.
Any talk of reform  will  be rendered meaningless unless our education system is properly resourced and this includes ensuring there are incentives for the most capable graduates to enter new careers.
“Moves to introduce standardised tests in numeracy and English reading in second year, from 2014, also have the potential to improve literacy and numeracy standards that are so essential achieving an individual’s academic potential.

“I also welcome the proposals to have in place standardised tests in science related subjects, but this must be accompanied by changes in how science is taught at primary level which currently averages at a pityful one and half hours per week, well below the OECD average.

“One of the biggest concerned around these reform relates to the plans to have teachers assessing their own students’ work. This is likely to place schools and  teachers in a very difficult position both in terms of their increased work load, the time they have to teach and problems with objectivity when assessing their own student’s work.
This may well end  what is for students, parents and teachers a credible, independent, objective and fair examination and certification system”.

“There will also be the added burden and pressure from parents, particularly those who have unrealistic expectations of their own children and it is an aspect of the reform proposals for the Junior Certificate that needs more careful consideration.

“Another issue that we will be looking at is the future status of history and geography and how they will be affected should the number of core subjects within the Junior Cert be reduced.

“I believe it would be a retrograde step to downgrade either of these subjects as they are a vital part of the school curriculum.
“These proposed changes would als appear to abolishing the Junior Certificate as we know it and will introduce a system where the student recieves the Certificate signed and sealed off from the local school of the student rather than a State Certificate.
“This will proposal in my opinion will undermine the quality of the Certificate, create problems for potential employers and may well reduce the standing of the Certificate Internationally.

“The Junior Cert is seen as having a high status by students, parents and teachers. It is this ‘high status’ which provides a focus for student motivation, learning and achievement at Junior Cycle level”.