If you're 15 and about to sit your Junior Cert, you're unlikely to take much interest in the fine print of media reports on education. That's just as well, perhaps, during your junior-cycle years. Worse still, some of the more interesting parts of the curriculum - experimental science for example - may be closed off to you because there is currently no way way of assessing the work.
All you're faced with is a big-bang exam at the end of your third year. All the signs are that the issue of school-based assessment is about as intractable as the Peace Process. It's been with us since the new Junior Cert was introduced back in The new Junior Cert curriculum was developed for all the best reasons.
It was designed as a single programme to replace the Intermediate and Day Vocational or Group certificates. Its aim was to provide a student-centred, broad and balanced curriculum leading to certification, awarded on the basis of a wide range of modes of assessment. As well as written terminal exams, students were to be assessed by means of oral and aural exams, project and practical work. It is widely accepted that written exams have a narrow focus and favour only a section of the school-going population.
Indeed, they may even prevent many youngsters from displaying their knowledge, expertise, aptitudes and understanding. Written exams, too, can contribute to the drop-out rate. They deter some youngsters, give them a sense of failure and put them off school completely. When teachers refused to co-operate with school-based assessment, the Junior Cert exams went ahead for the first time in as largely written exams only, although some schools have managed to implement school-based assessment in some instances.
But if school-based assessment is such an anathema to teachers, why not opt for external assessment? According to the Department of Education and Science, the situation regarding examiners is becoming untenable. Two-thirds of the State's 20, second-level teachers are already involved one way or another in the running of the exams. Already, the examining of orals, practicals and projects during the school year, puts a huge strain on schools.
The Leaving and Junior Cert exams, for example, required the withdrawal of some 2, teachers from their schools for oral, practical and project work.
The integrity of time in school for the full curriculum is threatened by the assessment of those subjects in the Junior Certificate examinations and Leaving Cert exams which currently feature forms of assessment other than written terminal examination papers.
The document proposes the establishment of a pilot project to explore possible future directions for assessment at junior cycle. One strand would focus on formative continuous assessment by teachers, for which they would be given guidelines by the NCCA. A second strand would examine the way in which a range of external assessment methods could be introduced with minimal disruption for schools.
A third strand would explore how school-based assessment might be made available. It's not all the hype everyone gives it I've seen a lot of students on Studyclix really let the Junior Cert get on top of them and let stress levels take over completely. You won't even remember it soon I know it might seem like the most important thing in your life right now, but I promise you it's not.
It's not the end of the world if it doesn't go well Although many make it out to be one of the biggest events in your life, it's not. Eimear and the Studyclix Team. Share this post. Latest Posts. In each episode, Peter zones in on specific aspects of the play and gives detailed instr Taking your own notes can not only help ease the studying process, but the act of writing them is also an effective study method in itself!
There are lots of many ways that you can take notes, and there are definitely good and bad ways of going about it. In this episode of The Studyclix Podcast, Eimear and Nessa talk through the various different tips they hav We're one month into the school year now and chances are the "fresh-start" motivation you had in the first few weeks is wearing off now Eimear and Nessa are all too familiar with that feeling of starting strong in a new school year and losing that momentum as the weeks go on and the exams still seem far away.
But they've been through it all and working Students may also access results online from 4pm on the State Examinations Commission website examinations. The delay has been due to the need to prioritise the provision of Leaving Cert results three weeks earlier than normal this year, as well as an unprecedented volume of rechecks.
A breakdown of grades shows a pattern of achievement that is broadly similar to last year. Notwithstanding this, there is likely to be concern among educators and policy-makers over relatively high fail rates in higher level history and ordinary level languages. The proportion of students scoring at or below an E grade ranged between per cent in ordinary level French, German and Spanish, significantly higher than most other subjects. In ordinary level maths, a relatively high proportion — 6 per cent or more than 1, candidates — failed the exam.
English, science and business studies are marked under a new assessment and grading system which will be extended to other subjects over the coming years. The introduction of junior cycle reforms means results for these subjects under the old grade format of As, Bs and Cs has been ended. In another change, both science and business studies were sat this year at a new common level, with no higher or ordinary level exam.
Next year, French, German, Spanish and Italian will also be examined at the new common level. This is the final year that exams for these subjects have been sat at higher and ordinary levels. The first is aimed at students learning through the medium of Irish, while the second is aimed at those in English-medium schools. The overall numbers sitting the Junior Cert exam this year - 64, - is a 3 per cent increase on last year. Minister for Education Joe McHugh congratulated students and highlighted the benefits the reformed junior cycle brought to education.
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Junior Cert results out Friday show high failure rate in higher level history More than 64, students due to receive results, almost a month later than scheduled Fri, Oct 4, , Carl O'Brien Education Editor.
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