Information on New Junior Cycleswordscc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Information-on...ESRI Research...
Transcript of Information on New Junior Cycleswordscc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Information-on...ESRI Research...
Information Evening New Junior Cycle Assessment and ReportingSwords Community College11th November 2019
Contents of this Presentation
• Why change is needed in Junior Cycle• What will be different?• Curriculum and Assessment• Reporting
Why Change?ESRI Research• Many students are turned off learning in
Junior Cert• The JC exam is the dominant feature of
teaching and learning in many Irish Classrooms• The world has changed• There is a narrow range of assessment
activity – lots of tests!
What is the purpose of education in the new Junior Cycle?• Help students become better learners
and develop a love of learning.• Provide a solid foundation for further
study.• To develop skills for learning and life.• To support learning through improved
reporting to both students and parents.
A Changing Culture of Assessment• Assessment in reporting of learning• Assessment focused on offering
effective feedback• Greater variety of assessment activity –
“fit for purpose” and relevant to students• Teachers talking to teachers about
assessment • Building capacity, knowledge and
confidence in assessment, in schools
Subject Implementation
Furthermore:• Other areas of
learning can be reported on
• Schools can offer Level 2 Learning Programmes (L2LPs)
• Schools can offer shortcourses
Your child is already involved in…• Reviewing feedback and identifying what
they have done well• Identifying what to do next• Setting and achieving personal goals• Redrafting and correcting their own work• Giving feedback to others• Considering examples of work and
identifying how they can improve on their own work
Structure of Assessment in the New Junior CycleAll new courses incorporate three elements (two of which are new) to the assessment of students:1. Classroom Based Assessment
(CBAs)2. Assessment Tasks (ATs)3. Final Assessment (FA)
One Subject’s Journey
Assessment Subjects
Exams will be set, held and marked by the State Examinations Commission in June of 3rd Year
• English, Irish and Maths specified at Higher and Ordinary Levels• All other subjects at a Common Level• Duration of 2 hours or less
Changes in Student Assessment
Each subject has 2 CBAs -
one in 2nd Year, one
before Christmas in
3rd yearShort
Courses have 1 CBA
only
Each CBA will be
followed by a Subject Learning
and Review (SLAR)
Meeting.
The results of the CBAs
will be communicat
ed to students
and parents and a
record kept in the
school.
The results that are
communicated to the
students will be
formative, giving clear outline of
how improvemen
ts can be made
The CBA in 3rd
year will be
followed by an
Assessment Task which sill
be forwarded to the State
Exams Commis
sion (SEC) in
June
The students will receive the results
of the terminal exam (which
includes the AT)in mid-September from the SEC
Classroom Based Assessment
• CBAs provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning and skills in ways not possible in a pen and paper examination, for example, their verbal communication and investigation skills
• CBAS will be undertaken in subjects in the new Junior Cycle including short courses and will be facilitated by the classroom teacher
When will the CBAs be held and what is involved?
CBAs will be undertaken
during a defined
period within normal class contact time
and to a national
timetable.
Students will complete
one CBA in Second Year and one in Third Year.
Students complete
assignments under the
guidance of their subject
teacher.
How are CBAs assessed?The students CBAs are assessed by their teachers using a nationally agreed marking system designed by the National
Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) – called Features of Quality
The CBAs will be reported on in the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) using the following descriptors:• Exceptional• Above Expectations• In Line with Expectations• Yet to Meet Expectations
Assessment Task
• Once the CBA2 is completed, students in 3rd Year will complete a written Assessment Task
• The Assessment Task is based on the student’s CBA and will involve the student completing the written Assessment Task in an exam style booklet
• These assessment tasks will be completed in line with a nationally agreed schedule
• The Assessment Task, set by the NCCA, is undertaken during normal class time and will be sent to the State Examnations Commission (SEC) for marking
• The Assessment Task is worth 10% of the students overall result.
Assessment – Short Courses• One Classroom-Based Assessment
in each Short Course• School reports to parents and
students• All assessment in Short Courses is
school-based
Other Areas of Learning
• The school has flexibility to report on other learning experiences/events that the student has participated in outside the formal timetabled curriculum such as;
• Engagement with co-curricular or extra-curricular activities such as science competition, school’s sporting activities or debating.
• Specific learning opportunities that do not for part of subjects or short courses, i.e; leadership training, activities relating to guidance, membership of school clubs or societies; membership of school’s student council.
• Engagements that form part of the formal timetabled curriculum but not reported on in other sections of the JCPA i.e; engagement with elements of the PE, SPHE, religious education or CSPE programmes.
Grades• Distinction 90-100%
• Higher Merit 75-89%
• Merit 55-74%
• Achieved 40 -54%
• Partially Achieved 20-39%
• Not Graded Less than 20%
• Parents should note that the grading system for new subject specifications on the new Junior Cycle course will change.• Instead of A,B,C, D, E,F
and NG the following will be used.
Student Assessment
In Sept/Oct/Nov, the school will upload the data it holds on each of the students through
the Post-Primary Online Database
Other Areas of LearningPriority learning Units, if anyShort CoursesEach CBA
This data will be added to the SEC results and a final cert –
Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) will issue
to the student by Christmas
Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA)
SEC ResultsCBA Results
Other Areas of LearningWellbeing from 2020
Ensuring Quality
• Schools will organise ‘Subject Learning Assessment Review’ meetings• Teachers will compare their
assessment of students’ work and ensure a common approach across the school• CPD will be provided for teachers to
ensure that the CBAs align to a national standard