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ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT MODELS were discussed by various stakeholders at a meeting about the holding of Leaving Cert examinations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A sixth meeting was hosted by the Department of Education and Skills today with a range of stakeholders including representatives of students, parents, teachers, the State Examinations Commission, the National Educational Psychological Service and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh, also attended the meeting, and representatives from the Higher Education Authority attended in an observer capacity.
In a statement released after the meeting, a department spokesperson said the advisory group “continued its discussions on the practicalities of holding the Leaving Certificate examinations, given the constraints of social distancing and other measures that may be required, based on the available medical advice”.
The group also discussed alternative assessment models, and received updates on the measures that have been put in place to support students’ wellbeing.
Practical exams
Speaking after the meeting, McHugh thanked stakeholders for “their ongoing engagement and support for the work on hand”.
“Discussions here today will assist in making decisions regarding arrangements for the Leaving Certificate that have students’ best interests at heart and that are guided at all times by the public health advice,” McHugh said.
Last month, McHugh said that 29 July was the most likely date by which the Leaving Cert exams would start.
Oral exams, which are usually held before Easter, were cancelled and students were awarded full marks. Some practical examinations, like the music practical, were also awarded full marks.
Other practical exams may still take place in subjects such as Art, Agricultural Science, Engineering, and Construction.
However, teachers have previously warned that it may not be feasible to hold such exams due to the revised timetable.
Majority of students in favour of cancellation
A second online survey by the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU), conducted between 1 and 5 May, has indicated that the majority of students are still in favour of the cancellation of exams.
Almost 24,000 final year examination students participated in the survey, and almost 79% of respondents were in favour of cancellation of exams, wanting a predicted grading model to be used instead.
This represents a 20-point shift towards cancellation in comparison to a previous ISSU survey, conducted between 26 March and 1 April. In this survey, just 49% of students chose cancellation as a first preference, which increased to 58% when June exams were ruled out.
Just 15% of students are in favour of the current proposal of starting exams on 29 July, according to the survey.
The ISSU previously came out against this decision, due to “the lack of clarity around projects and practicals, issues related to the digital divide, and a lack of welfare support available for students”.
In a statement released today, the ISSU said it is “clear that the predicted grading model needs to be developed, but it must ensure fairness and equity”.
Ciara Fanning, ISSU president, said students are “engaging with other stakeholders to help to bring much needed clarity to this unprecedented situation”.
“Now is not the time for tradition, we need cohesive innovation amongst all stakeholders – this is not a political issue.
“We are particularly concerned about the mental health and anxiety issues brought to our attention by students in overwhelming numbers and seek to actively engage with the department and other stakeholders to work together in unity for more palatable clarity for all and explore all possible contingencies for the class of 2020,” Fanning said.
The survey size represents a sample of almost 39% of all Leaving Cert students. Students following both the traditional Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied were included in the survey.
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Gay prods marrying Gay Catholics, Paisley just turned in his grave .
Peter Robinson will have another heart attack
Eating too much cake?
Mrs. Robinson playing away again?!!?
Well done, Belfast!
Good for them. Having a situation where your marriage can be legal in one part of the country and not in another part is lunacy.
It can be beneficial for Northern Ireland to plough its own furrow at times, compared to the rest of the UK. Not in this case though.
Orange is the new pink.
Should be noted that it was 2 members of the SDLP that abstained, a third of their Councillors…
SDLP is divided to the core on this issue.
start of many countries following Ireland
The disputed territory “Northern Ireland” isn’t a country
Eh, sorry john but Northern Ireland is a country, regardless of the perceived political status prescribed by you. It’s not an independent sovereign state but Mick didn’t say it was.
So return those green thumbs to their owners post haste; eh, you can probably keep the red ones.
My understanding of language is that it functions using objectively verifiable rules of semantics that are entirely independent from the number of green or red thumbs a post receives on the journal.
“England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not themselves listed in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) list of countries. However the ISO list of the subdivisions of the UK, compiled by British Standards and the UK’s Office for National Statistics, uses “country” to describe England, Scotland and Wales.[3] Northern Ireland, in contrast, is described as a “PROVINCE” in the same lists”
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_3166-2_newsletter_ii-3_2011-12-13.pdf
But it’s not really a province though is it? Ulster is a province. Otherwise we need to give them back Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. I do accept that it’s typical for people to call it a province, a country and a region and that ambiguity is understandable given it’s unique status.
I know it’s complex mate, language is quiet difficult and can confuse mere mortals, but given it’s distinct geography, political status and the everyday use of this term to describe it, Northern Ireland is a country more than it is a “disputed territory”; I didn’t sign the good friday agreement but I know that much.
Carmo, your post was inaccurate. Just accept that you were wrong and move on. Northern Ireland is not a country.
@carmo. Northern Ireland is not a country. You cannot get an ni passport. It doesn’t offer consular services. Residents have a choice of passports – Irish or British
What is it then?
Give them back cavan, donegal and monaghan? Its more a case of us getting back the six counties.
They can have Cavan.
Monaghan too.
We’ll keep Donegal though.
Oh no, the Westboro Baptist Church are going to kick off again.
We were promised that if we voted yes this would stop. For the love of god will it ever end?!
Careful now, your stupidity is shining through.
The beatings will continue until gay rights improve.
For the love of God would people who are not interested in gay related articles please stop reading them or you will be forced to right a complaint about it in the comments.
Where is the Save Ulster from Sodomy campaign?
It attracted some fine Christians like Big Ian.
Oh, right.
It went the way of the Dinosaurs.
Ah here! It’s unfair to lump the dinosaurs in with the bigots.
But where’s big roaring Ian now? Slowly but surely turning to dust
Nonsense click bait headline, everyone knows popolous seeking Sinn Fein and left wing alliance control Belfast city council (hence the flag fiasco) , it will be defeated in Stormont.
Not everyone wants to implement neo-liberal idealology
You view equality as neo-liberalism?!? Yeah, you probably do, actually!
John, neoliberalism revolves around economics and regulation of business and the like. It has nothing got to do with dragging Ireland out of the 1950s with its views to gay people.
@Were. SSM is only available to 2% of the worlds population, are 98% of the world in your view stuck in the 1950s? How self righteous of you.
SSM was manufactured by left wing liberalists, the notion of it was unheard of a decade ago.
The ancient Romans had SSM.
Nonsense. Prove it! The romans also practiced slavery, put people to death by lions in front of large audiences and practiced pedastry since you’re looking to the ancients for how to enligten our society.
The Netherlands has had marriage equality since 2001.
But sure don’t let that inconvenient fact get in the way of your myth that it was “unheard of a decade ago”.
@John
Cool yer jets! You said the SSM wasn’t thought of more than ten years ago. I responded that there was SSM inAncient Rome, no need to undermine the whole of antiquity because a couple of blokes could get married 2,000 years ago. Oh, you have a computer, check it out for yourself!
True, neo-liberalism is a economic philosophy couched in Marxist language but the definition has broadened in recent times. A better description would be pseudo liberals or illiberal liberals.
Actually, this is a really interesting historical perspective on the history of same-sex marriage from the Guardian…
-
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/23/-sp-secret-history-same-sex-marriage
Well The Guardian is the prayer book of choice of the pseudo liberals.
Says the pseudo-intellectual.
If an ability to see through the flak of pseudo liberalism and remain sceptical of the latest fad I will plead guilty to that attempt at an insult.
Holy smoke theo and John, your arguments and phrasing across this comment section is wholly inconsistent, I’m not sure but I’m guessing it’s troll logic.
It tells that the demand for homosexual couplings to be recognized was constant, has been substantiated legally before hand and is not a “modern”, decadent “choice”.
@John, you are confusing liberalism in the social sense with liberalism in the economic sense. Completely different things mate.
Yeah John. But we won. Oh yes baby. And middle Ireland told freaks like you that you now are in the minority.
I’m still undecided. There still hasn’t been enough debate.
The gays are just as bad as girls seeking equality…….who cares what a couple people vote on in Belfast as it means feck all as its not law!
Women seeking equality now are they? Well that will never happen.
Now what time is the next diplodocus to Bedrock? I have to return my wholly mammoth vacuum cleaner for re-bristling.
Kinda like the time SF held a united Ireland referendum in, wait for it……………South Armagh, a resounding yes vote too by the way, who’d have thought.
Yeah we know – the majority of unionist politicians are bigots, and wish to block two consenting adults from getting married.
Yeah and the fact SF agree with same sex marriage just excuses the 30 years of murder and maiming they were involved in doesn’t it. Never seen a bigger shower of populist hypocrites in all my life.
You haven’t met the aaa yet so..
Well done to my Party Colleagues, progressive politics at its best!
Orange you glad they’re on the way
I’m not an Ulster Unionist but it’s only fair to say that Jeff Dudgeon also spoke in favour of gay marriage. All you equal rights champions will remember that it was Jeff’s case in Europe that led to decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland.
The article doesn’t mention any Ulster unionist speaking in favour but Jeff Dudgeon is an Ulster Unionist councillor. And Jeff’s case was ten years before David Norris had to do the same in the south. So the decriminalisation of homosexuality across Ireland was achieved by a unionist and someone who until some time last month was dismissed as a West Brit revisionist by republicans.
And while everyone’s slagging the ghost of Ian Paisley clerics in the republic are attacking yes voters in their congregations.
More like belslow Amirite
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