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3 Draft Leaving Certificate specifications consultations

3 Draft Leaving Certificate specifications consultations

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Assessment and Reporting

Assessment in education involves gathering, interpreting and using information about the processes and outcomes of learning. It takes different forms and can be used in a variety of ways, such as to record and report achievement, to determine appropriate routes for learners to take through a differentiated curriculum, or to identify specific areas of difficulty or strength for a given learner. While different techniques may be employed for formative, diagnostic and summative purposes, the focus of the assessment and reporting is on the improvement of student learning. To do this it must fully reflect the aim of the curriculum.

The junior cycle places a strong emphasis on assessment as part of the learning process. This requires a more varied approach to assessment, ensuring that the assessment method or methods chosen are fit for purpose, timely and relevant to the students. Assessment in junior cycle Applied Technology will optimise the opportunity for students to become reflective and active participants in their learning and for teachers to support this. This can be achieved through the provision of opportunities for students to negotiate success criteria against which the quality of their work can be judged by peer, self, and teacher assessment; and through the quality of the focused feedback they get in support of their learning.

Providing focused feedback to students on their learning is a critical component of high-quality assessment and a key factor in building students’ capacity to manage their own learning and their motivation to stick with a complex task or problem. Assessment is most effective when it moves beyond marks and grades, and reporting focuses not just on how the student has done in the past but on the next steps for further learning. This approach will ensure that assessment takes place as close as possible to the point of learning. Final assessment still has an important role to play but is only one element of a broader approach to assessment.

Essentially, the purpose of assessment and reporting at this stage of education is to support learning. Parents/guardians should be given a comprehensive picture of student learning. Linking classroom assessment and other assessment with a new system of reporting that culminates in the awarding of the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) will offer parents/guardians a clear and broad picture of their child’s learning journey over the three years of junior cycle. To support this, teachers and schools have access to online assessment support material. Along with the guide to the Subject Learning and Assessment Review (SLAR) process, this focuses on learning, teaching and assessment support material, including:

  • formative assessment
  • planning for and designing assessment
  • ongoing assessments for classroom use
  • judging student work – looking at expectations for students and features of quality
  • reporting to parents and students
  • thinking about assessment: ideas, research and reflections
  • a glossary.

The contents of the online support material include the range of assessment supports, advice and guidelines that enable schools and teachers to engage with the new assessment system and reporting arrangements in an informed way, with confidence and clarity.

The assessment of Applied Technology for the purposes of the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) will comprise:

  • two Classroom-Based Assessments: Exploring the application of controlled systems in a local context, and Student self-analysis and evaluation
  • a project
  • a written examination.

Assessment overview

CBA 1: Exploring the application of controlled systems in a local context The teacher’s judgement is recorded for the purpose of subject learning and assessment review, and for the school’s reporting to parents and students. The CBA will be completed within a three-week period during term two of second year.
CBA 2: Student self-analysis and evaluation The teacher’s judgement is recorded for the purpose of subject learning and assessment review, and for the school’s reporting to parents and students. The CBA will be completed within a three-week period during term one of third year. This CBA will inform the student’s work on the project.
Project (70%) Will be specified and marked by the State Examinations Commission annually.
Written examination (30%) Set and marked by the State Examinations Commission.

  • research information using a range of methods
  • analyse data and evidence to make informed valued judgements and decisions
  • organise information and plan logically
  • communicate clearly and effectively
  • collaborate with others on tasks
  • communicate evidence of the iterative process of design and reflect on their learning.

This is an investigation-based project that will provide students with the opportunity to individually or collaboratively explore the role of controlled systems in their local environment such as their classroom, school, community, etc. Throughout this assessment, students will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills associated with the Energy and control strand and the Technology and Society strand, which are fundamental to the study of Applied Technology.


Through this process, students will investigate either:

  • an identified control system that provides a defined function

or

  • a potential controlled system that could be introduced to provide a defined function.

It is important to instil in students a curious disposition where they are free to experiment, encouraged to explore new and challenging opportunities and to reflect on the process. The findings of the students’ investigation can be presented through any appropriate media (such as practical work, verbal, electronic, written and/or a combination)

For this Classroom-Based Assessment, the student, individually, will conduct an analysis of their coursework and skills to date in Applied Technology. Students will focus their analysis and evaluation on a range of completed tasks or on a specific task. Students are expected to critically review their progress and identify areas of strength and areas for improvement, with a view to informing their planning and decisions for the project. The formative assessment related to this process will be reported upon to the student and parent/guardian by the school as with all other Classroom-Based Assessments.

This Classroom-Based Assessment is designed to encourage the practice of self-evaluation throughout rather than only on completion of a task. Once the student conducts the self-analysis, they must interpret their analysis and evaluate their findings to offer constructive direction for the upcoming project.

The student can communicate the self-analysis and evaluation process through any appropriate
media.

More detailed information related to assessment of the Classroom-Based Assessments will be available in separate Assessment Guidelines. This will include, for example, the suggested length and formats for student pieces of work, the features of quality to be applied to the assessment, and support in using ‘on balance’ judgement in relation to the features of quality.

The assessment section of www.ncca.ie will also include substantial resource material for use and reference in ongoing classroom assessment of junior cycle Applied Technology, as well as examples of student work and guidance for the Subject Learning and Assessment Review process.

The features of quality support student and teacher judgement of the Classroom-Based Assessments and are the criteria that will be used by teachers to assess the pieces of student work. Features of quality for the Classroom-Based Assessments will be provided in the Assessment Guidelines document.

On completion of the Classroom-Based Assessments, students undertake a project. The project is completed after the second Classroom-Based Assessment component in third year. The brief for the project is set and the project is marked by the State Examinations Commission.

Students will undertake a written examination of 90 minutes’ duration:

  • The examination will take place at the end of third year and will be offered at a common level.
  • The written examination will be set and marked by the State Examinations Commission.

This specification allows for inclusive assessment practices whether as part of ongoing assessment or Classroom-Based Assessments. Where a school judges that a student has a specific physical or learning difficulty, reasonable accommodations may be put in place to remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the student's performance in Classroom-Based Assessments. The accommodations e.g., the support provided by a special needs assistant or the support of assistive technologies should be in line with the arrangements the school has put in place to support the student's learning throughout the year.

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