Assessment for certification will be school-based. There are two assessment tasks involved: a Presentation Task and a Case Study Task. They carry equal weighting and students must gain an Achieved grade on each of the assessment tasks for purposes of certification. The Presentation Task will be completed at or just beyond mid-way through the course, while the Case Study Task will be completed at the end of the course.

Presentation Task

Students studying this short course have many opportunities to converse with others. They present to their peers or others at various times throughout the course, e.g. to present findings of a survey on why teenagers have animals, to inform them of interesting facts or to explain why exercise is good for dogs. They practise (in real or role-play situations) making telephone calls to various professionals or the emergency services. The presentation for certification is short and provides an opportunity for the student to ‘show what they know’. It may require collaboration with others to research, find information, plan and organise what to say and how to say it. It builds confidence and encourages social interaction with others. It may also provide an opportunity to demonstrate skills in working with digital technology. The teacher, in discussion with the student, will choose which presentation by the student from the mid-point of the course best meets the features of quality described below.

Case Study Task

Throughout the course the student is building a profile for the real or imaginary dog chosen in Strand 1 as the focus of learning, and the application of that learning. The breed, size and other physical features of the dog, its diet and exercise regime, illnesses, and injections it has needed, stories of incidents and antics involving the dog, the costs of keeping the dog and so on, form part of the profile.

The Case Study Task involves the student being questioned and answering in writing/using signing/visuals about the profile of this dog (or about an unknown one). The task involves the following aspects. Note that the examples provided are not exhaustive.

• The student is questioned in a manner appropriate to their ability about the dog’s profile and is encouraged as much as possible to use appropriate vocabulary and key words for the various aspects under discussion.
• Knowledge learned about hygiene, diet and exercise as well as safety issues related to owning dogs is used in order to answer questions.
• The student is able to give accurate answers to questions requiring factual answers (are dogs allowed to run around without a leash in public parks?).
• Feasible answers are expected to ‘what would you do if…’ questions and the student is expected to be able to provide reasons for their answers.
• The student is able to relate, in sequence, the steps taken in making/doing something for the dog (buying the dog licence or making some edible treats) during the course.
• An aspect of numeracy is also built into the task at a level appropriate to the student’s ability (food for this dog costs €10 per week. How much does it cost the owner per month?).
• A practical element forms part of the task. The student is asked to role-play making an emergency call, or sending a text, or dealing with someone who is afraid of their dog, or purchasing a small number of items for a dog using the correct coins and judging whether they receive the correct change.

Rationale for the assessment tasks

In this course, students develop their knowledge base and social, personal and practical skills in addressing the learning outcomes across the four strands. The assessment tasks are designed to enable the student to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have learnt. As well as the learning outcomes for the strands, the assessment tasks draw on the literacy, numeracy and other skills set out in the Priority Learning Units (PLUs).

The learning outcomes assessed through the Presentation Task will, to an extent, depend on the topic and medium of the presentation. Some that may be particularly relevant are

Some learning outcomes that may feature in the Case Study Task are