Secondary school teachers say there is no rationale for moving English and Irish exams

Secondary school teachers have reiterated their opposition to any attempt by the Department of Education to move English and Irish paper one to the end of fifth year.

On the first day of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) annual conference in Wexford, delegates heard that there was no rationale for the - now-stalled - proposal from the Department of Education.

Ciarán Kavanagh, an English teacher at an Irish-medium school in north county Dublin, and a part-time lecturer in assessment, said that there was no evidence to support the change.

“I have listened to my students and I have their best interests at heart, and it has made me stronger in my opinion that teachers should refuse to cooperate with this move,” he said.

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“Papers one and two are symbiotic, you teach the papers through each other, and it is not in line with international best practice.”

The plan was paused for a year by Norma Foley, the Minister for Education, following strong opposition from teachers.

Kieran Christie, ASTI general secretary, advised delegates that the plan was effectively on ice and may or may not be revived in future but that, if the Minister revived the proposal, it was likely to go to a ballot of members.

Delegates also heard that teachers needed to be more central and proactive in co-designing curriculum reforms, with members calling for a stronger evidence base to underpin any changes to the Leaving Certificate, and for the Department of Education to publish any new syllabus at least 12 months in advance of it being implemented.

John Conneely, a teacher at St Flannan’s College in Clare, expressed concern that the proposed changes to the senior cycle lacked depth and detail.

“For a Leaving Certificate syllabus design, to conform to international best practice, it should contain considerable detail on the following: the topics to be studied, depth of treatment of those topics and subject-specific details,” Mr Conneely said.

Quoting a report by Áine Hyland, emeritus professor of education at University College Cork, Mr Conneely said that the syllabus should contain guidance for teachers and pupils as well as information on how it will be assessed.

Mr Conneely expressed concern that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) may design only a skeletal syllabus based on learning outcomes.

“Learning outcomes should be starting points in designing a detailed integrated syllabus that is embedded with depth of treatment and comprehensive teacher guidelines, and which is aligned with sample examination papers and sample marking schemes.”

Mr Conneely said teachers had expressed concern about the “vague” learning outcomes on newer courses, including the Leaving Cert politics and society curriculum.

“Teachers should not have to become arbiters of the curriculum, having to second-guess what is on the course,” he said. “Waiting for a last-minute sample paper to be published. Hoping to get some indication that their interpretation of the syllabus is correctly aligned with the state exam.”

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Ed Byrne, a delegate from the Fingal branch and a member of the union’s central education committee, agreed that more clarity was needed, and said that the ASTI should put forward positive proposals for change.

“We should fight for a system that is not overloaded with learning outcomes, but one with syllabi [which outline] a depth of treatment,” he said.

Delegates also expressed opposition to any senior cycle exams being held in fifth year, beyond just Irish and English.

Kate Berry, a delegate from Fermoy, expressed concern that continuous assessment, with exams and assessment spread over a number of years, would increase rather than decrease student stress.

“It is a proposal that benefits students from wealthier backgrounds, and exams in fifth year are not pedagogically sound,” she said.

Sinéad Moore, an English teacher and a delegate from the union’s Fingal branch, said that constant high-stakes assessment - especially in fifth year - would take away from a student’s enjoyment of literature, and that they are more likely to truly engage with a subject when there is less pressure on them.

But there was a dissenting voice, with Seamus Mullen, a delegate from Carrick-on-Shannon, saying that the union was not opposed to genuine reforms but that a blanket opposition to fifth year exams could be portrayed as an opposition to change.