THE LEAVING Certificate results published today present a now familiar pattern: an unsatisfactory level of failure rates in maths and science subjects and, more broadly, a very strong performance by the great majority of students taking higher level papers. It is clear that the Leaving Cert exam itself is facing what might be termed a “mid-life crisis”.
Academics, employers and many teachers are increasingly losing confidence in a system of assessment that, with its old fashioned emphasis on rote-learning, seems like a throw back to a different era. In contrast, best international practice emphasises the benefit of independent learning and rewards innovation and risk taking.
This critique of the Leaving Cert is not new nor does it reflect negatively on the efforts of individual students who must work hard to respond to the demands of the existing system. But in the past decade, virtually every education minister has hinted at exam reform and then swiftly moved on. However, the pressure for modernisation continues to build. Higher Education Authority chairman Tom Boland says many Leaving Cert students are struggling to cope in the higher education sector where greater initiative and self-reliance is required. University presidents and major US multinational companies have expressed alarm about falling standards. Critically, the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Google have raised awkward questions about the skills of some students, even those with very high Leaving Cert points. It seems the exam is no longer fit for purpose.
Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has signalled her readiness to shake up the system by backing the introduction of bonus CAO points for maths. But more radical change is required. The department wants to reform the Junior Cert before even considering the Leaving Cert. This a case of skewed priorities. Although a new approach to the Junior Cert is needed, the case for Leaving Cert reform is much more urgent.
The exam has not been reviewed since the 1999 Points Commission. The needs of this society – and the Irish economy – have undergone the most radical transformation since then. Regrettably, a new “grinds culture’’ has come to dominate senior-cycle education. Grade inflation has become increasingly evident in Leaving Cert results but there is little sense that academic standards are actually improving. Any reform of the examination will discommode vested interests but Ms Coughlan must not shirk the challenge.