First years fall back in maths and reading
MOST of the 55,000 students who enrol in secondary school annually make no progress in reading and maths in their first year.
In fact, some "go backwards", according to a confidential paper drawn up by the advisory body charged with curriculum reform.
It says that this 'drift' in achievement is a well-documented phenomenon across education systems that feature a transition at 11 or 12 years of age, the age at which pupils leave primary school. The paper, which goes before the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment today, says this lack of progress is a key issue in Junior Cert reform.
It is not helped by the fact that, as far as students are concerned, it's the third year of the junior cycle -- when they take their exam -- that really matters. But the exam itself is seen as a 'low-stakes' one and of limited value
The paper says that in second year there is a different kind of 'drift' -- not in academic progress but in student behaviour and attitudes. There is also an increase in reported misbehaviour and bullying in second year which is associated with a general 'settling down' process.
But it is also associated with a sense that second year is a year 'without purpose', a 'holding area' before the real work begins.
The paper underlines the urgent need for reform of the Junior Cert which Minister Batt O'Keeffe has called for. It says that the programme has remained the same since it was introduced in the early nineties, unlike the Leaving Cert which has undergone considerable development in recent times.
As far as students are concerned, the Junior Cert works well as a 'dress rehearsal' for the Leaving Cert. It's seen as guiding students in making choices around subjects and levels for the Leaving.
The Junior Cert exam is largely traditional in style and subject-based in structure which ensures the rigidity of the organisation of the curriculum. But it is not connected to the experiences of junior cycle students as the focus is on senior cycle subjects and levels.
Most students do not see any connection between the Junior Cert exam and the three years of learning it was intended to assess, says the paper, quoting findings from work done by the Economic and Social Research Institute.
"Its focus was on preparing for the next stage of education and for the next examination (ie the Leaving)."
The paper also suggests that the Junior Cert exam is not connected to the primary school experiences of the students either. It proposes that the council begin an informed debate on the nature of the learning experiences in which junior cycle students could most beneficially engage.
Commenting last night, the general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, Michael Moriarty, said the transition from primary to secondary school was daunting for many pupils. They were used to the comfort of having one teacher but had to switch to a more impersonal situation where they had many teachers and many more subjects.
- John Walshe Education Editor
