New Junior Cycle Information for Parents S t Patricks Classical - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

New Junior Cycle Information for Parents

St Patrick’s Classical School

Contents of this Presentation

• Why change is needed in Junior Cycle
• What will be different?
• Key Skills and Statements of Learning
• Curriculum and Assessment
• Wellbeing

Why Change?

ESRI research



Many students are turned off learning in Junior Cert



The JC exam is dominating teaching and learning in many Irish classrooms



There is too much emphasis on covering content



The world has changed



There is a narrow range of assessment activity - lots of tests!

What will be different for your child?

• Smoother transition from primary to post-primary
• More actively involved in their learning
• Investigative approaches rather than being told
• Greater emphasis on literacy, numeracy and the key skills
• Assessment – nearer in time and place to the learning
• Improved feedback and reporting to parents/guardians

Your son will be involved in:

• Reviewing feedback and identifying what they have

done well

• Identifying what to do next
• Setting and achieving personal goals
• Redrafting and correcting their own work
• Giving feedback to others
• Considering examples of good work and identifying

how they can improve on their own work

New Junior Cycle (NJC)

 8 Key Skills to be taught by all teachers

in all subjects and Short Courses

 Should be included in all subject

planning documents – already explicit in new Subject & Short Course Specifications

 If you are teaching an old syllabus, you

are still required to teach Key Skills

24 Statements of Learning (SoL)

 A subject will only be able to

cover some of these Statements

 Subjects with a new

Specification show which statements are covered but if you are using an old syllabus……. Note: There are 12 other

• SoLs. These are the 24

Learning Outcomes that your curriculum must be able to provide for all students

The New Curriculum

Wellbeing 300 hours, rising to

400 hours in 2019

Short Courses Approx 100 Hrs Min 250 Hrs Other Subjects Min 200 Hrs English, Irish & Maths Min 240 Hours Level 2 PLUs

Maths, English & Irish will have HL and OL. All other subjects and Short Courses examined at Common Level While there is no limit on the number of subjects a student may study, he/she can be assessed in a maximum of: 10 subjects 9 Subjects and 2 Short Courses 8 Subjects and 4 Short Courses

Changes in Student Assessment

Each subject will have two CBAs, one at the end of 2nd Year and the other before Christmas in 3rd Year. SC have 1 CBA

• nly.

Each CBA will be followed by a Subject Learning And Review (SLAR) meeting The results of the CBAs will be communicated to students and parents and a record kept in the school. The results that are communicated to the students will be formative, giving a clear

• utline of how

improvements can be made The CBA in 3rd Year will be followed by an Assessment Task (AT), which will be forwarded to the State Exams Commission (SEC) in June

The students will receive the results

• f the

terminal exam (which includes the AT) in mid- September from the SEC

Student Assessment 2.

In Sept/Oct/Nov, the school will upload the data it holds on each of the students through the Post-Primary Online Database (P-POD) Each CBA Short Courses, if any Priority Learning Units, if any

Other Areas of

Learning This data will be added to the SEC results and a final cert – Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) will issue to the student by Christmas

Grades

CBA

• Exceptional
• Above expectations
• In line with expectations
• Yet to meet expectations

Junior Cycle

• Distinction 90-100%
• Higher Merit 75 – 89%
• Merit 55 – 74%
• Achieved 40 – 54%
• Partially Achieved 20 – 39%
• Not Graded Less than 20%

Grades in CBAs are awarded based

• n Features of Quality and following

a SLAR meeting. There are no corresponding marks.

JCPA

Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) & Subject Learning And Review (SLAR) Requirements 2018/19

Assessment Task + Final exam = grade on JCPA. Results of CBAs reported to parents during during NJC and in JCPA. Should replace summer and Christmas tests in these

• subjects. CBAs at common level.

Phased Introduction of Subjects/Courses

Year Subject/Course JCPA

2014 English 2017 2016 Science & Business Studies 2019 2017 Gaeilge, MFL, Art, Wellbeing 2020 2018 Maths, Music, History, Geography 2021

2019 Technology Subjects, RE, Classics, Jewish Studies 2022

Wellbeing a new area of focus:

SECOND and THIRD YEARS access Wellbeing through…

• Physical Education
• Social, Personal and Health Education (including Relationship and Sexuality

Education)

• Civic, Social and Political Education
• Guidance/ Wellbeing Class in 3rd Year
• School Pastoral Care System
• Clubs/sports
• Study Skills
• Wellbeing Week and much more.

Wellbeing – Key Points

 Every teacher has a role  300 hours, rising to 400 hours  Every school required to publish a Wellbeing

Programme this year, based on inputs from students, staff and parents

 Includes PE, SPHE, CSPE and an element of

Guidance

 May include aspects of other subjects but, if so,

a rationale must be produced (using Appendix I from the Guidelines)

More Information?

www.jct.ie www.curriculumonline.ie www.ncca.ie