School development planning for curriculum and assessment
Majella O’Shea
School development planning and the curriculum
All students to experience………..…….quality education…….appropriate to their needs…….changing world…….enhancing student learning
(SDP Curriculum planning)
…….Education system of highest quality for learners …….…….Innovative and creative environment for all learners
(NCCA, Strategic plan 2006–2008)
The press for reform…
The student experience
– Failure
– Non-participation
– Non-engagement Evidence that the quality of teaching matters Evidence that it matters more for students with special
needs and with English as an additional language Public accountability for public services Knowledge society/ahead of the curve Inclusion
– The discourse of the problematic
And the press against
The stretch factor in Irish education The normative power of policy Tradition and nostalgia Complex educational structures, complex policy
context What learning is valued? “Dumbing down”
Curriculum development
Review
The public
Research and theory
Evaluations
Representative committees
The developers
Consultation
Agreed syllabuses/curriculum
Curr. Planning schools
Teaching & learning
Exp. Of the students
InfluencersResourcesProfessional developmentNeed for change – is there a crisis?Time for planningClassroom environmentAssessmentSkills/attitude of teacherPedagogyStudents
Barriers to real learning in the
classroom?
How can they be overcome?
The role of NCCA
The formal curriculum
– Advice, policy, syllabuses Guidelines
– Subject guidelines
– Special needs
– Inclusion
– Intercultural Further support
– Supporting teachers in planning for and creating the learning experience
AdvicePolicy
SyllabusesCurriculum
and assessment
Guidelines
Subject
Intercultural
Special needs
Supporting teachers in planning for and creating a rich learning
experience
Report card templates
Tools Sharing
ACTION website
Examples
Getting closer to schools
www.ncca.ie
What’s coming down the tracks?
Some guiding themes
Inclusion
Assessment for Learning
Key Skills
Pedagogy
Relationships
The classroom of diversities…
Greater ability range
Special needs
– general
– specific
English as an additional language
Differentiation
the most complex and technical aspect of the teaching craft
neglected in teacher preparation?
seen as static – getting the level/pitch right
Dynamic, demanding and sophisticated
Some differentiation challenges
The question of place The question of pace The question of range The question of choice The question of additional support
One of the biggest challenges… is to teach differentiation strategies……
To the students
Who may be used to learning in the middleWho may be used to ‘hiding’Who may be used to an easy paceWho may ‘passenger’Who may not have talked about learningWho may want the answers, not the questions
Futures…
achievement gaps concerns for teacher quality collapse of public education Disaffected student groupsOR… International praise for achievement standards Students with strong commitments to schooling High quality teaching force
100 year-old wisdom….
What the wisest and best parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy.
John Dewey. 1899, p.5.
Inclusion
SEN – guidelines and possible new award at Level 2 on NFQ
Intercultural guidelines
Curriculum framework for students in detention centres
JCSP programme statement and review of profiling
NCCA Inclusion Project
Case Study Research Schools dealing with the ‘inclusion challenge’ To move beyond anecdote To capture what schools are doing
– Beyond normative policy to practice
– The ‘costs’…. To tender this autumn
Assessment for Learning
School-based work is complete Dissemination of strategies
– With support services
– ACTION Assessment in Primary Schools: Guidelines for
Teachers info@ncca
Senior Cycle work
Senior Cycle
– phase one syllabuses
– short course on enterprise
– transition units
– flexible programmes of study
Key Skills
After 30 years of teaching, they pushed me to innovate and to really look at what it was like to learn in my class….
Phase one curriculum components
Subjects to be reviewed
New subjects Short courses
Other developments
Mathematics
Applied Mathematics
Languages
Biology Chemistry Physics
Social and Political Education
Physical Education
Enterprise Education
Technology – Art and Music
Psychology
Social, Personal and Health Education
PE framework
Feedback from the Key Skills Network
Classes are more enjoyable for everyone Group work needs to be planned Students like well-planned group work Relationships in the classroom are better Longer class periods are needed Students are reluctant to change at first, but are
glad when they do.
Junior cycle
Priorities
Syllabus rebalancing
Inclusion
Assessment for learning
Implications of ESRI research findings on curriculum,
assessment, school organisation and planning
Implications of senior cycle developments
Current status of work Ten syllabuses originally
Art, Craft, Design English Environmental and Social Studies Geography History Home Economics Music
Business Studies* Gaeilge* Mathematics*
* Now part of a broader review and revision process
Rebalancing – next steps
Final drafts of rebalanced syllabuses developed
Progressed through NCCA structures late 2007
Issued to the Department of Education and Science
Information material for schools on the adjustments
NCCA website to provide updates
ESRI research
900 students in 12 schools Longitudinal study focused on students’ experience
of junior cycle First and second year reports published Third year report and summary to be published in
October 2007 Informing policy and practice in junior cycle
First Year findings
Some students experience ongoing transition difficulties
Curriculum discontinuity a feature
Students respond well to varied teaching and learning approaches
Importance of positive teacher-student interaction and informal school atmosphere
Suitability of curriculum for a significant minority of students is questioned
Second Year findings
Characteristic ‘dip’ in academic performance and behaviour
Students become more negative about school generally
Negative effects of streaming intensifies
Gender and social class differences become more marked
Emergence of a ‘disengaged group’
Teaching and learning becomes more focused on Junior Certificate
Third Year findings (preliminary)
Students say they learn best when
– positive classroom interaction
– teacher explains well
– interactive, varied teaching methodologies Focus on J Cert exams leads to more traditional form of
teaching
Negative effect of streaming more pronounced
– disadvantaged schools in study group all streamed!
Strong influence of gender and social class on achievement
School expectation also significantly determines achievement
Significant number of students taking grinds
Streaming and JC grades
10=A; 9=B; 8=C; 7=D averaged across all subjects taken
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mixed ability Higherstream
Middlestream
Lower stream
‘School’ effect
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Lang St BarrackSt
Dixon St Hay St DawesPoint
DawsonSt
Park St BelmoreSt
Wattle St Fig Lane
Working-class Mixed Middle-class
Mea
n
Number of Higher Level Subjects Taken by School(second lowest reading quintile)
Implications of senior cycle developments
stronger role for key skills in junior cycle curriculum
pressure to ‘scale back’ junior cert exams need to harmonise junior and leaving cert courses potential impact of a different school culture at
senior cycle on junior cycle increased demand for educational guidance
Developments in mathematics (1)
Increased emphasis on contexts and applications
Focus on higher-order mathematical skills
Proposal for phased development (both JC and LC)
– 5 syllabus ‘strands’ identified
– Initial involvement of approximately 24 schools
– All maths teachers in each participating school to adopt new
syllabus materials for each strand/phase
– Class resource materials and teacher guidelines provided
– Professional support for teachers re changed emphasis and
approaches in mathematics teaching and learning
– Developments supported by changes in relevant examination
questions
Developments in mathematics (2)
Bridging framework to link primary and post-primary
mathematics
Common mathematics course in first year
Need for collaboration between maths teachers
– consistency in approach used
– sharing of ideas and experiences
– school-based support as well as ‘inservice’ occasions
– issues around choice of course levels
– availability and use of ICT resources in maths
– allocation of teachers to classes/levels
Promotion of greater uptake of HL maths, especially in
Junior Certificate
Developments in mathematics (3)
Information on Project Maths to all schools – Nov 07
Invitation to schools to participate in initial
implementation phase(s)
Participating schools identified early in 2008
Preparation meetings for participating schools in
Spring 2008
Syllabus and resource materials for initial phase(s)
ready by May 2008
Implementation in participating schools from Sept.
2008
Roll-out to all schools beginning in Sept. 2009