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

Wellbeing300 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

only.

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 outline 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

of 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 CBAShort Courses, if

anyPriority Learning

Units, if anyOther 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

on 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