Development of Teacher Assessment - Essay Example

? ‘Teachers are already doing a great job, but they are often hamstrung by pressure to teach to the test’ (Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills on the announcement of major reform of Junior Certificate 4th October 2012) Critically discuss this statement in relation to the historical development of assessment and its relationship to the present. You may choose primary and/or post primary education. The history if Irish education dates back to 1831. This was when the National School system was founded and later on in 1995 Aine Hyland appended the educational system into the constitution. When the National School system was set up in 1831, its main object was to ‘unite in one system children of different creeds’. The National Board was ‘to look with peculiar favour’ on applicants for aid for schools jointly managed by Roman Catholics and Protestants. While many of the schools which were taken into connection with the Board in the early years were jointly managed, the main Christian churches put pressure on the government to allow aid to be given to schools under the management of individual churches.1 This pressure was so effective that, by the mid-nineteenth century, only 4% of national schools were under mixed management.2 In terms of the curriculum, the main principle was that schools should offer ‘combined moral and literary instruction’.3 While the Board would decide the curriculum for moral and literary instruction, the patron of each school would determine the form and content of religious instruction in the schools under his patronage. The Rules for National Schools to the present day set down that ‘no pupil shall receive or be present at any religious instruction of which his parents or guardians do not approve’4 and also ‘that the periods of formal religious instruction shall be fixed so as to facilitate the withdrawal of [such] pupils’.5 This means that the National System had its ultimate goal to help accommodate children of different religions. That is why, the Christian dominate churches had to enforce the other dominations to be ready to accommodate children of mixed religions. This was pushed about by the Christian churches until it came to pass with management being of mixed creed. In an article presented by Thomas Walsh regarding the children’s curriculum in the primary schools between 1900 and 1999, he describes the conceptualization of the childhood education as a process that is undergoing and it takes time to be implemented fully. In an announcement by Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills, on the junior certificate reforms, he commented that, “We already know that significant numbers of first years do not make progress in English and Maths – the key building blocks of learning.” He added that, “Too many students ‘switch off’ in second year and never reconnect to learning.  We know that the experience of third year students is dominated by preparations for the Junior Certificate exams where the focus narrows to the performance in the examination rather than the quality of the learning.  It is high time we changed this – for the good of our students and our teachers.” In this statement, Ruairi conforms that the numbers of children who do not make it in the key subjects in Ireland are quite alarming. As a result the outcome is that a lot of students lack the essential skills to upgrade them and that is why they never relate to knowing that learning is essential. When it comes to the final continuous assessment tests, what comes up is that what teachers focus on is more of the students passing their tests rather that knowing what they are being taught, this adds up to the quality of education is more understated. The accounting feature is that the teachers during their teaching time in class they focused on spoon-feeding the students what is likely to come in the exams, thus they are more exam oriented that quality oriented. Ruairi stressed in the fact that this is a trend that ought to change for better future of Irish children and their childhood. In a statement, he commented, “The Junior Certificate is no longer a high stakes exam, yet we continue to treat it as if it were a ‘dry run’ for the Leaving Cert – to the detriment of many of our students.  There is compelling evidence from many countries that shows more students will perform better by moving away from such terminal exams.”  The press statement by Ruairi also sought to explain that change was prone to be experienced in the junior cycle program after the termination of the Intermediate and Group Certificates’ examinations in 1991, and students would take up eight to ten subjects for the purposes of the new certification process of getting certificates. This is a whole new change as compared to the Second National Curriculum of 1925 where the main mode of communication in classes was Irish and other conditions included that he teacher must be Irish language versant and vice versa to the students.6 (National Programme Conference, 1926). The current curriculum adds that students have the opportunity to take a full subject or two short courses and both options will add up to the total required. The variable options include Chinese or Physical Education or Digital Media Literacy, and for short courses, industry, agriculture or heritage can be taken up by the student. This is quite different from the National Curriculum where Irish was a mandatory subject for both the teacher and the student. (National Programme Conference, 1926). According to the press release, “The terminal Junior Certificate Examinations will be replaced with a school-based model of assessment with an emphasis on the quality of students’ learning experience.  This will be done on a phased basis with English being the first subject to be introduced to First Year students in 2014.  English, Irish and Mathematics are termed as mainstream subjects and they will be assessed in the pre years of childhood education as they are as important. Later on, they will be examined in the higher levels and the other subjects will be at the common level assessment. As compared to the curriculum from 1971 that acknowledged that education was more curriculum centered than child centered, this new assessment proposed by Ruairi, sought to focus on quality of education rather that teaching to the test method. “Education was ‘curriculum-centered’ rather than ‘child-centred’, and the teacher’s function in many cases, was that of a medium through whom knowledge was merely transferred to his pupils.”7 (Department of Education, 1971) The press release also stated that students would sit for standardized English exams as well as Mathematics and Irish. The standardization is prone to help students focus of the quality of their education. According to a National report by the Department of Education and Skills, school repeats are not a very common thing at both levels of primary or post-primary level. The report describes the figures for yearly repeat cases at primary level average between the 8 grades (junior infants to 6th class) of 0.6638%. While the figures for yearly repetitions at post-primary level are 1.089% for the 2009/10 school year and 0.657% for the 2010/11 school year. 8 According to the press release, from 2016 standardized testing in Science will also be included and parents will be able to check on their children’s learning progress. Minister Quinn commented, “This is not about our schools, students and teachers doing more work at junior cycle.  It is about them doing things differently.  Teachers are already doing a great job, but they are often hamstrung by pressure to teach to the test.  The new reformed junior cycle will liberate teachers and their students.  Parents too will benefit by knowing much more about their children’s achievements over the three years of junior cycle than they could ever find out from a State Exam certificate at the end of Junior Cert.” Minister Quinn added, “I have listened to teachers and principals who have asked for the new junior cycle to be fully resourced.  The changes I am announcing today are not about saving money, in fact they will cost us considerably more than if I were to do nothing.  However, even in these very difficult financial times, this Government believes in investing in our children and I will provide all the resources necessary to ensure the success of the new junior cycle. Dr. Anne Looney, CEO of NCCA added that, “Following the NCCA review of Junior Cycle, it was clear that we needed to begin the process of moving away from a terminal examination towards a greater emphasis on school-based assessment, and we advised the Minister on that basis. He has accepted that advice and taken it a step further, signaling an end to the terminal examination as we know it so that we can focus on developing a school-based model for its own sake, rather than as an add-on to what we currently do in the Junior Certificate Examination. For a system so used to examinations, it will be a challenge for everyone - inside and outside the system - to adapt to the new mindset. But the research evidence is clear on the benefits of that new mindset - for teachers, for students and their parents. And that the benefits travel with the students into the next phase of their post-primary education.” Aidan Farrell, CEO of the SEC said, “The SEC looks forward to working with the Department, the NCCA and education partners on the implementation of these proposals. We will work closely with the NCCA on the design and development of the assessment toolkit which will support schools and teachers in the delivery of the new assessment model. The SEC will play a critical role in supporting the change initiative while continuing to deliver the current Junior Certificate examinations. Crucially, the change at junior cycle presents an opportunity for a refocusing of efforts at senior cycle towards more varied forms of assessment across all examinations subjects”. Minister Quinn revised curriculum seeks to ensure that the quality of Irish education is withheld to top standards and each ad every Irish child gets proper and refined education. In addition to this teachers will not only teach to the test, they will also be given an opportunity to work hard and achieve high education concepts as well as skills. The children will also get a sense of Irish identity since the Irish education will also have subjects that focus on the historical and cultural norms of Ireland and it will also seek to ensure that the children continue to have a sense of Irish continuity with them. Lastly, the most important key of this curriculum revision will be that educational goals associated with literacy and numeracy are focussed on since acquiring these skill is important especially in the childhood social and growth environment. With regard to that, the successful development of these skills at primary level will ensure success in the forth levels of the child. References (1) Akenson, DH, The Irish Education Experiment: The National System of Education in Ireland in the Nineteenth Century, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1970. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/30077167?uid=2129&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21101758977801 (2) ‘Annual Report of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, 1850,’ contained in Reports of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, vol 1 from 1834 to 1851, HMSO, Dublin 1865. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.esatclear.ie/~dejames/CRGHyland.htm (3) Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, Rules for National Schools, 1898. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/Nat_Schools/natschs.html (4) Department of Education, Rules for National Schools, Rule 68. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/rules-chpt-7-132.pdf (5) Ibid, Rule 69. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule69 (6) Thomas Walsh. A Historical Overview Of Our Conceptualisation Of Childhood In Ireland In The Twentieth Century. (National Programme Conference, 1926). Web. Retrieved from: http://www.cecde.ie/english/pdf/conference_papers/Our%20Conceptualisation%20Of%20Childhood%20In%20Ireland.pdf Press Release. 04 October 2012 - Minister Quinn announces major reform of the Junior Certificate. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2012-Press-Releases/PR12-10-04.html Department of Education (1971). Primary School Curriculum: Teacher’s Handbooks (2 volumes). Dublin: The Stationery Office. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/Curriculum/Intro_Eng.pdf Department of Education and Skills (2011). OECD project overcoming school failure: Policies that work. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/ireland/49624509.pdf Read More