https://doi.org/
Michael O’Leary and Zita Lysaght
In March 2022, the Minister for Education in Ireland announced her plans to redevelop senior cycle; in tandem, a press release from the Department of Education advised that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the State Examinations Commission (SEC), in consultation with education partners, would jointly research how an externally moderated, school-based form of assessment would operate. Hence, the stage seems set for potentially significant change to the Leaving Certificate Examination (LCE), after almost 100 years, despite vociferous teacher union opposition to its members’ involvement in assessment for certification. Against that backdrop, this article draws on the findings of two surveys that explored teachers’ feelings and beliefs about such involvement, based on their experiences of having to assess their own students’ work when COVID-19 necessitated the introduction of systems of calculated grades and accredited grades in 2020 and 2021. A key finding was that, while the majority of teachers reported not wanting to be involved in an assessment of this kind, a significant minority (approximately one in three) held different views, suggesting that individual teachers’ feelings and beliefs may not be immutable to change, despite collective union opposition. [DOWNLOAD PDF]
