The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has signalled his support for radical reform of the Leaving Cert exam with a greater emphasis on continuous assessment and project work
In a major policy speech yesterday, he was strongly critical of the current exam and hinted at radical change. The Leaving Cert, he said, was designed to meet the needs of students from the last century. "Why do we persist in putting students through an examination process that has changed little in twenty, even thirty years?", he asked.
Mr Dempsey said reform of the exam was now the biggest issues facing the education system. He asked: "Why are we still unable to provide students in post-primary schools with an assessment system that reflects the aims of the syllabuses they study, and the insights of research into how and why people learn?"
The Minister gave no details of his plans for an overhaul of the exam but it is known that he is keen on the greater use of continuous assessment, project and assignment work.
Mr Dempsey hinted that he would like to see the Leaving Cert exam re-fashioned in a way which would reward personal flair and initiative instead of testing a relatively narrow range of skills.
The Leaving Certificate, he said, is often described "as a passport - to further or higher education, or to the world of work. But as a passport it's pretty short on information - an entire educational career summed up in a set of grades. Perhaps, as we often suggest for students, the education system needs to 'try harder' on this one".
The Minister made his comments at a meeting of the national Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) the group that advises him on these issues.
He said policymakers could not simply conclude that the Leaving Cert was fine because it enjoyed a strong level of public support. This approach, he says avoids the real challenge - the challenge to tackle the obvious weaknesses, and keep the high level of public support.
The NCCA recently completed a discussion paper on the senior cycle at second-level and this will be considered at a public forum later this year. The Minister said that the consensual approach of the NCCA - which is made up of educators and other social partners - had served it well. But he warned that the group was facing "its own tough exam on the issue of the Leaving Certificate and its future".
The Minister welcomed recent comments by the IDA chief executive, Mr Seán Dorgan, which highlighted the need for "connection" between education and the wider economic needs of society. But he took issue with the IDA view that debates on education issues were confined to a small number of people.
At the same time, Mr Dempsey was critical of what has been called a "cosy consensus" in the education area. This consensual approach, he said, can lead to the soft option being taken and radical change being avoided.