Teachers against assessing their exam students: ‘I don’t want to be judge, jury and executioner’

Delegates at both the ASTI and TUI conferences on Wednesday voiced their opposition to the proposal that teachers assess their own students as part of a reformed Leaving Cert.

After the debates, a number of teachers and conference guests spoke to The Irish Times about their views and reservations with regard to the issue.

“Before the predictive grades during the pandemic, the general consensus from people ringing radio stations was ‘Oh my God, they hate Johnny, they are going to knock him down.’ What happened? The grades went up and the second year, they went even higher again.

“And you have to ask why did that grade inflation happen, is it because they all know each other, unlike the State Examinations Commission [SEC] which is removed and anonymous, and is it because they wanted everyone to do well and get into college?

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"The 40 per cent I'm going to grade goes to the overall mark and points which means I, in some small way, dictate whether they can get into UCC or wherever... I don't think that should be part of my job, I don't want to do that; it has nothing to do with me – it's a separate issue." - Conor Murphy (ASTI), English teacher at Skibbereen Community School

“No, I wouldn’t want to correct my own students. I don’t think it’s fair. I think even the calculated grade system showed that that did not work and no matter how they tried to standardise it, good students lost out because of the way it led to grade inflation.

“Some people were getting grades higher than they deserved and there was no standard from school to school. There was no set marking scheme as there is with a normal Leaving Cert and there are people supervising to make sure everyone is marked the same way.

"That's the only way to ensure everybody gets a fair run at it so if teachers are assessing their own students, everybody will want their own students to do well and we have no common standard from one end of the country to the other. That would not be fair." - Ann Piggot (ASTI), Maths teacher, Coláiste Éamonn Ris, Ballyphehane, Cork

“I’m perturbed by this. It is not something I would be willing to do because I’m aware teacher assessment is biased, not because teachers are biased or not professional but because we are human and, as such, we resort to stereotypes.

“There’s a lot of research showing that certain groups and certain students will be treated more fairly in an external anonymous system and, having worked as an external examiner and as an advising examiner for the SEC, people have a lot of very justified faith in it.

"Right now I'm able to say to students they will be assessed fairly and treated the same as anyone else in the country and I'm able to act as their advocate and coach and if this was to happen, it would be a fundamental change in the role of teachers in school and in society." - Kate Barry (ASTI), English teacher, Loreto Convent, Fermoy

“Educate Together schools are excited at the prospect of senior cycle reform, which is long overdue. Lowering the stakes, in order to reduce stress for students, is essential. That means reducing the focus on terminal examinations and – crucially – reforming the current system for university entry.

“Broadening modes of assessment is also vital, to increase the range of skills and knowledge assessed, and to ensure the curriculum is fit for purpose for our increasingly diverse student population. School-based assessment is already part of the picture. If this is to be expanded, considerable investment will be required in developing systems for external moderation and support structures for teachers and school leaders.

"It is crucial that this is addressed early in the process so that the opportunity for meaningful reform is not lost." - Emer Nowlan, chief executive, Educate Together

"I teach in a Deis [disadvantaged] school where the relationship we have with our students is fundamental. It is underpinned by an ethos of care. Marking my own students would be a move away from that ethos. The pastoral element and fun we have in class would be completely undermined if I had to assess them. I don't want to be judge, jury and executioner at the end of it. I was involved in accredited and calculated grades and I think it's impossible to be completely objective when these are the kids you have known and watched grow into adults over five or six years." - Rebecca Jones (TUI), Curragh Post-Primary school

“I would never be in favour of correcting my own students. It completely changes the relationship in Irish education between teacher, student and parent and guardian. You are an advocate for a student, not a judge.

"The Minister for Education says it works in other countries, but I think it is a little different here because, in my work as a GAA coach, I could be related to or friends with the parents. Accredited grades did put pressure on some communities and we did have skirmishes over it. I can’t see any situation where I would be comfortable doing the job, and I have been doing this for a number of years.

"It's the difference between being a GAA coach and being a GAA referee. You can't be both for the same game: leave the assessment to someone else and leave the teaching to us." - Brendan Greene (TUI), St Clare's Comprehensive, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim

"Assessing your own students is a tried and failed formula in the UK, where it has been abandoned. It was corrupted with companies set up to do course work for students whose families could afford it. It would lead to a gap between the well-off and less well-off schools, with some students having more resources to get grinds in order to get these better grades. It is a model for corruption that will lead the less well-off students to suffer. This feels like a red herring, coming up with something outrageous so something else can be slid through." - Ailbe Dunne (TUI), Cashel Community School

“I think the Minister was a bit vague in outlining what the safeguards would be. I live in Co Limerick and am from Co Tipperary. In small communities, teachers very often live in the towns in which they teach, and there is an awful lot of pressure on them, especially if they are neighbours of their students’ parents. By our nature, we are in a caring profession and we want our students to do well. Especially those who have struggles in life, you want them to do their best and reach their full potential. It is very hard to stay unbiased when you think you can have an influence on that.

"Lecturers correct their own students, yes, but third-level lecturers don't live among their students. If I go to college in Dublin, I don't know my lecturer, but for second-level students, their teachers live among them." - Siobhán Bailey (TUI), Colâiste Iósef, Kilmallock, Co Limerick