THIS MORNING, the State exams begin for over 110,000 Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate students. It’s a stressful time for students and for their parents. Both exams have their critics but the Leaving Cert, in particular, remains a high-stakes exam because of its role as the main gateway to higher education. Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn has been openly critical of the Leaving Cert because of its old fashioned stress on rote learning and its heavy reliance on one terminal exam.
University presidents, employers and educationalists have all joined in the chorus of criticism. Despite this, no major change can be expected for a further decade. Mr Quinn says reform of the Leaving Cert must await his ongoing Junior Cert reform package, due to be rolled out from 2017. By most estimates, it will be 2022 before the “new” Leaving Cert is in place.
It seems extraordinary the education system is continuing with an exam widely regarded as being well past its “sell-by” date. The delay is all the more shocking, given that a template for a more modern exam is already in place. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has been developing a range of proposals for various education ministers since 2006. At this stage, it’s clear the new exam should place a new stress on self-directed, independent learning and critical thinking. Inevitably, there will be more continuous assessment and more project work. There will be a wide variety of subjects available, perhaps with a rebalancing to acknowledge the needs of a “knowledge economy”. So why is reform taking so long?
In the absence of reform, there’s an increasing sense the Leaving Cert is cut adrift from the needs of the Irish economy, the education system, parents and teachers. Employers complain how they find it difficult to source multilingual, tech-savvy students even with the current levels of unemployment. University heads say many Leaving Cert students – even those with strong grades – are unable to cope with the independent learning expected of them at third level. Many parents and teachers worry the exam – with it stress on rote-learning – fails to fire a genuine love of literature or any area of study.
The Leaving Cert is cut adrift in other respects, as well. As reported this week, Leaving and Junior Cert students are continuing to secure higher grades – despite the alarming drop reported by the OECD in literacy and numeracy standards since 2000. Astonishingly, the honours rate for all the most popular Leaving Cert subjects has increased significantly in the period 2000-2009. A similar pattern is evident in relation to Junior Cert grades. During the same period, the OECD reported a dramatic decline in academic standards among Irish teenagers. The failure of both exams to reflect this drop in standards must raise the most serious questions about their overall integrity; it also raises awkward questions for the State Exams Commission and for Minister Quinn. To date, both have given bland assurances there has been no diminution of standards. A more considered response is required.