The report in today's edition of this newspaper that transition year students outperform others in the Leaving Cert is good news for an ambitious and visionary programme.
The most comprehensive study to date on the programme, conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), has indicated that transition year students do better across a range of Leaving Cert subjects. Improved performance is said to be particularly marked in English and maths.
Transition year is an oddity in an Irish education system still dominated by terminal exams in which students are asked to regurgitate huge chunks of material against the clock. From what one can gauge, parents and some employer groups are sceptical of its supposed benefits. Parents complain that it slows academic momentum after the Junior Cert, as students lose the study habit. Some employer groups have even blamed transition year for the high failure rates in maths and science subjects. Transition year, they say, gives many students a taste of part-time work and many never regain a proper focus on their studies.
The ESRI report firmly contradicts these views. Those who take transition year consistently outperform those who do not. The ESRI finding confirms a trend first observed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), which noted that transition year students gain over 40 more CAO points than those who do not take the year.
But it would be wrong to assess the worth of the transition year purely on the basis of Leaving Cert results and CAO points. Essentially, the year is about personal and social development. Students take a respite from the focus on exams and gain valuable work experience and life skills. It's about maturity and independent, self-motivated, learning. Teachers can see at first hand the benefits of giving students the breathing space to grow and develop in both an academic and a social sense.
It is to be hoped that the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, will examine the ESRI findings closely as he begins work on reform of the Leaving Certificate exam. The NCCA has already signalled that some elements of transition year might be integrated into the Leaving Cert exam. This is a timely proposal which would help to modernise the exam and make it more relevant to students. It would be good to see students being rewarded for project work, for social and sporting skills and for showing personal initiative. Transition year shows what can be achieved when we educate students for life - and not just for exams.