Senior Cycle Redevelopment Campaign
Assessment proposals in redeveloped Senior Cycle curriculum
Following the Minister’s announcement in September 2023 that all Leaving Certificate subjects would have an external SEC-assessed additional assessment component (AAC) worth 40% of the Leaving Cerfificate examination marks with the written paper worth 60% of the final score, the NCCA established Subject Development Groups (SDG) to develop specifications for subjects as set in the suite of five tranches.
ASTI and TUI representatives on these SDGs identified many problematic aspects in relation to the Minister’s proposal and a number of joint meetings took place between ASTI and TUI subject representatives and Unions’ Officers to share concerns and work towards common goals. This cooperation and collaboration are now formalised in a joint union campaign around Senior Cycle redevelopment with particular focus on the Minister’s proposal that each subject would have an additional assessment component worth at least 40% of the overall examination marks.
Timeline for campaign
- On 19th November 2024, more than 30,000 ASTI and TUI members engaged in a lunch-time protest calling for a delay in the implementation of Senior Cycle redevelopment so that serious issues can be addressed, in particular, resource delivery, teacher CPD and adequate time for NCCA Subject Development Groups to develop appropriate additional component assessment models and markings.
- In April 2024, ASTI Annual Convention adopted a number of motions in relation to redevelopment of Senior Cycle curriculum.
- In September 2023, the Minister announced that all additional assessment components (AAC) worth 40% would continue be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission revising her earlier proposal for school-based assessment with external SEC moderation.
- In March 2023, ASTI hosted an education conference on Senior Cycle curriculum change.
- In February 2023, following a joint ASTI and TUI campaign of opposition to the Minister’s plan to move Leaving Certificate Paper One in English and Irish to the end of fifth year from 2024, the Minister announced the deferral of this proposal.
- In October 2022, the ASTI Central Executive Council was addressed by Áine Hyland, Irish educationalist and Emeritus Professor of Education, UCC
Important documents:
- ASTIR Article January 2025: Highlighting teachers' Senior Cycle concerns - January 2025
- ASTIR November 2024: General Secretary editorial on the Senior Cycle - November 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Chemistry, Biology and Physics: Concerns with Research Investigation coursework - November, 2024
- Nuacht : Election Special - Joint Union Senior Cycle Campaign - November, 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Update - September, 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Update - May, 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Update - March, 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Update - January, 2024
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Redevelopment - ASTI Policy - November, 2023
- ASTIR Article: Senior Cycle Redevelopment - Update, November, 2023
- ASTIR Article: Curriculum change will be constant and contested, ASTI Conference hears, March 2023
- ASTIR Article: Listen to teachers' voice on Senior Cycle, March 2023
- ASTIR Article: Teachers' voice is heard, March 2023
- Serious exam concerns must be urgently addressed - Joint ASTI/TUI/An Gréasán/INOTE statement - 1 February, 2023
- ASTIR article: ASTI and TUI reps collaborate on Senior Cycle, January, 2023
- ASTIR article: Senior Cycle - ensuring teachers are involved, November 2022
- Nuacht Issue No 4 - Leaving Certificate Redevelopment - Your voice matters -November 2022
- Astir Article : Senior Cycle : Teachers' Voice must be heard - September Astir, 2022
- Minister for Education's Statement, March 29th 2022
- NCCA - Senior Cycle Review Advisory Report
- OECD Assessment of the Senior Cycle Review
- OECD - Implementation of Ireland’s Leaving Certificate 2020-2021 Lessons from the Pandemic
- OECD Learning Compass 2030
- Report prepared by Professor Áine Hyland - The design of Leaving Certificate science syllabi in Ireland: an international comparison