1. Revised arrangements relating to the completion of CBAs in respect of current 2nd year students who will be entering 3rd year in 2021/22.  

2. Assessment and Reporting on Students’ Learning – Junior Cycle 2021 (3rd years).

3. Update Note re protocol for school placement tutors from HEIs to visit schools.

4. End of Term Update.

5. The National Parents Council Post Primary, NPCpp.

1.  Revised arrangements relating to the completion of CBAs in respect of current 2nd year students who will be entering 3rd year in 2021/22.  

The CBA arrangements that applied for the current third years are extended to the second-year cohort who will be taking the Junior Cycle examinations in 2022, with one adjustment. The arrangements take account of the further disruptions to learning because of school closures introduced to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic and act as a mitigation measure for the loss of face-to-face tuition time in the current school year.

·         The dates for the completion of some CBA1s will be extended into the 2021/22 school year;

·         Students will complete a minimum of one CBA in each subject. This is different to the situation that applied for second year students last year in that there will be an option for current second year students to complete two CBAs in subjects, whereas last year just one CBA per subject was to be completed. The flexibility provided here takes account of the fact that some students will have been able to progress/complete CBA1 during the current period of school closures;

·         No assessment tasks (ATs) will be required for students taking the Junior Cycle examinations in 2022;

·         In the case of Home Economics, Art, Music and the Technologies – the 2021/2022 third-year cohort would be required to complete CBA2 as it is linked to the practical assessment in those subjects;

·         In the case of MFL and Irish – the presentation CBA is required.

2.  Assessment and Reporting on Students’ Learning – Junior Cycle 2021 (3rd years).

As set out in ACCS/Info Bulletin 77/20 dated 19th November 2020. (Extract below)

Please note:

• Care should be taken to ensure that third-year students are not over-assessed on their return to school. Drawing on teachers’ professional knowledge, schools will have the autonomy to choose the most appropriate forms of school-based assessment to put in place for the third-year cohort for the remainder of the school year.

• Schools and teachers may set a limited number of additional assessments up to 21 May 2021.

• In all cases, assessments should be completed and marked before 28 May 2021.

Extract from DE Guidelines: Assessment and Reporting on Students’ Learning – Junior Cycle 2021

Considerations when assessing students’ learning for the purposes of school reporting on student learning:

·         A collaborative approach should be taken in schools to devise a suitable timeframe for the completion of any assessments and should be reviewed at whole-school level to ensure that the timeframes are balanced and achievable. In all cases, additional assessments, if conducted, should be completed before 21 May 2021.

·         Students should have the opportunity to complete any additional assessments within a clearly defined timeframe. A collaborative approach should be used in schools to devise a suitable timeframe for the completion of additional assessments and should be reviewed at whole-school level to ensure that the timeframes are balanced and achievable, and do not result in over assessment of students as they return to school. In all cases, assessments should be completed and marked before 28 May 2021.

3.  School Placement Update Note re School visit Protocol.

Following engagement with the Teaching Council, other education stakeholders and HEIs, the Department of Education has issued a guidance note in relation to a protocol for school placement tutors from HEIs to visit schools. While it had initially been intended to publish this guidance note in January, a decision was made to postpone publication until all schools had fully re-opened to all students.

This protocol clarifies the arrangements that should be adhered to in order to ensure that such school visits can take place safely. The protocols should be implemented for the remainder of this school year.

This new guidance note, the initial guidance note on school placement for the 2020/21 school year published by the Teaching Council in August 2020 and an additional updated guidance note on school placement as published in December 2020 are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f48ac-guidance-note-for-school-placement-20202021/

An Irish language version will be published shortly also.

4. End of Term Update.

Please see correspondence below received from the Department of Education & Skills:

“We have had a number of queries about the arrangements for the end of this term and we are providing the following reply by way of clarity:

The day to day management of schools is the responsibility of the Board of Management of each school.

School Boards of Management of post primary schools are reminded that circular M29/95, provides that the minimum number of teaching days per school year is 167. It is stressed that this is a minimum number, which must be adhered to by all schools (and all classes within a school), and in no sense should this number be regarded as a maximum for any school https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/M29_95.pdf

Following discussions with the Education Partners it was agreed as part of the accredited grades process, that post-primary schools would close on 28 May this year rather than 4 June in order to complete the work required on accredited grades.  

The Department would not wish to see a situation of further school closures or reductions of contact time for students before the 28 May, given both the significant loss of in-school time already experienced by students, including 3 additional holidays at Christmas and the specific measures that had been put in place in relation to work on the accredited grades.”

5. The National Parents Council Post Primary, NPCpp.

ACCS has been made aware of significant volumes of correspondence issuing to schools highlighting potential challenges within the NPCpp. It is regrettable that what appears to be internal challenges faced within the NPCpp are being addressed by some groups publicly. ACCS has been in contact with the Department of Education who have confirmed the NPCpp is the recognised parent body invited to participate in national stakeholder consultations. 

ACCS advises schools not to engage in what appears to be internal business of the NPCpp.

Is mise, Le mór mheas,

John Irwin, GENERAL SECRETARY.