“As Ireland has begun to open up again, with restrictions being cautiously lowered, universities have begun to solidify their approach to the semester, heading into a new academic year with an overall trend of much more in-person learning and on-campus activities …” (more)
[Julia Bochenek, Trinity News, 11 October]
“… The reason for this inflation is obvious: The department of education, fearful that it would be blamed by some parents if their children did not do well in the context of a year of school closures, instructed that those marking the examinations should take the lockdown and the impact of school closures into account. Formally and informally, up and down the examinations process, political pressure was exerted to make sure that people’s ‘hard work’ was recognised and rewarded. The result is record high marks. But of course, record high marks have disastrous consequences …” (more)
[John McGuirk, Gript, 9 September]
“Leaving Cert grades look set to return to more normal levels in next year’s exams, down from record highs of the past two years. Minister for Education Norma Foley said on Wednesday that a return to more traditional assessments next year, without school-estimated grades, is likely to see a return to more normal patterns of achievement …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 September]
“Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of plans to reform the leaving certificate exams; her engagement with the State Examinations Commission in respect of same; and if she envisages a blended and or option for continued assessment to become a permanent choice for students …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 1 July]
“Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the possible challenges facing leaving certificate students in accessing entry to universities outside of Ireland and the UK arising from the later than the usual date of issuing of leaving certificate results; the plans she has in place to ensure that concerned students will not be affected by the late issuing of their results; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 15 June]
“New college places to be created this year will be enough to offset the potential effect accredited grades and increased demand will have on this year’s race for courses. That is according to Education Minister Norma Foley, speaking ahead of the Leaving Certificate exams getting underway tomorrow …” (more)
[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 8 June]
“Tens of thousands of college applicants are due to receive CAO first round offers four days after the Leaving Cert results are released. The Central Applications Office (CAO) confirmed on Friday that offers will be made available online at 2pm on Tuesday, September 7th. Applicants will have just under a week to accept any offers …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 4 June]
“Tens of thousands of Leaving Cert students will have to wait until early September before receiving their results and CAO offers. Minister for Education Norma Foley has confirmed that students will be able to access their results online on Friday, September 3rd. It is likely that CAO round one offers for college applicants will follow shortly afterwards in the week beginning Monday, September 6th …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 2 June]
“The teaching of foreign languages is to be introduced to primary schools from third class onwards on a pilot basis. The ‘language sampler module’ will be targeted at third- to sixth-class pupils in more than 100 primary and special schools …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 May]
“The Teachers Union of Ireland has welcomed a move to allow Leaving Certificate grades to be withheld from students in the event of lobbying, a sanction already available in cases of suspected cheating. Legislation being brought to Cabinet by Minister for Education Norma Foley on Tuesday will provide for the sanction where officials decide teachers have been lobbied to influence the accredited grades system …” (more)
[Mark Hilliard, Irish Times, 19 April]
“Leaving Cert pupils will not get their results if parents or others lobby teachers in the hope of influencing the marks they award for the accredited-grades process. Canvassing will be officially prohibited under proposed legislation Education Minister Norma Foley is bringing before Cabinet tomorrow for approval …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 19 April]
“There is a pressing need to bring the Leaving Certificate and senior cycle ‘forward into the 21st century’, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said. Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), she said the Leaving Cert has come to dominate the entire senior-cycle experience …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 April]
“The Minister for Education has lost her appeals over findings two home-schooled students were unfairly and unlawfully excluded from the Leaving Certificate calculated grades process. In a 127-page judgment on Tuesday, the three judge Court of Appeal (COA), comprising Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, Ms Justice Mary Faherty and Ms Justice Una Ní Raifeartaigh dismissed the appeals concerning High Court findings in separate cases by the two students …” (more)
[Mary Carolan, Irish Times, 9 March]
“Anyone who tries to lobby a teacher in the hope of achieving favourable grades for a Leaving Cert student this year will be breaking the law. It is one of the measures to be included in legislation being introduced to support the twin-track approach to assessing 63,000 school-leavers in 2021. Lobbying by parents and students was actively discouraged last year and principals were advised to report any such incidents to the education authorities …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 18 February]
“This year’s Junior Cert exams for 60,000 students look likely to be cancelled after education authorities confirmed that it will not be possible to hold the exams alongside the Leaving Cert in June. It seems likely that alternative assessment arrangements will be implemented for Junior Cert students this year, in a similar manner to last year, according to a number of well-placed sources …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 16 February]
“Intensive talks between the Government and teacher unions will continue on Monday in a bid to find agreement on this year’s Leaving Cert State exam. Both sides held confidential discussions throughout the weekend, but Government sources said there was no certainty that agreement could be reached in time for Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting …” (more)
[Jennifer Bray, Sarah Burns, Simon Carswell and Anne Lucey, Irish Times, 15 February]
“The Government says it is determined to press ahead with planning for the Leaving Cert this year, with or without the agreement of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI). Despite the union’s decision to pull out of planning talks for the exams this week, a spokesman for Minister for Education Norma Foley said planning will continue this weekend as the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to disrupt the Leaving Cert for a second year …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 13 February]
“Fresh talks aimed at resolving a row over plans for the Leaving Cert exams are due to begin on Friday between the Minister for Education and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI). The union’s decision to pull out of confidential discussions over the exams on Thursday threatened to derail the Government’s plans to provide clarity for tens of thousand of students early next week …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 11 February]
“More than 550 students who sat the postponed Leaving Cert are to receive improved CAO offers this week on foot of securing improved grades in the written exams. A total of 2,000 students who sat the Leaving Cert written exams in November and December received their results last week. Almost 40% of grades achieved were higher than those given through the calculated grade process …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 7 February]
“Education Minister Norma Foley has announced a two-track approach to the Leaving Cert. It will involve exams and a second, non-exam process, the details of which have to be worked out …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 5 February]
