Teachers are asked to use their professional judgement, drawing on existing records and available evidence, to arrive at a provisional estimated percentage mark for each student undertaking a Leaving Certificate programme.
The assessment of students’ learning should reflect the aims and learning outcomes of specifications and syllabuses as relevant.
In reaching their estimate in subjects with more than one component, teachers will have regard to the written examination and the additional component. The estimation will also take in to consideration the appropriate weightings for all of the components. Teachers will be asked to formally record their consideration of each component part. Teachers’ knowledge and experience of the curriculum and the examination are essential to this process of arriving at the estimated mark.
The range of evidence that teachers will draw on may include both formative and summative assessment activities undertaken, over the two years of study including those undertaken during periods of emergency remote learning in the current school year 2020/21. Teachers’ professional judgement should not be allowed to be influenced by a student’s behaviour (whether good or challenging), character, appearance, social class, ethnicity, or absences from school-based summative assessments due to illness, for example. It is important that aspects such as work habits and effort, homework, participation, attendance and punctuality are not conflated with achievement in the subject in question.
In coming to their judgements, teachers should draw on existing records and available evidence. It is important that the judgements are objective, and they should only take account of information about student performance. This will include the following, where available:
- Records of each student’s performance over the course of study including for example, assignments, projects and practical work and key assignments and practical work in the case of Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA)
- Performance on any class assessments, for example, tasks, questions, house or term examinations etc. taken over the course of study. Evidence of learning from the period of school closures in 2021 should be used. In using this evidence account must be taken of students whose circumstances made effective engagement with remote teaching and learning particularly difficult. Teachers should exercise great care in using evidence of learning from the period of school closure in 2020, especially if the teaching and learning experiences of students were very different at that time.
- Performance on any coursework component, even if this has not been fully completed including tasks in the case of LCA
- Any other relevant information related to student performance.
Teachers will review the information available for each class group during senior cycle. Data may be drawn from the results entered on the school’s administration software system, teachers’ own records and, if available, samples of students’ work that includes written qualitative feedback.
Results from summative assessments that are typically available include, for example: end-of-term reports for fifth and sixth-year, taking into account that these may have been conducted under variable conditions either formally in school or in an unsupervised remote environment. Teachers’ records of in-class assessments, for example: end-of-topic tests, continuous assessments, aural and oral assessments, presentations, project work, and/or coursework over the two years of study may also be considered.
Teachers should reach an “on-balance” judgement in relation to a student’s expected performance and an occasional dip or peak in a student’s performance should not be treated as indicative of overall performance.
Statistical or algorithmic models, such as those offered by commercial companies must not be used in the process of data analysis and review and the estimation of percentage marks.
Outcomes of formative assessments that can be considered to include, for example:
1. Observations of students’ learning and progression in lessons
2. Written formative feedback provided to students
3. Students’ demonstration of knowledge and key skills in the subject, including in the context of subjects with oral or other components their engagement with these aspects
In selecting summative assessments for consideration:
1. There should be evidence of the learning and assessment completed
2. Students should have been provided with feedback in relation to the work completed including for example: narrative written feedback, marks, percentage scores, grades, or descriptors
Following the return to school, teachers may set a limited number of additional assessments up to 14 May 2021.
It is important in the period leading up to the determination of estimated percentage marks that over-assessment is avoided and that an appropriate balance is achieved between formative and summative assessment.
Insofar as possible, during this period, teachers should maintain the modes of assessment and feedback that are familiar to students and that are consistent with the methodologies and approach that they would normally adopt at this stage of the year. The provision of feedback to students on completed assessments will be particularly important given the context of school closure periods where opportunities for the provision for feedback to students on their work varied. The feedback provided should be aligned to the type of assessment used, which means that it can include a formative comment, descriptor of achievement or a numeric indicator such as a mark or percentage.
Should a teacher set additional assessments up to 14 May, these assessments should be considered proportionately with other forms of evidence of the student’s learning over the programme.
If administering an in-class teacher-designed test, the test should be no more than one lesson in duration (maximum one hour) and a maximum of three class tests may be administered up to 14 May 2021. Examples of tests that may be administered are written, oral, aural or practical tests.
Assessment approaches used should:
1. Include ongoing formative assessment approaches mediated through typical classroom teaching and learning methodologies that check on progress and assist in identifying the next steps for progressing learning
2. Support students’ understanding of the feedback provided through the provision of success criteria
3. Ensure that learning is not unduly disrupted by students preparing for tests and frequent testing
4. Be free of influence by a parent/guardian, student or any other person as to its possible contribution to the SEC Accredited Grades*
5. Avoid being influenced by perceived assessment practices of other teachers and/or other schools.
Where relevant the method or format of the in-school assessment should be inclusive of students with special educational needs (SEN) and provide differentiated approaches to allow students with SEN to access the appropriate assessment mode and be adaptable to their particular context. These arrangements do not necessarily have to be identical to those provided during the certificate examinations, as the context and constraints are different, but will have been intended to achieve the same objective – to remove any access barriers that might stand in the way of a student being able to demonstrate what they know and can do.
More subject-specific advice and guidance on assessment approaches will be available in due course.
Information from the following should not be used:
- Self or peer-assessed work for which there is no oversight or role for the teacher in assessing the work completed.
- Short written class tests of less than one class period that assess a limited aspect of learning, for example, spelling or vocabulary tests.
Mock examinations (i.e. examinations involving full class groups sitting written examinations under conditions that mirror those of the certificate examinations) are neither required nor recommended for use as evidence for the Accredited Grades process. The period following the return to in-school teaching and learning should be used to maximise opportunities for teaching and learning with students.
*Additional information included in Student-teacher contact and the SEC Accredited Grades
Read the complete text version of A Guide to State Examinations and Accredited Grades for Leaving Certificate 2021 or download a pdf copy below:
