For all 3rd Year Students/Parents/Guardians:
- Schools have been told to do their own way of grading your work in each subject for the Junior Cert this year.
- This will be made up: an “Assessment” (fancy word for a mini-test) which will take place through Google Classroom in the last 2 weeks of May, your Mock result from pre-Easter, and some other work or pieces of work that you have done already. This work could be October mid-term test results, project work, CBA result, essays, Summer 2nd Year test results and so on.. there are lots of pieces of work you have done in the last 2 years that teachers have kept the record of and can add in. Each teacher will explain what happens in their subject to you next week.
- You have the chance to speak with teachers next week in “live classes” through Google Classrooms. That timetable will be sent later today and will be up on the website too.
- You will finish 3rd Year on 29th May and we will get your report to you as soon as we can given the current Coronavirus restrictions.
- The Government will also give you a certificate in September/October which states you have finished Junior Cycle.
Coronavirus / Covid-19
Responding to the Crisis
Contingency for Junior Certificate Students 2020
Communication to Parents/Guardians regarding Junior Certificate
Dear Parents and Guardians Date: 1st May 2020
We hope you and your loved ones are well and coping as best as you can in these extraordinary times. Understandably, recent weeks have been very challenging for everyone, and particularly, students in Third Year and Sixth Year. It is hard to believe that schools have been closed since
13 March 2020 with no clarity as to when they will be allowed to reopen for students.
Important information for Third Year Students – Junior Certificate 2020
The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD announced on 10 April 2020 that a decision had been made to cancel the Junior Certificate examinations which were due to take place in June 2020. He then made a further announcement on the 29th of April 2020 outlining that for each student, certification will involve two elements:
- A State Certificate of completion of Junior Cycle from the Department of Education and Skills. Students should receive a State Certification that they have completed three years of Junior Cycle education in a number of subjects/priority learning units. This certification will be provided by the Department of Education and Skills.
- A School Report setting out the learning achievements of students in Junior Cycle. Students should receive a written report on the broad range of learning that they have achieved in each subject, short course and/or priority learning unit at the end of Junior Cycle. This assessment of their learning will be provided by their teachers. Schools will have autonomy in how this assessment is to be arrived at and the format in which the report is provided.
CDETB School Principals together with the Chief Executive, Carol Hanney and the Director of Schools, Paul Crone, have decided that, in the interests of student welfare, examinations in September should be avoided so as to allow students to enjoy the summer holidays and take a break from study and revision. As such, school based assessment will be conducted in line with the Ministers guidelines by the end of this term – Friday 29th May 2020. This will also allow for the minimum level of disruption to the beginning of the new school year in autumn.
Assessment
Minister McHugh stated,
“The assessment of students’ learning achievements in each subject will take place at school level and will be based on the teacher’s professional knowledge of each student’s learning. Schools will have autonomy to choose the most appropriate form of school-based assessments to put in place for the third-year cohort of 2019/20.”
The proposal for the assessment of your child is outlined in the box below and has been agreed following consultation with staff. Recognition of previous work, engagement with teachers, assignments, tasks, projects, essay style questions, presentations and school designed exams may be used to determine grades for the school report and are outlined in our proposal below.
School report to students
Students and their parents/guardians will receive a written report of the assessment of the student’s learning in each subject.
This report will include the provision of grades or descriptors. It may also detail separately the descriptors awarded to classroom-based assessments (CBAs) where appropriate.
Where relevant, the report will detail other aspects of other achievements completed by students.
The report will be provided to you as soon as possible after the 29th of May.
State Certification
The Department of Education and Skills will provide each student with a certificate indicating the completion of the Junior Cycle programme of study.
This certificate will be provided in the Autumn 2020.
Schedule for Third Year students until 29 May 2020
· All students will receive an email in the school email account Friday 1st May 2020 with this letter and briefly outlining the process.
· This information will also be put up on the school website.
· Teachers will start to inform students through the “Google Classroom” from Tuesday 5th May what their plan is in their individual subject regarding the “End of May Assessment” and the breakdown of the final mark.
· Students will have the chance to speak to their teachers in online live classes next week Tuesday 5th May – Friday 8th May.
· School management will be working to making sure all students receive this information and all students have the chance to complete their “End of May Assessment”.
· Student will have until Monday 18th May to prepare/study for the “End of May Assessment”.
· A timetable will be sent to students and put up on the website by Tuesday 12th May of the Assessment dates for all subjects and assessments will start from Monday 18th May.
· The last assessment will take place on Friday 29th May and students will then have completed 3rd Year officially.
· Reports will be put together and sent to homes as soon as the Covid19 circumstances allow us.
· The Department of Education will also produce a certificate for all 3rd Years stating that they have completed their Junior Cert and this certificate will be sent to students in Autumn – i.e. after the start of the new school year.
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Students can contact their teachers through email regarding any questions they may have relating to the subject and the assessment that will take place.
As always myself and Ms Mulderrig are available to answer any queries you may have – you may reach us by emailing [email protected] or going to www.presentationcollege.ie , clicking on “Contact” and filling in and sending the query to us.
Regards
T Brown
Principal