Junior Cycle Assessment

Ongoing Assessment

Assessment in junior cycle is changing to recognise and value the different types of learning that take place in schools. Students are at the centre of teaching, learning and assessment. This will allow for a more rounded assessment of the education of each young person, enable students to express their learning and provide them with opportunities to grow and flourish as learners. The areas highlighted below outline how changes in assessment will be seen across the three years of junior cycle.

Classroom Based Assessments

In 2^nd and 3^rd Year, students will undertake a Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) in each subject.  The purpose of the CBA is to provide students and parents with a snapshot of their learning and understanding of specific skills at one moment in time  The tasks can cover a broad range of activities including oral presentations, written work of different types, practical or designing and making activities, artistic performances, scientific experiments, projects or other suitable tasks. A particular purpose of the Classroom-Based Assessments will be to facilitate developmental feedback to student.

The results of each of these assessments will be reported using one of the final descriptors:

• Exceptional
• Above Expectations
• In line with Expectations
• Yet to meet Expectations

CBA Calendar 2022-2023

Assessment Task

NCCA revised arrangements for the cohort of students 2019 – 2022 states that:

"In the exceptional circumstances arising from school closures and remote teaching and learning, students in 3rd year 2021/22 will not be required to complete Assessment Tasks."

 Project Work

Some subjects may have project work that make form a large part of their overall grade. In some subjects the project work may replace the Assessment Task and/or the exam in June. The State Examinations Commission assesses this work.

Junior Cycle Examination

At the end of 3^rd Year, students will take the Junior Cycle Examination.  The grades will be:

• Distinction - 90 to 100%
• Higher Merit - 75 to 89%
• Merit - 55 to 74%
• Achieved - 40 to 54%
• Partially Achieved - 20 to 39%
• Not Graded - 0 to 19%

English, Gaeilge and Mathematics will have two levels, higher and ordinary.  Gaeilge and Mathematics classes will be divided at the end of 1^st Year into higher and ordinary level groups.  All other subjects will be studied in mixed-ability groups.

 Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement

In Transition Year, students will be presented with a Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA). As well as the State Examinations results, this will also give details of the Subject Descriptors achieved, the CBA Descriptors achieved in each of 2^nd and 3^rd Year and will reference additional achievements in the three year programme as identified by students. The following is a sample JCPA: