Minister Lays Out 'Way Forward' For NI Education

Education Minister John O'Dowd has announced plans for the future of primary, post-primary, GSCE and A-Level education in Northern Ireland.

The announcement follows the publication of a report on evaluation and assessment in the education system carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Minister said he had accepted all 49 recommendations of a CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) review into qualifications, the most significant of which is a move to allow local schools to deliver courses in either linear or modular form; a choice that will no longer exist in England or Wales.

"I do not intend to restrict schools here to qualifications offered by CCEA or WJEC; schools will continue to be free to choose exam specifications from other awarding organisations provided those organisations can satisfy us that they meet the requirements of our curriculum," he said.

"The one exception to this will be qualifications in English at GCSE, which will only be considered valid if they include, as an integral part of the award, the assessment of speaking and listening."

Mr O'Dowd also said Northern Ireland would retain the current grading system of A*-G, as opposed to the 1-to-9 proposed in England.

The Minister extolled the potential benefits of having a locally developed assessment at the start of the academic year in primary school, as noted in the OECD report. He has decided that Computer Based Assessment (CBA) should continue on a voluntary basis in the short-term.

"The practice of having this sort of universal, formative assessment in primary school, mapped to our own curriculum and delivered at the start of the academic year, is noted with approval by the OECD, so the policy is sound," the Minister said.

"But it follows that a sound policy is no good if its implementation is not up to scratch. Therefore our challenge is not to walk away but to move forward and address these issues head on."

On assessment at the end of Key Stages 1 to 3, the Minister said: "I want officials to continue their engagement with teachers and their representatives to discuss and develop the practice of pupil assessment within the context of the agreed Levels of Progression.

"Given this ongoing commitment to dialogue, I would ask teachers' unions to reconsider the need for continued industrial action in opposition to assessment arrangements that have been acknowledged at an international level as being 'sound and congruent with European practice'."

Minister O'Dowd continued: "The challenge of measuring the wider value of schooling is one that is being grappled with in many countries – and with varying degrees of success. However, we have already shown ourselves to be capable of coming up with approaches to assessment and school improvement that are among the best in the world and I think we are up to that challenge."

(IT)