John Walshe: Time to rekindle switched-off youngsters' love of learning [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 March 2010
THE Junior Cert exam is little more than a 'dry run' for the Leaving for most students at present.
It's what the educational experts call a 'low-stakes' exam, with limited value.
And it clearly does not bother students too much until third year when, as one of them told ESRI researchers last year: "You've to knuckle down."
More worrying, however, is the finding from the same ESRI study that most students make no progress in reading and maths in the first year of secondary school, while some actually go backwards.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
