Special needs pupils should sit new exam [independent.ie]
- Published: 08 April 2009
Source: independent.ie
By Katherine Donnelly
Wednesday April 08 2009
An alternative Junior Certificate for pupils with mild to moderate learning disabilities is under discussion by government education advisers.
It would apply to certain students with little or no chance of attaining the traditional Junior Cert qualification .
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is considering a special learning programme with a qualification rated at a level below the Junior Cert.
The need for an alternative is becoming increasingly evident as more pupils with special needs enrol in mainstream schools, although some are in special schools.
Some of these students may participate in the Junior Cert cycle, but if they do not take the exam, there is no other qualification available to them.
The proposed new programme would not apply to all students with special needs, but a minority in the moderate to lower functioning learning disability spectrum.
The NCCA advises that it will require money and other resources but warns, "while the practical and policy implications are very significant so are the needs of the group of students in question". At any one time there would be fewer than 1,000 such students in second-level education.
In a preliminary discussion paper, the NCCA notes that in the 20 years since the introduction of the Junior Cert, the profile of students has changed, reflecting a greater diversity of learning needs.
Legislative and policy changes in the area of special education had given rise to the issue of equality and entitlements for students with special educational needs, it states.
With the greater diversity, principals can identify students who need concerted support in personal, social and vocational development and who would find it impossible to attain the learning outcomes associated with the Junior Cert.
The rate of progress of such students, many of whom will be the subject of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) may be slower and the level they can expect to reach is generally lower than that attained by their peers.
It highlights a need to focus on the individual learning needs of such students and seek to achieve a balance between providing a broad and balanced curriculum and a curriculum appropriate to their specific needs.
However, the NCCA acknowledges that this would be a challenge, particularly for mainstream schools, which are structured, scheduled and organised to meet the needs of groups of students rather than individuals.
The paper stresses the importance for these students to attain a qualification that would be nationally recognised, placed in the 10 point National Qualification Framework and designed to offer progression in education.
The Junior Cert is a level three in that scale, and the NCCA has suggested the alternative programme be awarded a level two, equivalent to the existing Further Education Training and Awards Council (FETAC) level two award.
The NCCA says that its proposals would "make a significant contribution to inclusive education and, for the students in question, would offer a nationally recognised qualification at junior cycle for the first time.
The NCCA plans to work with schools and other relevant educational settings and FETAC to prepare a more extensive discussion paper.
- Katherine Donnelly
