The current Junior Certificate examination process is to be phased out over the next 8 years.

It will be replaced with continuous assessments and a test carried out by individual schools rather than a State exam.

The radical shake-up of the system was announced by the Education Minister Ruairi Quinn this afternoon.

It was drawn up by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

Under the proposals most students will generally take no fewer than 8 subjects and no more than 10 full subjects in the new junior cycle.

Students can also substitute 2 short courses for one full subject – allowing options such as Chinese or Physical Education or Digital Media Literacy to be taken.

Schools will also be able to offer their own short courses in accordance with specifications from the NCCA.

The new system will come in on a phased basis with English being the first subject to be introduced to 1st year students in 2014.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will be involved in the assessment of English, Irish and Maths in the initial years.

The SEC and the NCCA will also provide materials to schools to assist in on-going assessment of students’ progress and achievement.

Minister Quinn explains more of the plan.

Read the report in full href="http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Curriculum-and-Syllabus/A-Framework-for-Junior-Cycle-Full-Report.pdf">here

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