The general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Kieran Christie, has said that while the ASTI is pleased that the Leaving Cert has been “preserved”, he was concerned about the calculated grades process.
There were some logistics to the process that could not be “fed into a computer”, he told Newstalk Breakfast.
Some students had been determined to do “a proper” Leaving Cert, and they would now have that option, he said.
Mr Christie said he was glad that the ranking system from last year’s calculated grade process was gone. “Thankfully teachers don’t have to do that.” Students who were at the lower end of the ranking process could have been bitter about that, he added.
When asked about the reopening of schools, Mr Christie said the ASTI wanted schools to reopen as soon as possible, as safely as possible, but putting a date on the reopening was “unwise”.
Dates for reopening would have to come from other sources such as public health experts, he said, but the numbers and the indications were positive.
“The Minister has given dates in the past and has had to row back. I’m not going to fall into the same trap.”
Meanwhile, the president of the ASTI Ann Piggott has said that while her members were glad that students were “relieved and happy and have clarity” about the Leaving Certificate, the union had ongoing reservations about the proposed methods for teachers to calculate grades.
When asked when the ASTI, which represents 18,500 teachers, would respond to the new Leaving Cert plans, Ms Piggott said she would consult with the union’s executive about cooperation with the new system, a decision could be made in a matter of days. The union did not want any more stress on students, she told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
Reservations
The ASTI had “always” had reservations about a calculated grades system and that remained the position, she said, so the union was glad that an alternative option of a traditional Leaving Cert was being offered.
Ms Piggott said that her union favoured orals and project work being assessed externally to “ground” the results and to give “credibility or raise it up in a way.”
The union was concerned that students would not be motivated in the coming months if they opted for calculated grades, she said, and there was the challenge for teachers of having two cohorts in the classroom – one group studying for the traditional Leaving Cert while the other group had opted for calculated grades.
