According to science instructors, the majority of educational institutions are inadequately prepared to implement forthcoming updates to the Leaving Certificate format, stipulating that laboratory research projects should contribute 40% to students’ grades. These modifications, targeting senior cycle students and encompassing subjects such as Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, are set to be intiated in schools from September 2025.
The reforms are designed to reside antecedent allusions to primary written exams in students’ final year, and intend to diversify their assessment methods. However, the Irish Science Teachers’ Association has registered concerns to Education Minister Norma Foley, about whether schools possess ample resources to accommodate these changes successfully.
A survey involving 320 teachers divulged that a substantial majority (82%) feel under-resourced in supporting these changes, citing limited access to laboratories, a lack of laboratory technicians, and insufficient equipment availability. The report warns that implementing such elements may affect the time laboratories are available for other programmes, such as the Junior Cycle, transition year students, and even extracurricular activities like the BT Young Scientist Exhibition.
The prospective changes are incorporated in preliminary curriculum guidelines for Leaving Cert subjects, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The draft has been compiled by the curriculum board. It was also highlighted that more than 90% of tutors were unhappy about allocating 40% of grades to research projects. Teachers predominantly suggested decreasing this to 20% or possibly 10%.
The association’s report indicates that such an intense emphasis on grades may lead to additional stress on educators and learners alike and potentially encourages cheating through AI and other tools. The clarity of learning outcomes in the draft curriculum for physics, chemistry, and biology were also questioned and teachers proposed a list of mandatory student lab investigations that should be conducted during the course.
The association has suggested a trial period, lasting several years, during which research investigation grades are lowered to 20% or even 10%. It also advocates for financial support to guarantee every school possesses the necessary laboratory facilities and instruments as well as technical help from laboratory technicians.
If requisite funding is not supplied, alternative assessment methods are recommended, including an oral test or grading based on evidence of practical work in the students’ lab workbooks.
Minister Foley has formerly expressed that the proposed adjustments aim to alleviate student stress, therefore ensuring that students’ academic outcomes will not rely solely on their performance on the written Leaving Cert examinations held on a particular day.
When quizzed if all schools will enjoy the same level of accessibility to lab equipment, her reply was candid. She admitted that not all changes can be made instantly, but underscored the firm commitment to ensuring that schools offering new subjects will obtain the necessary support to tackle the emerging challenges these new subjects entail.
As Minister, she has continuously received feedback from secondary level students expressing their desire for an expanded range of subjects and a reduction in academic pressure. This feedback has been instrumental in the development of new specifications for senior cycle subjects with additional assessable components, ensuring that a student’s final grade will not be dictated solely by their performance on the exams in June.