Heads or tails: the relationship between curriculum and assessment in Irish post-primary education

Abstract

Assessment is often described as the tail that wags the curriculum dog. Curriculum has featured more prominently than assessment in Irish scholarship. Drawing on relevant policy documents and interviews with senior National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and State Examinations Commission (SEC) officers, and relevant documentation, the author attempts to redress this imbalance. The Irish curriculum/ assessment relationship was characterised by strict Department of Education control for some sixty years. The education partners became involved during the 1980s, culminating in the establishment of the statutory NCCA in 2002. Meanwhile, the Department of Education’s Examinations Branch was replaced by the statutory SEC. Issues arising from these developments and from the changing external environment are considered, including: increased NCCA/SEC collaboration; the evolution of curriculum culture including the shift from subject syllabuses (focused on subject content), to curriculum specifications (focusing on learning outcomes); assessment criteria; content and performance standards; marking schemes and assessment grids; pre-ordained grade boundaries and the use of attainment referencing to maintain standards from year to year. The discussion considers the pros and cons of learning outcomes, the impact of high-stakes examinations on student learning, and the role of the teacher as professional in the assessment of students for national certification.