A proposal to award CAO points to students who secure less than 40 per cent in higher-level Leaving Certificate exams has been criticised as a dumbing down exercise. Advocates argue that it will encourage students to aim for higher levels while providing them with some protection in the event of their falling short.
Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan will bring proposals to Cabinet this week that, if adopted, will affect fifth year students from September. The most contentious change involves granting points for a score of 30 per cent or more in a higher-level paper. Points for ordinary papers will not change. The ABC grading system will, however, be replaced by different bands. The new marking system – influenced by higher-level results – is expected to facilitate discrimination between students at entry to third level. This change reflects the growing number of places being allocated by random selection and may facilitate the development of a smaller number of entry routes to university.
Reform of the points system has been under review for many years. Its critics maintain that it tends to discourage individual thinking, while favouring cramming and rote learning. Three years ago, in an attempt to reverse a dramatic drop in the number of science and engineering students at third level, additional points were offered to those taking honours maths. It worked. But the change also provided honours maths students with an advantage in securing places outside of those disciplines.
Efforts to reduce the pressure on students from one-shot exams, through the limited introduction of continuous assessment at Intermediate Level, have been vigorously opposed by teachers. While those attitudes prevail, reforms may be limited to exam marking. The current stand-off will, effectively, perpetuate rote learning and a narrow curriculum focus. Granting special recognition to struggling honours students is an intervention that may, however, have unintended consequences. The entire system requires a radical overhaul.