ASTI to instigate dispute process mechanisms over senior cycle reforms
Meeting in Killarney the union's executive agreed to, "in the first instance", seek resolution of the issues of concern to teachers by invoking dispute resolution mechanisms available to them under the current Public Service Agreement.
"The pressing concerns of teachers include the exacerbation of inequalities for students, the lack of adequate infrastructural supports and human resources in many schools, and developments in AI which create substantial authentication issues for new Leaving Cert Additional Assessment Components, among others," ASTI president Donal Cremin said.
Under changes due to be introduced from this coming September, at least 40% of Leaving Certificate students final marks will be awarded for projects carried out during the school year, called Additional Assessment Components. The terminal June exams will be worth just 60% of marks or less in the case of some subjects.
The first subjects to experience the shift include the three main science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. They are among 7 subjects for which the change will be introduced this September for incoming 5th year students.
Earlier this month, ASTI members voted to reject the document Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures by 68% to 32%. The results came in a ballot with a particularly high turnout of 73%.
The document contained measures designed to assuage teachers.
Just over two-thirds of ASTI members also voted in favour of industrial action, if necessary, up to and including strike action, in the event of rejection of the support measures.
The union has not ruled out industrial action.
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RTÉ News
25-06-2025
- RTÉ News
ASTI to instigate dispute process mechanisms over senior cycle reforms
Second level teachers' union the ASTI has said it will instigate dispute process mechanisms to seek to advance the "significant" concerns of teachers regarding senior cycle redevelopment. Meeting in Killarney the union's executive agreed to, "in the first instance", seek resolution of the issues of concern to teachers by invoking dispute resolution mechanisms available to them under the current Public Service Agreement. "The pressing concerns of teachers include the exacerbation of inequalities for students, the lack of adequate infrastructural supports and human resources in many schools, and developments in AI which create substantial authentication issues for new Leaving Cert Additional Assessment Components, among others," ASTI president Donal Cremin said. Under changes due to be introduced from this coming September, at least 40% of Leaving Certificate students final marks will be awarded for projects carried out during the school year, called Additional Assessment Components. The terminal June exams will be worth just 60% of marks or less in the case of some subjects. The first subjects to experience the shift include the three main science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. They are among 7 subjects for which the change will be introduced this September for incoming 5th year students. Earlier this month, ASTI members voted to reject the document Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures by 68% to 32%. The results came in a ballot with a particularly high turnout of 73%. The document contained measures designed to assuage teachers. Just over two-thirds of ASTI members also voted in favour of industrial action, if necessary, up to and including strike action, in the event of rejection of the support measures. The union has not ruled out industrial action.
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert economics: A ‘great paper' with topical questions
A 'very topical' higher-level economics paper featured a broad mix of macro and micro questions, but students hoping for high marks needed to have studied the full course, teachers have said. Rob Quinlan, an economics teacher at the Institute of Education, said that the paper drew on topics such as GP numbers, pension auto-enrolment, hospitality closures, sustainability, the increased price of chocolate and international trade. 'Students who are alert to the unfolding events and economic discussions happening beyond the classroom will find that every chapter has real context, a real place in people's lives,' Mr Quinlan said. Pádraig Murphy, ASTI subject representative for economics and a teacher at St Declan's College in Cabra, said that students liked the topicality of the paper. READ MORE 'It was a fair paper that rewarded people who worked hard and kept up to date with current affairs,' he said. Section A Mr Quinlan said that section A was short questions that skewed slightly towards microeconomics. 'This will have favoured students who find the material more conducive to quick, direct answers, with staple concepts like cost benefit analysis, Germany's hosting of the Euro 2024 tournament, inflation and the minimum wage,' said Mr Quinlan. The only really tricky twist in this section occurred in question eight (B) which asked about 'greenwashing' and market failure. 'While the concepts are not themselves hard, the layout of the question was essentially a reverse-engineered version of the typical approach where students need to state the definitions. This will push those looking for the highest grades to sit back and reconfigure their approaches,' said Mr Quinlan. Section B 'The longer questions of section B were all rooted in important new topics but required a really broad knowledge of the course. If you had hoped to get away with only learning a select few chapters, you'll have found the scope of this paper tough. 'Q11 on health insurance and healthcare provision was a perfect balance of topics and scales that tested students' grasp of the full spectrum of factors at play in this pressing issue. 'Q12 on GDP and GNI was interesting in its emphasis on the latter as it was a good way to show the influence of multinationals on Ireland's economy. GNI also appears in Q13 in the context of international aid and the Official Development Fund (ODA). 'Q14's tech focus not only reflected key news stories (eg Amazon's expansion) but tasked students with considering more novel areas like Ireland's market economy in agriculture and sports. This was paired with fairly standard questions on supply and demand, as well as a gig economy that was similar to 2021,' said Mr Quinlan. Mr Quinlan said that question 15 on housing prices and mortgage relief will surely be familiar from discussions both in and out of the classroom. Question 16 focused on the topical issue of hospitality sector closures. 'This shows that a student looking to really succeed in the exams needs to keep an eye on what is happening in the world around them, as that is as good an indicator of what to expect as past papers.,' said Mr Quinlan. 'Overall, this was a great paper for those who really grasped how important economics is to their lives in the country and the world on the whole.' On the ordinary level paper, Mr Murphy said that it was balanced, fair and appropriately pitched.
Irish Examiner
12-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Department must respect decisions from ASTI
As a post-primary teacher, I am writing to express my concern regarding the accelerated timeline of the senior cycle redevelopment programme. I strongly urge education minister Helen McEntee to pause this acceleration and not to penalise ASTI members who have voted overwhelmingly (68% to 32%, 73% turnout) to reject the senior cycle redevelopment implementation support measures. In a separate ballot, ASTI members also voted 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action if necessary. This is a powerful signal of the profession's genuine and widespread concern. ASTI's position is based on well-researched and well-documented realities. Many schools, especially Deis and smaller rural schools, currently lack the capacity and resourcing to deliver such wide-ranging changes effectively. Teachers are being asked to take on significantly increased workload without adequate training, time, or infrastructure. The risks of insufficient authentication of additional assessment components (AACs), challenges around AI, and inequality of provision are very real and have not been sufficiently addressed. The department of education's press release outlines several measures, but these do not address the core issues raised by teachers. Moreover, the decision to accelerate this reform by a full year under Ms McEntee's predecessor has created deep mistrust. Teachers were not consulted on this change of pace, which is being imposed on a system already under strain. The current approach risks harming the very students it is meant to serve. Science, in particular, is already under-resourced in many schools, and introducing new specifications under these conditions will result in a postcode lottery of educational quality. 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