Gaeilge

Follow-on review of the early implementation of the Junior Cycle Irish Specifications T1 and T2

Arising from the feedback from the Early Enactment Review of Junior Cycle Irish L1 and L2, NCCA Council has prioritised a follow-on review that will gather more detailed feedback on schools' experiences of working with the T1 and T2 specifications. The research will focus on the cohort of students who commenced Junior Cycle in September 2023.

This follow-up review will pay particular attention to:

·        exploring practical ways through which students are developing confidence and capacity to speak and interact with others in Irish 

·        exploring perspectives on how oral Irish language skills are supported, developed and assessed (including creative and engaging ways of assessing this learning)

·        the pedagogies used by teachers to enact the learning outcomes of the T1 and T2 specifications

·        approaches which are inclusive of all students who are learning Irish.

Following a competitive tendering process, the NCCA commissioned a team of researchers from SEALBHÚ: DCU's Research Centre for Irish Language Learning and Teaching to undertake mixed methods, multi-dimensional research.

(Infographic to submit here)

Phase One 2023/2024: Focus groups/interviews with teachers and other school professionals, on-site in case study schools or on DCU zoom. 

Phase Two 2024/2025: Anonymous online survey for teachers (#1) in all post-primary schools and face-to-face focus groups with students in case study schools.

Phase Three 2025/2026: Anonymous online survey (#2) for teachers in all post-primary schools, face-to-face focus groups with students in case study schools, focus groups/interviews with teachers and other school professionals in case study schools, anonymous survey with parents/guardians in case study schools and written submissions from invited stakeholders. 

The main questions that will guide the research are:

1. What are teachers and students experiences of the implementation of the Junior Cycle Irish specifications (T1 and T2) in the areas of teaching, learning and assessment and what are their opinions regarding this?

2. What are stakeholders' experiences of the supports available in relation to the implementation of and provision for the specifications, and what obstacles, if any, exist? 

3. Does the implementation of the specifications align with the rationale and aims of the updated specifications for Junior Cycle Irish (T1 and T2), and the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) more braodly?

If you have questions about the research, please contact: sealbhu@dcu.ie (Subject Line: T1/T2 Research Project). Updates on the project can be followed @sealbhu and on this page.

The Junior Cycle Irish Specifications T1 and T2 are available by clicking here.

Revised versions of the Junior Cycle Irish Specifications T1 and T2 were published in September 2023. Amendments were made to the T1 and T2 specifications in response to feedback from the Early Enactment Review of Junior Cycle Irish T1 and T2. The revised specifications apply to the cohort of students who commenced first year in 2022 and to each cohort of students thereafter.

Summary of key amendments:

Key amendments to literature

There is a reduction in the minimum volume of literature to be engaged with across the three years of junior cycle. Full information on the minimum amount of literature to be discussed by students is available on page 18 of the T1 specification and on page 17 of the T2 specification.

CBA 1: Language Portfolio

CBA 1 will now take place in second year in line with all other junior cycle subjects.

CBA2: Interacting through Irish

A review of CBA 2 for T1 and T2 was undertaken by the NCCA and CBA2 was reimagined with input from teachers. This change applies to first year students who commenced junior cycle in September 2022, and to all subsequent student cohorts.

These amendments seek to respond to feedback from teachers and students on the need to place greater emphasis on conversational Irish, with less focus on spoken production and more focus on spoken interaction.

Amendments were also made to the Assessment Guidelines for T1 and T2.

Literature lists for second and third year:

Revised Prescribed Material for Junior Cycle Irish (T1 and T2) has been issued by the Department of Education. Circular 0086/2024 supercedes the texts prescribed in Circular 0015/2023.

Circular 0086/2024 can be accessed by clicking here.

Lists of recommended texts for First Year:

Revised lists of recommended texts for First Year (T1 and T2) are to be implemented from September 2025 onwards.

New subject specifications for Junior Cycle Irish T1 and T2 were introduced in schools in September 2017 as part of Phase 3 of the introduction of new subject specifications. SEALBHÚ (DCU) conducted an early insights review between February and June 2022 on behalf of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The purpose of the early enactment review was to collect feedback on the following key issues:

• How well the specifications get to the heart of the learning aspired to within Junior Cycle Irish, L1 and L2 and more broadly within the Framework for Junior Cycle?
• The classroom-based assessments outlined within the specifications, as experienced by students and teachers.
• The many ways teachers are using their professional judgements to mediate the new specifications in their schools and classrooms.
• Experience of students and teachers of differentiated provision at Junior Cycle level.
• Perspectives on the transition from Junior Cycle Irish to Senior Cycle Irish for this cohort and future cohorts.
• Other topics that emerged in the research.

Report on the Early Enactment Review of Junior Cycle Irish T1 and T2

Note detailing the main changes to Junior Cycle Irish T1 and T2

Background Paper:

The Background Paper and Brief for Irish which was approved by NCCA Council for public consultation in October 2013 can be found here.

Background Paper for Irish

The development of the subject specification is informed by the Information Document. A brief account is given of Irish as a school subject and of the developments which have influenced the shaping of the subject over the years. Topics discussed include:

• responses to the current syllabus
• objectives for the teaching and learning of Irish
• developments in other countries that would be comparable in a way to Irish.

Subsequently, the proposed direction for the development of the specification is set out in the Brief.

Draft Specification:

In February 2015 the NCCA Council approved the draft specification for Irish for consultation.

A public consultation was held from March 2015 to May 2015. Feedback led to a decision to build on the consultation until October 2015 to allow for a deeper examination and reflection on the direction of provision itself.

The draft specification from 2015 can be found here.

Draft Specification for Irish

Development Group:

The Development Group for Irish plays a key role in shaping the NCCA's advice to the Minister for Education and Skills regarding the curriculum specification for Junior Cycle Irish. To this end, the remits and timeline as set out at Council level are adhered to by:

• providing opinions on a range of draft documents, and by improving them
• ensuring that the nominating organisations are kept informed of issues and developments
• ensuring that the views/policies of the nominating organisations are represented when the matter is discussed
• supporting the consultation processes at key stages of the development process

Consultation Process:

The Draft Specification for Irish was approved by the Council for consultation in February 2015. The consultation process was launched in March and continued until May 2015. Feedback was sought from the education and Irish language stakeholders as well as the general public in various ways through the process, namely:

• online questionnaire
• consultation event
• focus groups with second level students
• focus groups with ITE (third level) students (Initial Teacher Education)
• written submissions.

The consultation process was launched on 12 March 2015 with a consultation event in Dublin Castle and continued until May 2015.

A Consultation Report has been compiled which is available below.

Feedback from the Consultation:

This consultation established the importance of supporting teachers in dealing with challenges and pedagogical changes that may be faced when enacting the specification if the aims and vision of the specification are to be achieved.

There was also a strong emphasis on the importance of continuity for Irish language learners from primary to post-primary.

Attention was focused on the need to further explore possibilities for greater differentiation in learning, teaching and assessment for Irish language learners in both L1 and L2 contexts.

As a result of the feedback received, it was decided to build on the consultation to discuss and explore the above elements.

A report on the consultation process for Irish at Junior Cycle (2015) is available here.

Consultation report for Irish