In line with guidance from the Department of Education, the manner of assessing and acknowledging the learning of the current Third Years has changed to respond to the Covid 19 Pandemic. Instead of formal sit down exams in a physical space, this moment in students’ learning will be addressed in two parts:

1. A State Certificate
2. A School Report

The State Certificate

This is a certificate of completion of the Junior Certificate from the Department of Education. Students will receive a State Certification showing that they have completed the three years of the Junior Cycle programme of study, including the list of subjects studied. This will be issued to all students in early 2022.

The School Report

This is a school based written report that sets out a student’s learning achievements in Junior Cycle in a whole school approach. It will be issued in Summer 2021, to all students in Third Year. It will show all the subjects studied by a student, with a grade/descriptor.

• Technical subjects use grade/percentage mark (in line with Junior Cert)
• All other subjects will use Grade descriptors – (in line with Junior Cycle) (Distinction/Higher Merit/Merit/Achieved/Partially Achieved/Not Graded – please see below)

This report will be sent to all students in June 2021 and will also be available on VSWare.

After consultation with all stakeholders, the following whole school approach has been approved by the Board of Management:

1. Class engagement – 30%
2. Completion of assignments/Homework – 30%
3. Assessments – 40% (20% based on previous assessments, with 20% based on assessments since the return to face to face learning)

Variations on this grade breakdown will occur in practical subjects to reflect the practical nature of the exam so that students can be rewarded for their practical work and projects. Please note teachers in each subject will highlight and explain the process to their students in a given subject. Please note also that some subjects will not have any assessments, with no subject having large end of year assessments to ease the workload and any anxiety of students.  Any Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) that has been completed in full and corrected will be included on the report, represented by a descriptor (Exceptional/Above exceptions/In line with expectations/Yet to meet expectations).

At John the Baptist Community School, the school report will also include an opportunity for students to show their Other Areas of Learning and wellbeing experiences, allowing them to illustrate a broad range of learning. All students will receive a link to collect this learning by an online form through the Third Year Hub in the coming days. Parents/guardians are asked to sit with and assist their students as they choose their statements.

John the Baptist Community School would like to thank all our students and parents/guardians for their patience, interest and engagement though this unprecedented time.  Keep safe and well.