The way forward for LC2021

Absolutely no justification for not sitting the traditional summer papers at a minimum, in July or August if needs be.

By the time we reached those dates last year, it would have been perfectly fine to utilise them, however preparation hadn't been made. There is no excuse this year.

Advance assessments, orals, presentations, interviews will have to be considered, reworked, dropped if needs be, but CA, project work and the sit down papers should all proceed and the students should be under no illusion about it from this day on.

shesty wrote: »

Do we actually know for certain that close contacts are still not being tested?In the last few days, the numbers on all fronts are low enough that surely they have capacity to test close contacts once more.

Unless the HSE website hasn't been updated, they're still not testing close contacts: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/close-contact-and-casual-contact.html

History Queen wrote: »

I see your point but is it any different to teachers giving extra classes after school, coming in to support students during state exams, running extra classes during midterms as has happened before the pandemic? I only speak for myself obviously, but I think many of my colleagues feel the same, well, they did last year, after our treatment by the Dept over the last year or so, maybe not.

Teachers choose to do all of those things, they are not obliged to. If it was mandated that we had to work June this year I would not be happy. It would basically say that the work I'm doing right now has no value, and it would send a message to students that they needn't bother showing up to online class because the teacher will make up the time in the holidays. Nope, not up for that.

There is only one thing certain
It will be a convoluted mess AND Norma will get her pound of teachers flesh .

I wonder what her colleagues in her old school make of all this now

Bobtheman wrote: »

No LC students will enter schools until late Feb at the earliest.
Look at how long it's taking special needs?
The idea that kids and adults can go to school while others can't go beyond 5k no longer flies with the unions nor I suspect with many parents. Beyond special needs parents. I appreciate their particular concerns.

Ya, I'm not sure what can be done for them, it's not my area of expertise, but it goes back to the fact that since last March not a single thing has been done by the DES to plan for a closure in this academic year.

I would assume that NPHET or whoever gave them the Idiot's Guide to Pandemics at some stage and said there won't just be one wave and you need to have a plan, there will be more waves and more restrictions.

Maybe there's planning going on in the SEC at the moment, maybe there isn't. I damn well hope there is. But you would think that part of the contingency for running things as 'normal' would be at least to start recruitment for examiners so they have people to call on to do the work if it happens? Surely it's not that hard to change the date on last year's application forms and stick them up online? Surely?

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Going by that press release by the department there is no way in hell she will resign and the tone of it is is such that the plan is to blame us

No way there'' be a resignation to do with basic competence. Political resignations in this country are to do with expenses, drink-driving, being caught leaking stuff, and such semi-detached things like that. The bar of expectation of being really effective and demonstrably competent in your actual work is far lower as the finger can be pointed at someone else.

spurious wrote: »

If there is a chance of silly 'predicted' grades in LC again, everyone's mocks have to be run at the same time, or those that hear what was on the paper are at a real advantage.

No hope of standardisation anyway. Especially with DEB gone, examcraft.... well let's just say there will be many teachers making out their own mocks with various things to focus on, and varying levels of difficulty. And we know this time that predicted grades are always on the table, no matter what any minister says.

I suspect the Dept. won't get involved in the area of mocks as that's a definite "local arrangement". Some schools don't even run mocks. Once Norma mentiones mocks the cat is out of the bag with predicted grades.

Wombatman wrote: »

If some student's mocks are cancelled then the game is up. Mocks essential to exam prep surely? Students will break Twitter.

We're aiming to hold them a week after whenever we go back, students are aware of this so it's game on for Leaving Cert prep too... whenever that it :pac:
Interestingly none of them are writing to newspapers or ranting on twitter like last year's crowd.

Minister Foley will have a meltdown on hearing this (perhaps just as well they have so many contingency plans organised!;). It's an awful shame that only a non-politician can speak with this candour.

Transmission levels too high for schools to reopen - Henry

Transmission levels of Covid-19 remain "frankly far too high" for schools to reopen, the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has said.

Speaking on RTɒs Morning Ireland, he said it is tragic to be talking about school closures again and no one wants to see it protracted because of what children experienced during the first lockdown.

However, he said, transmission levels are currently ten times what they were in early December.

He said this needs to reduce to a much lower level "before we can add to additional risk by the mixing of crowds at school settings".

Dr Henry said he hopes there are elements of education that can be looked at more closely, particularly children with additional needs who are much more vulnerable to school closures and "our hope is there would be priority given to certain elements of the education sector".

He said Ireland remains in a "precarious position" and while there is some positive news with falling levels of disease in the community, there are still "extraordinary levels" of infection.

He said to put that in perspective the average number of cases in the community over the past five days is over 2,500 per day.

"Those cases have yet to become sick, some will require hospitalisation, some unfortunately will require intensive care and some unfortunately will die", he said.

Rosita wrote: »

Minister Foley will have a meltdown on hearing this (perhaps just as well they have so many contingency plans organised!;). It's an awful shame that only a non-politician can speak with this candour.

Transmission levels too high for schools to reopen - Henry

Transmission levels of Covid-19 remain "frankly far too high" for schools to reopen, the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has said.

Speaking on RTɒs Morning Ireland, he said it is tragic to be talking about school closures again and no one wants to see it protracted because of what children experienced during the first lockdown.

However, he said, transmission levels are currently ten times what they were in early December.

He said this needs to reduce to a much lower level "before we can add to additional risk by the mixing of crowds at school settings".

Dr Henry said he hopes there are elements of education that can be looked at more closely, particularly children with additional needs who are much more vulnerable to school closures and "our hope is there would be priority given to certain elements of the education sector".

He said Ireland remains in a "precarious position" and while there is some positive news with falling levels of disease in the community, there are still "extraordinary levels" of infection.

He said to put that in perspective the average number of cases in the community over the past five days is over 2,500 per day.

"Those cases have yet to become sick, some will require hospitalisation, some unfortunately will require intensive care and some unfortunately will die", he said.

seems highly likely post primary and primary non special needs will stay at home for month of feb. I'd imagine special needs in primary will return feb 1st.

French Toast wrote: »

I foresee the announcement that second level students will be brought back February 22nd, the Monday after the midterm break.

High chance of a lot of posturing and aspirational hot air from the DES in the meantime, but that'll be the ultimate outcome.

Norma will be seething with rage.

spurious wrote: »

If there is a chance of silly 'predicted' grades in LC again, everyone's mocks have to be run at the same time, or those that hear what was on the paper are at a real advantage.

I know Examcraft have asked that if exams cant start the first week in febuary, that schools hold off until after the mid term break to begin mocks. Doubt it matters, they are always up on twitter within minutes. Hard to stop unless you have a country wide timetable which will never happen

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

Interesting position the unions are in. The longer the schools close the more likely that the predicted grade bandwagon gains speed or that the LC runs in July August. ISSU fed surveys to the advisory group recently where the massive majority wanted choice but interestingly very few on the students wanted the LC moved from june to july/august lol.

I'd love to know if teachers here think of having to set exams from now to end of year knowing that there is a chance they might count . How much unconscious bias is there towards students?

The ascertainment bias in asking students if they want to sit a bunch of long, hard exams is staggering. If you ask any group of people if they'd like to sit an exam I'd hazard most would say no.

Unconscious bias is a very real effect. They predict grades every year in the A levels for college placement. Way fewer subjects and only 16% of predicted points are correct. And they have exams at the end of 5th years set by exam boards to go off. You can try your best as a teacher but it's hard to separate some students from others and the random changes to grades by the Department were mental, I couldn't make rhyme or reason of them