km79 wrote: » http://twitter.com/newschambers/status/1354420252445208579 Predictive grades mentioned by Leo No going back now
History Queen wrote: » Seriously can't see exams being cancelled. There has been adjustments made to papers already and probably will be more if needed. If you have LC students in your life tell them to ignore the speculation (difficult I know) and prepare for exams. Also reassure them that there's lots of time and marking schemes will be adjusted accordingly if needs be.
micks_address wrote: » You tell him it’s all systems go
micks_address wrote: » our fella is really hoping for calculated grades to - even though we've talked about the challenges' with them and the lack of assessment for teachers to base grades on. He is trying to do honor's maths and has put a lot of work in doing grinds etc last year and did a test back around Halloween where he just barely passed. So what would his teacher predict his grade to be? I've spoken to a few teachers re maths and they say it generally comes together in and around the time of the mocks and a student could be tracking for 65 percent or so in the summer..we were waiting for the mocks to see what he should do in terms of potentially dropping back to ordinary level as he wouldn't want to risk doing higher and failing it. Even with excellent online support and fulltime classes i know he is hedging his bets on calculated grades. Hard to be too hard on him though as he's stressed like everyone else with the isolation of not mixing with friends etc. I just don't want an announcement in march that its all systems go for June exams and then he has a oh feic moment that he took his foot off the gas for January and February.
carr62 wrote: » Ah I really hope the exams don't happen. My LC student has really suffered this year. Since starting 6th year we have had a death in family and a serious illness. Due to that he might not be able to go back when school opens to protect his dad. We also have awful WiFi....he regularly complains that he's kicked off the zoom classes and it's difficult to pick up as they've moved on a bit by time he can reconnect. I'm waiting nervously for an announcement. Seriously worried how he will take it if he's got to sit exams he's just not ready for.
Wombatman wrote: » Ministers optimistic Leaving Cert exams will go ahead this year.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/ministers-optimistic-leaving-cert-exams-will-go-ahead-this-year-1.4468609
Second-level teachers’ union and student representatives are due to resume talks on alternative options to the Leaving Cert exams today.
Rosita wrote: » I think we are past the stage of it being judged simply by numbers. Numbers-wise, if we keep progressing (and admittedly the last couple of figures were weekenders), we will soon be at the point where we were when we were still in school in October. But there seems no appetite to take any chances. My sense is that we are in a very different place where they are really concerned about variants and/or are, without saying it, more or less driving for zero covid. I would be amazed if LCs were back this side of mid-term. Why, when they are locking down so much, would they bring anyone back to school for the sake of 10 school days? Obviously there was a political reason for the "schools are safe, schools are safe" mantra but they have now sidelined the Minister for Ed and the fact that schools have closed makes that chant less relevant. I'd imagine by that stage numbers will be fairly low but like I said we seem not to be solely judging by numbers anymore. I think they want this to be the last of it so keeping the foot on the pedal might be the strategy and that's fair enough.
am_zarathustra wrote: » Assuming everyone cops and does what they are being asked to do numbers will naturally drop.
History Queen wrote: » I think this side of midterm. But that's based more on hope than evidence admittedly .
Bobtheman wrote: » So when do we see LCs going back to school?
micks_address wrote: » So in theory without any vaccines it will be gone by Xmas? How did they get rid of it?
Treppen wrote: » Schools must be saving a fortune in heating bills.
Treppen wrote: » I wonder is there a tipping point where the R number only applies to a small cohort as it is set against vaccinated people and people who have gained immunity (asymptomatic and recovered people)... unless of course there is a deadly variant. Schools must be saving a fortune in heating bills.
rainbowtrout wrote: » There wasn't a vaccine. It would have burned itself out. Herd immunity essentially. Spanish flu was the opposite of coronavirus in that the fatalities were mainly under 35, older people were barely affected. So two things happens there, it spreads through the community, herd immunity builds up as people are infected, people who are more susceptible to the disease die, without wishing to sound callous, the immunity of the population strengthens as a whole. It gets to a point where enough people have had the virus that there is no one new to pass it on to, or restrictions are put in place so the disease dies out because those infected can't pass it to anyone else. Incidentally diseases with low mortality rates tend to have high infection rates and vice versa, which is why we see so many gob****es having parties etc. They know the vast majority of them will not die so they will mix and pass it on. On the other hand something like Ebola has a 60% mortality rate and is fairly debilitating so when someone contracts it (like the outbreak in West Africa 6-7 years ago), people do not go out and mix in public and people do observe social distancing because they don't want to die. So those that get infected have a high chance of dying but less of them pass it on because the virus dies with them. It's interesting stuff when you're not sitting in the middle of it like we are now and can read about it with some level of detachment.
