A decade of assessment reform in Ireland: context, common facets, and culture : An exploration of the Primary Curriculum Framework (2023) and the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015)

Abstract

Assessment policy and practice is a key cornerstone of education and a significant influence on teaching and learning, and on learner outcomes. This paper provides insights into recent assessment reforms in Ireland which have sought to reposition assessment in both primary and lower secondary education as part of broader curriculum change. It provides an overview of the prevailing assessment landscape prior to these reforms and explores the associated assessment culture that has evolved over time thereby providing a rich picture of the context for these reforms. Taking the two core policy documents at the heart of the reforms, the Primary Curriculum Framework (2023) and the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015), it identifies four common facets that underpin assessment, before then providing insights into the process of developing education policy advice and how this is shaped not only by research but also by the key education stakeholders. Based on the lived experience of these recent reforms, this paper identifies some key factors that have been identified as contributing towards and conspiring against the successful implementation of a new vision for assessment. The paper concludes with a reflection on assessment policy as a driver of education reform.

Keywords

• assessment
• teaching and learning
• conducive conditions
• policy development
• stakeholder engagement