An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Programme Evaluation
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
REPORT
Wellpark,
Roll Number: 71400Q
Date of inspection: 27 and 29 April 2009
Evaluation of the leaving certificate vocational programme
Quality of programme organisation
Quality of programme planning and coordination
Quality of learning and teaching
Programme evaluation and outcomes
Summary of strengths and recommendations for further development
Evaluation
of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
Introduction
This report has been written
following an evaluation of the Leaving Certificate
Vocational Programme (LCVP) in
1 Quality of programme organisation
1.1 Whole school support
A whole-school approach to
publicising and implementing the LCVP is adopted by
Whole-school support for the LCVP is very good. The principal is very knowledgeable about the LCVP and is very supportive of it. Responsibility for its implementation is devolved to the LCVP coordinator, who works very closely with the school's coordinator of programmes and the LCVP teaching team. This team comprises the principal and deputy principal and eight other teachers. Morale among LCVP teachers is high and every member is responsible for the delivery of particular aspect of the programme. This devolution strategy is a key managerial strategy employed by the school and is intended to empower the teaching staff.
LCVP teachers have very good working relationships that are characterised by co-operation and collaboration. The link modules are taught by business teachers who have appropriate knowledge and experience of enterprise and enterprise education and who are well-qualified to deliver core topics using appropriate methodologies. The vocational subject groupings (VSG) teachers are aware of all LCVP students in their classrooms.
LCVP teachers are encouraged and facilitated to avail of continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities and have engaged in a range of in-service courses in recent years. The LCVP teaching team has remained relatively unchanged for a number of years but arrangements for the formal induction of new teachers are in place and are implemented when required. LCVP teachers are enthusiastic, hard-working and committed to meeting the needs of their students.
LCVP students are integrated into their respective year groups and come together as a distinct group only for link module lessons. Although integrated with other Leaving Certificate students for the majority of their timetabled classes LCVP students demonstrated a high level of awareness and appreciation of the benefits of participating in the programme during the course of the evaluation.
1.2 Resources
The school has allocated appropriate resources to the LCVP. As well as the teachers, these also include resources required to support teaching and learning and all other activities.
In line with good practice, the LCVP coordinator is timetabled to teach both fifth and sixth-year groups. Link modules are currently timetabled for a single period twice weekly in each of fifth and sixth-year. It is recommended, in line with the LCVP guidelines, that five periods (three in fifth and two in sixth-year) be allocated for link modules in future years in order to afford teachers and students adequate time to complete the syllabus.
The guidance counsellor provides information to third-year and TY students and their parents at an information evening held each year for students preparing to enter fifth year. Individual consultations with students or their parents concerning programme and subject selection are then organised as required. Fifth-year and sixth-year LCVP students are also timetabled for guidance and receive support from the guidance counsellor that is appropriate to their needs.
All link module lessons are held in the coordinator's classroom which is a specialist ICT room. This room is well equipped and provides a positive and stimulating learning environment for students. LCVP materials are prominently displayed on a notice board that is used to keep LCVP and other students informed of relevant issues and activities.
Funding for the provision of additional resources for the LCVP may be accessed through the senior management team. This system is reported to operate effectively in the school. The LCVP coordinator facilitates the sharing of programme resources and good practice among the teaching team.
1.3 Student selection and support
Processes are in place to ensure that students are given accurate and appropriate information regarding available programme and subject options in order that they may make informed choices for senior cycle. In addition to the support provided by the guidance counsellor, the senior management team, the LCVP coordinator, VSG teachers and subject teachers are also involved in the process. Students are also advised of the benefits of participating in the programme by the LCVP coordinator.
It was evident during the evaluation that the school targets particular students for participation in the LCVP and that some students target participation in it themselves because of the benefits they associate with its completion. The preliminary stage of the senior-cycle subject choice process provides the school with an early indication of the possible uptake of LCVP each year. Access is facilitated through the range of vocational subject groupings (VSG) available in the school and is restricted to those students who satisfy the VSG criteria and who are also studying French for Leaving Certificate.
1.4 Home, school and community links
Parent-teacher meetings are used to inform parents of students' progress and additional contact may take place as circumstances demand. Parents are also contacted by letter to inform them of specific LCVP-related events and activities, for example when making arrangements for work experience placements and visits out of school.
The school has developed good links with a number of outside community and voluntary enterprises and businesses and a number of these provide work experience placement opportunities for students. These links are used to source guest speakers, for case studies of local enterprise, to provide opportunities for visits out of the school and to provide general support and information in relation to careers and enterprise in general. The school and the LCVP team are commended on establishing and maintaining a variety of beneficial links with the local community.
2 Quality of programme planning and coordination
2.1 Planning
Planning for LCVP is good and is situated appropriately within overall school development planning processes and structures. A schedule for the delivery of course content over the two years of the programme is being implemented.
Opportunities for the LCVP team to meet are scheduled five times each year and during these meetings the implementation of the programme is planned, monitored and evaluated. Minutes of planning meetings are retained in LCVP planning documentation and issues regarding the implementation of the programme are discussed with the senior management team when required. Frequent informal meetings of LCVP teachers also take place during the course of the year to manage ongoing issues, events, visits in and out of school, and other activities. Much of the cross-curricular planning takes place during these informal meetings and this arrangement is reported to be working well in the school.
Planning for students with additional educational and language needs is an integral part of the LCVP planning process and arrangements to provide support for these students in the school are generally good.
Comprehensive LCVP planning documentation has been developed and is being implemented. The LCVP coordinator maintains all relevant documentation in a number of folders and these constitute a resource of high quality for the LCVP team as they contain very detailed information on the implementation of the LCVP and on the students enrolled on the programme. Planning folders are stored in the coordinator's classroom or an adjacent storage area and are readily accessible to all members of the LCVP team.
Individual teachers have prepared their own plans based on the LCVP implementation schedule. They have also compiled considerable personal resources to support teaching and learning of programme content.
A number of cross-curricular links have been identified in the school's LCVP planning documentation. These links serve to highlight the integrated nature of the programme as described in the syllabus document. The implementation of cross-curricular links has been facilitated by a raised awareness among teachers that followed the LCVP coordinator's presentation to them at a staff meeting at the beginning of the school year.
Student outcomes in the State examinations are analysed and compared with national averages each year. This analysis encourages discussion of LCVP-specific issues and acts as a means of sharing good practice. The outcomes then feed into future planning in order to improve provision for students in the school.
An annual review is undertaken as part of the LCVP planning cycle. All the stakeholders are surveyed as part of this review process and good practice and areas in need of development are identified. Strategies to address areas for development are then devised and implemented and subject to the review process at the end of the following year. This is good practice.
2.2 Coordination
The school has a coordinating structure in place for all available programmes, including the LCVP, and coordinators have been appointed. The LCVP coordinator, who is not a post of responsibility holder, has been in place since 2000. A coordinator of programmes has also been appointed under the terms of circular letter PPT19/02.
The LCVP coordinator carries out an appropriate range of duties. These include planning for the implementation of course guidelines, delivering of the programme, liaising with the coordinator of programmes and other members of the school community, liaising with employers, organising and monitoring work experience, organising meetings, monitoring student assessment, organising speakers and visits into and out of the school, promoting the programme and presenting to staff and parents, keeping records relate to the programme, and liaising with those involved in the implementation of the school completion programme (SCP). A forty minute class period is allocated weekly for coordination.
The LCVP coordinator has a thorough knowledge of the programme and its implementation and, in line with good practice, has timetabled contact with the fifth and sixth-year class groups where she is responsible for delivering the Link Modules. There is widespread consultation with the LCVP teaching team and a high level of whole-staff awareness of the programme and issues related to it.
The LCVP coordinator disseminates relevant information and maintains good communications with the coordinator of programmes, the senior management team and students. Positive aspects of the LCVP in the school are the high quality of communication between the coordinator of programmes and the LCVP coordinator and among the members of the extended LCVP team, and the level of collegiality and mutual support that is apparent.
The LCVP coordinator's classroom has been designated as the LVCP base room and the link modules are delivered there. This room is well equipped with computers for teachers' and students' use, a fixed data projector and other ancillary equipment. There is an adjacent storage area in which resources and other materials related to the LCVP are stored.
The LCVP coordinator has access to a telephone in an adjacent (PLC) office and this facilitates the effective carrying out of coordination duties including the organising of LCVP-related activities.
2.3 Curriculum
A broad programme of activities and learning opportunities is provided for LCVP students. All core portfolio items are addressed as part of the curriculum and two optional items, a diary of work experience and a recorded interview, are also included. The module “My Own Place” is also included in the curriculum but is not used as the basis for preparing a report.
The school's LCVP implementation integrates theory and practice. The theoretical aspects of the syllabus, along with the activities involved in the preparation of the portfolio items are the focus of classroom work. Visiting speakers address students each year and students visit local enterprises.
Portfolio items are prepared in school, under the supervision of the coordinator. This facilitates checking and amendment and final drafts of documents are printed out when portfolios are finally assembled for the link module examination.
Students participate in work experience as part of the LCVP. Each student carries out a career investigation and compiles a curriculum vitae. Topics such as job-seeking skills, industrial relations and conflict in the workplace are taught in preparation for this. This is good practice. The work experience placement takes place in fifth year, during term time. Employers are contacted in advance, are provided with copies of insurance details and are encouraged to complete work experience reports on all students at the end of the working period. All workplaces are visited or contacted by telephone by the LCVP coordinator to monitor students' progress and to liaise with employers.
Students participating in the LCVP study link modules in addition to their seven Leaving Certificate subjects. LCVP classroom activities are focused on covering the theoretical aspects of the syllabus while carrying out a variety of activities, thereby integrating theory and practice.
An open choice of optional subjects is offered to students entering fifth year and students qualify for participation in the programme by virtue of having a combination of subjects that meets LCVP requirements. Frequent subject combinations include Construction Studies and Engineering, Business and Art, Biology and Physics/Chemistry and Home Economics and Biology. The school also requires that all participating students study a modern European language (French) to Leaving Certificate level. Timetable allocation for all VSG subjects and for French is appropriate.
In order to broaden access to the LCVP in the school, it is recommended that provision for all students to fulfil the modern European language requirements of the programme be made. A modern European language module should be developed, implemented and certified by the school. This would provide an alternative system of access to LCVP for students not studying French to Leaving Certificate level.
There is appropriate provision within the curriculum for students to develop their ICT skills. LCVP-specific classroom inputs are provided by the coordinator in her capacity as link module and information and communication technologies (ICT) teacher. In line with good practice, students are consistently encouraged to identify and consolidate links between syllabus topics, their VSGs and other subjects studied and activities engaged in.
Students engage in a range of enterprise activities, for example the formation of a mini-company, while participating in the LCVP and they also organise a whole-school sports day at the end of May each year. These activities provide students with opportunities to work collaboratively in teams and are the basis of reports and documents contained in students' portfolios.
3 Quality of learning and teaching
3.1 Planning and preparation
The work undertaken in lessons observed reflected very good short-term planning in line with the requirements of the programme. Teachers displayed a mastery of the topics dealt with during lessons and their planning and preparation provided for differentiated approaches to teaching and learning in accordance with the range of students’ abilities, needs and interests. Teachers' effective planning and preparation for lessons contributed significantly to the quality of students' learning.
3.2 Learning and teaching
Very good teaching was observed during the course of the evaluation. Fifth and sixth-year link module lessons were visited during the inspection. All lessons were well-structured and took account of the range of students’ abilities. Lesson aims and objectives and specific learning outcomes were outlined clearly at the outset of each lesson and these were appropriate for each class group. Lesson activities were sequenced and paced appropriately and all featured appropriate levels of teacher input and student activity.
A range of teaching methodologies was employed, including very good use of ICT, for lesson presentations and for establishing links with students' previous knowledge, existing understanding and everyday experiences. Appropriate terminology was defined and used throughout lessons and other strategies employed by teachers included directed and global questioning (including higher order questions), brainstorming activities, use of the whiteboard and OHP for presentation and summarising, classroom and homework tasks and activities, class discussions, and references to examination procedures and answering techniques.
A variety of resources and assessment materials was effectively used during lessons. These included textbooks, books of examination questions, and handout materials. Students' learning was also effectively supported by the extensive use of teacher-developed ICT materials that demonstrated good note-making practice.
Students were enthusiastic and purposeful in their work. Commendably, they used ICT extensively during lessons for research purposes and in the completion of classroom tasks. The quality of their understanding was reflected in their ability to answer and ask appropriate questions during lessons and they responded knowledgeably, confidently and well to teachers' questions. Their use of context-specific language and terminology was also good. They also demonstrated their skills and competencies by applying their learning appropriately to the completion of classroom and homework tasks. Teaching and learning activities challenged students across the range of abilities present in the mixed-ability class groups and there was an emphasis on the quality of students' learning throughout lessons observed.
Classroom management of students, of activities, of resources and of available time was effective and discipline was sensitively maintained. The computer room is decorated with programme-related materials, wall-charts and State Examination Commission posters and provides a positive and stimulating learning environment for LCVP students.
The interpersonal relations in the classroom reflected very good teacher-student rapport and teachers generated enthusiasm for the topics being studied. This ensured that students engaged with lesson activities and received appropriate guidance and affirmation. Teachers' expectations of students were high, while remaining commensurate with students' abilities and learning styles.
3.3 Assessment
A range of modes is regularly
used to assess the development of students’ competence and their ongoing
progress. Students’ work is regularly monitored and they receive constructive
and developmental written and oral feedback. Continuous formative assessment of
LCVP students' work is carried out in a variety of ways in
Appropriate arrangements are in place for the formal summative assessment of students using end-of-term written examinations. Sixth-year students are scheduled for a mock examination during the second term. Parents are issued with reports following end-of-term examinations twice yearly and also upon request.
Student learning outcomes are appropriate to their ability levels, and these are used to determine individual learning needs. Teaching strategies are evaluated and modified based on the outcomes of formal summative and continuing formative in-house assessments. There is systematic recording of students’ attendance and progress.
The school has identified an increase in the number of its LCVP students who are studying at third level. Many of these utilised their LCVP outcome in the certificate examination in their third-level application and it is recommended that this be highlighted in the school's LCVP promotional documentation and on the school's website.
In line with good practice, an analysis of the results obtained by LCVP students in the State examinations and a comparison with national averages is undertaken at the end of August each year by the LCVP teachers. This analysis encourages discussion, acts as a means of sharing good practice, and informs future planning.
The quality of record-keeping by the LCVP coordinator observed during the evaluation was very good. Up-to-date records of attendance, behaviour, homework completed, syllabus material covered, specific learning outcomes completed and assessment outcomes were retained in the coordinator's folders. The coordinator also keeps records of all activities engaged in by LCVP students, consent forms completed by parents, work experience reports, Department data, copies of in-service notes, photographic evidence of work and activities completed. These records and information from different sources allow profiles of individual students to be developed and this may be used when communicating with students and parents. Access for teachers to up-to-date examination results is facilitated through the school's e-portal system
4 Programme evaluation and outcomes
4.1 Programme evaluation and outcomes
Following discussions with fifth and sixth-year LCVP students during the evaluation it was apparent that they have clear plans for their future progression. It is suggested that exemplars of students' success, following completion of the LCVP, be used in future in the school's promotional literature to highlight the benefits of participating in the LCVP for a wider audience.
An annual review of the programme is undertaken and this involves all programme participants. The experiences of members of the school community not directly involved in delivering the LCVP are sought and valued during this review and planning to address issues identified for attention is undertaken following the process. The school endeavours to ensure that the issues raised are addressed prior to the commencement of the new school year, where practicable.
Teachers and students in
5 Summary of strengths and recommendations for further development
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:
- The LCVP has a high status in the curriculum of
- Support for the implementation of the programme is very good.
- The LCVP coordinator and teaching team are a dedicated hard-working group of teachers who are intent on delivering the ideals and details of the programme.
- Good links have been established and are being maintained with local voluntary and community enterprises and businesses.
- Planning for the implementation of the LCVP is very good.
- The methodologies employed in teaching the Link Modules are appropriate, student-centred and active.
- Students demonstrated a high level of awareness and appreciation of the benefits of participating in the LCVP.
- The LCVP has had a positive impact on the school and its students.
As a means of building on these strengths the following key recommendations are made:
- The timetabling arrangements for Link Modules should be reviewed in order to facilitate an overall increase in allocation to bring it into line with that recommended in the LCVP guidelines.
- In order to broaden access to the LCVP, it is recommended that provision for all students to fulfil the modern European language requirements of the programme be made. A modern European language module should be developed, implemented and certified by the school. This would provide an alternative system of access to LCVP for students not studying French to Leaving Certificate level.
Published November 2009