1. Junior Certificate School Programme
SDPI Summer School 2007
An Early Intervention at Second Level Aideen Cassidy National Co-ordinator JCSP

2. What is the Junior Certificate School Programme?
The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is an intervention within the Junior cycle at second level aimed at those students who are identified as being at risk of leaving school early perhaps without completing the Junior Certificate.

3. 20 years ago – retention 60%
Now 80% +
Challenges

4. DEIS :Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools The National Strategy
Focus on addressing educational disadvantage need of children and young people from disadvantaaged communities, from pre school through second level education 3-18 years.

5. Junior Certificate School Programme
JCSP Literacy and Numeracy Strategy
JCSP Demonstration Library Project

6. The JCSP Students………. Potential early school leavers
Difficulties with social interaction
Poor self-esteem
Show signs of alienation:
Disruptive / Withdrawn
Under achieving
Poor school – home links
Attendance

7. Aims of the Programme: to retain students
to bridge the gap
to build strong and positive learning foundations
to make school relevant and accessible to young people who find it difficult to cope with the school system.
between primary and post primary setting positive relationships and realistic learning targets as soon as possible in first year

8. The Impact of Literacy at Second Level Why Literacy?

9. “The indicators are that failure in literacy………is one of the main reasons why students drop out of school”.
--Mark Morgan 1994

10. Reading Literacy in Disadvantaged Primary Schools Eivers, Shiel and Shortt: Educational Research Centre 2004
6,500 pupils in 1st 3rd and 6th class
29% significantly underachieving
Pupils whose parents agreed that they liked reading did better

11. (Sofroniou, Shiel and Cosgrove 2002)
PISA 2000 REPORT
(Sofroniou, Shiel and Cosgrove 2002)
15-year-olds
28 OECD countries
139 schools in Ireland
Focus of Study: The Performance of Students in the Junior Certificate Examination 2001

12. Solutions?

13. Capability and success
Extracurricular involvement: strongest association with curricular success particularly sport and fine art.
Mark Morgan
Capability and success

14. Reading Literacy in Irish Schools (Martin and Morgan 1994)
Access to books and reading resources is one of the most significant predictors of reading success
High scoring countries – large school libraries
(T.V. does not have a major impact)

15. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH FINDINGS

16. JCSP Literacy and numeracy Strategy
Whole School Approach
Acceleration of literacy and numeracy skills
Social development / Self esteem / capability / profiling/cross curricular and the arts.
4 Tiered
Classroom methodologies and strategies
Short Term Targeted Interventions
Individualised programmes for RA below 8
Access to Books and creation of a
reading school

17. Subject departments/ classrooms
Time to read
Access to books
Space to read
Understanding

18. How and where do we plan Subject Departments Whole school Context
Management support
Review built in
Evaluation
Literacy committee
Literacy co-ordinator

19. 1. Subject Departments

20. Pairwork
Oracy

21. Reading Techniques

22. Reading Ages
Readability of textbooks

23. Keywords

24. Writing
Spelling
Marking Policy
Homework
Assessment for learning

25. Using Textbooks

26. 2. Time For Reading

27. Junior Certificate School Programme Demonstration Library Project
DEAR
SSR
Junior Certificate School Programme
Demonstration Library Project

28. Readalong

29. Paired Reading

30. Storysacks

31. Students read a book a week for six weeks (some of them!)
Reading Challenge
A structured reading project with parental support
Students read a book a week for six weeks (some of them!)
Target Group 1st and 2nd years
Reading Age
Parental involvement
Provide extrinsic motivation
Celebration

32. Who Wants to be a Word Millionaire?
Home reading intervention
Class group of students are challenged to read over 1,000,000 words.
Parental involvement
Short term time frame (approx. 6 weeks)

33. 3. Access to Books and Space to Read

34. JCSP Demonstration Library Project
20 Schools
Professional Librarians
Literacy Strategy
Success……..

35. Junior Certificate School Programme Demonstration Library Project
Room for Reading
Research on the impact
of the library Project on the
Learning Experiences
of JCSP Students….
Junior Certificate School Programme
Demonstration Library Project

36. The best innnovation in the last 20 years. School Principal

37. “I come to school at half eight every morning as soon as the library opens …I live in those flats over there and I just tear over – me granny thinks I’m mad!” Student Quote

38. Numeracy Initiatives Paired Maths Make you own Opoly Maths Games
Flash master
General Numeracy

39. Challenges Type of Students Methodologies Dynamic of Staffs
Curriculum overload
Change
Incentives for change

40. School Development Planning
Templates for literacy audit
Literacy Policy
Numeracy Policy
Subject Departments

41. Summary Audit Whole School Approach Subject Departments Time to Read
Short term interventions
Access to Books

42. In Conclusion Multilayered Approach Social Success Individualised
Classroom
School wide

43. Aideen Cassidy
National Co-ordinator
Junior Certificate School Programme
Curriculum Development Unit
Sundrive Road
Crumlin