Norma Foley ( Minister for Education) has postponed her plans to introduce teacher-based assessment for the Leaving Cert, blaming Artificial Intelligence.
In her statement yesterday morning, Foley announced that the Department of Education was accelerating changes to the Leaving Cert Cycle, with the introduction of nine new and revised subjects coming two years earlier than originally planned.
These subjects will include continuous assessment elements that are not a written exam.
However, Foley explained that teacher-based assessment would not be part of these reforms, saying that research would need to be conducted first into the impact that AI was having on the education system.
“I am particularly conscious of the more recent accelerated evolution and growth in generative AI, and I understand there is a need to explore the opportunities afforded by these developments in an educational context, as well as the challenges they might present,” she said.
“With that in mind I have asked the SEC that further research would be commissioned on the potential role and impact of generative artificial intelligence in teacher-based assessment in particular.”
