What is JCSP?
The Junior Certificate School Programme is a national programme sponsored by the Department of Education and Skills and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. It originated in the early school leavers’ programmes initiated by the Curriculum Development Unit. Currently the programme is operating in 225 schools throughout the country. It is a social inclusion programme that is aimed at students who are identified as being at risk of being socially or academically isolated or at risk of early school leaving before the Junior Certificate has been achieved.
Aims of JCSP
The Junior Certificate School Programme aims to provide a curriculum framework that assists schools and teachers in making the Junior Certificate more accessible to those young people who may be having difficulty engaging with the Junior Certificate Programme. It attempts to help young people experience success and develop a positive self-image by providing a curriculum and assessment framework suitable to their needs. On completion of the programme students receive a profile which is an official record of their achievements from the Department of Education and Skills.
Benefits of JCSP
The Junior Certificate Schools Programme will help students to do the following:
- Know what they will be learning in each of their subjects.
- Understand what their teachers expect of them.
- Be able to take steps to achieve their goals to improve.
Structure of JCSP in Rosmini Community School
JCSP Coordinator
The Coordinator of the Junior Certificate Schools Programme in Rosmini is Chris Gueret.
JCSP Core Team 2019-2020
Matters relating to JCSP are addressed during the weekly meetings of the DEIS Core Team, which includes:
| Principal | Mr D’Arcy |
| Deputy Principal | Ms O’ Donovan |
| Literacy and Numeracy Coordinator | Ms Duggan |
| DEIS Coordinator | Ms Keenan |
| JCSP Coordinator | Mr Gueret |
| Special Needs Coordinator | Ms O’ Carrol |
| Attendance Coordinator | Ms McSwiney |
| Home School Community Liaison | Ms McMahon |
JCSP Classes and Subjects 2019-2020
There are 46 students at Junior Cycle in Rosmini participating in the Junior Certificate Schools Programme.
Subjects that are offered to students participating in the JCSP Programme include:
| English | Irish | Mathematics |
| Social, Personal and Health Education | Civic, Social and Political Education | Religious Education |
| Physical Education | French | History |
| Geography | Environmental and Social Studies | Science |
| Music | Technical Graphics | Art, Craft and Design |
| Home Economics | Business Studies | Engineering |
Programme Achievement and Assessment
Profiling
A student profile is a positive and an individualised record of statements that a student is currently working on or has achieved over a period. These statements are compiled throughout Junior Cycle.
Reasons for Profiling JCSP Students
- Student achievement is both acknowledged and rewarded at each stage of learning.
- Establishes a pattern of student success.
- Provides feedback to the students about their learning.
- Constant affirmation aims to increase the positive connection that the student has with school.
- A profile that is built up helps the students’ self-esteem to grow.
JCSP Subject Statements
Subject Statements are records of…
| What students have achieved in their learning. | Skills students have developed. | Knowledge that students have gained. |
| Example: I have a better understanding of fractions. | Example: I can write a formal letter. | Example: I know the events leading up to the Second World War. |
Students will work towards achieving a set number Statements in each of their subjects over the three years of the JCSP Programme. We encourage students to get directly involved in their learning to achieve these Statements.
Tracking Student Progress
Students will present their JCSP Folders in class when instructed. Teachers will give students several Statements to work on. Teachers will have a chat with each student on a regular basis about the steps that he/she has taken so far to achieve that Statement and the work that he/she has yet to do to achieve success.
Christmas and Summer Celebrations
Two special events are to be held in Rosmini Community School for students participating in the JCSP Programme. Students and their parents will be invited to a Christmas celebration in December 2019 and a Summer celebration in May 2020. These events serve as opportunities to showcase students’ best work and to share what they have learned in school. We endeavour to recognise our students’ hard work and commitment to achieving their personal best. Awards are given to individual students who excelled in certain areas of their studies.
JCSP Initiatives
The selection of initiatives is done on a yearly review within the JCSP Core Team. The Co-ordinator will be responsible for the application for JCSP Initiatives, following consultation with the Core Team. Reflection on the success or failure of past initiatives is crucial to the selection for the following year. Leaders on the initiative are selected/volunteer from within the core JCSP teaching group but usually tie in with the subject teacher. Each initiative takes place at a set time of the school year but is subject to change on a year to year basis. Dates for the initiatives are set during weekly team meetings and are reviewed as the year progresses, depending on availability of visitors to the school and other events within the school calendar.
JCSP Initiatives that we hope to run in the 2019-2020 academic year:
Literacy Focused Initiatives:
Initiative 1: Paired Reading (Mr Turbitt)
To be used with all 1st Year JCSP students and TY mentors for 6 weeks (Session 1)
To be used with all 2nd Year JCSP students and TY mentors for 6 weeks (Session 2)
About this initiative:
- A short team reading intervention.
- A tutor supports student reading.
- Paired Reading runs three to four times a week for six weeks.
- Transition Year students will be trained as reading tutors with JCSP students.
- Students are awarded for successfully taking part in this reading project.
- Students are afforded an opportunity to complete statements CC51 and 54 with this initiative.
- The following support materials will be provided to our school:
– Paired Reading Teacher’s Manual and Resource Pack
– Paired Reading Tutor guidelines
– Paired Reading wall posters
– Paired Reading Tutor training CD ‘Everybody Reads’
– Paired Reading student achievement certificate
Initiative 2: Oral Language Development (Ms Campion)
To be used with all 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year students in Rosmini
About this initiative:
- Our school may be given funding to focus directly on the oral language development of a targeted group of students.
- This initiative will aim to give students the confidence and opportunity to deliver oral presentations to their class, to other students, to teachers, to parent events or to any group/event within the school.
- The funding can be used to pay for outside expertise in the area of public speaking, speech and drama.
- Links can be made with the local toastmaster clubs or any other local source deemed to be suitable to employ in order to make the initiative attractive, interesting, worthwhile and engaging.
Initiative 3: Author in Residence (Ms Keenan and Ms O’ Shea)
To be used with all 1st and 2nd year students in Rosmini
About this initiative:
- This programme would particularly focus on creative writing skills development where an author would work for a time with a group of JCSP students.
- The aim would be to produce a piece of work that could then be exhibited as part of the Make a Book exhibition.
- Our school could link with Poetry Ireland’s Writers in Schools Residencies Scheme.
- This scheme is based on the idea of a short residency by a writer to a school, working closely with one teacher and with the same JCSP group of students.
- Many projects have a strong local flavour, in that the writer is local.
- The thinking behind these residences is to take a more developmental approach towards the teaching of literature and to develop approaches which enable the participants to explore the world of imagination over a longer period, in the company of an experienced writer.
- The participation of both Ms O Shea and Ms Keenan and the development of a working alliance between both teachers and writer are fundamental to this approach.
Initiative 4: Modern Language – Linguascope in French (Ms Lally)
To be used with all 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students in Rosmini studying French
About this initiative:
- Subscription to the website
- Linquascope delivers an outstanding language curriculum with an award-winning platform.
- Access will be provided to thousands of purposeful, engaging activities that inspire and motivate learners.
- 13 languages and all includes will be included as standard.
- Website provides high-quality printable resources and tools to make lesson planning easy.
- Linguascope provides access to language games and activities, organised in over 140 topic areas, which are developed to match curriculum requirements.
- Each topic area is composed of a series of activities and accompanied by a printable worksheet for consolidation work.
- Students have access to a range of tools such as a Comic Strip Creator.
- Website link: https://www.linguascope.com/info/about.htm
Numeracy Focused Initiatives
Initiative 5: Flashmaster Maths (Ms McDonagh and Mr McKevitt)
To be used with all 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students in Rosmini
About this initiative:
- Flashmaster Maths provides a fresh approach to teaching students who have struggled with mastering their tables.
- This initiative will introduce a new piece of maths equipment that has been used successfully in the USA for several years.
- The Flashmaster is a handheld device that looks rather like a calculator but does much more.
- It allows students to practice their maths facts – Multiplication Tables, Division Tables, Addition Tables and Subtraction Tables – in a fun way.
- Students can set goals for speed and accuracy at different levels in any of the 4 table areas.
- Teachers can monitor and customize the Flashmaster to practice skills or revisit special problem areas.
- The Flashmaster can be set to ‘remember’ the areas that cause difficulty.
- With a class set, a Tables Challenge or Maths Facts Challenge can be done once students have gained confidence in using the Flashmaster.
- The device records the progress made by the student.
- Class record sheets will accompany the initiative.
Initiative 6: Number Millionaire (Ms McDonagh and Mr McKevitt)
To be used with all 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students in Rosmini
About this initiative:
- Number Millionaire is a numeracy quiz where individual students as contestants are challenged to identify the correct answer to twelve arithmetical questions.
- Each quiz question has a choice of four answers attached; three of the answers are incorrect.
- The student tries to identify the correct answer by performing mental computation and/or deduction.
- Whenever a student is unsure of the correct answer, he/she can avail of the support provided by the four lifelines (50:50, Ask a Friend, Use a Friend, Ask the Audience) to arrive at the correct answer.
- The quiz is usually planned and structured as an individualised activity, involving one contestant at a time, but can also be implemented as a paired or collaborative activity among two or more student.
- School will be provided with two Teacher Resource Manuals (questions and answers) and a Number poster.
