What are CBAs?

As a parent, you may hear your child say, “My history CBA is beginning next week, and I need help with this!” Your first reaction may be, “What is a CBA? I never did that in school.”

If this is your reaction, then you are not alone, as most parents are unsure of this new process of assessment as part of the new Junior Cycle.

By way of background, the new Junior Cycle brought around many changes within the classroom. The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) outlines these key educational changes that the Department of Education and Skills put in place for students in the first three years of their post-primary education. One of the most notable changes was the introduction of Classroom-Based Assessments and Assessment Tasks for each subject studied by students. The CBAs offer a broad and balanced educational experience for your child.

What is a CBA? How does it work?

Each student will undertake a number of Classroom-Based Assessments, facilitated by their teacher throughout their Junior Cycle. There are 2 CBAs to be completed per subject (1 in the second year and 1 in the third year, with some exceptions), & 1 CBA to be completed per short course. All CBAs are specified at a common level.

When do CBAs take place?

They take place during normal class time during a designated CBA window. Schools have the freedom to schedule them anytime within this window. Care will be given to ensure that there are not too many CBAs taking place at any one time. A schedule will be drawn up within the school and shared. The vast majority of CBAs will be completed over a three-week period, with the exception of the likes of PE, Home Economics, Music & Art, which are longer. Visit our Junior Cycle page to view this year’s CBA timetable.

What does a CBA entail?

Every subject and every teacher will have different expectations for the CBA in their subjects. What is important to note is that the assessments associated with the CBA will be tied to the skills and knowledge linked with the subject or short course being studied.

For example, a science CBA could be proving an experiment, but a history CBA could be creating a presentation on the 1916 Rising.

CBAs can come in the format of digital portfolios, oral presentations, projects, written essays, or a combination of various aspects.

How are the CBAs graded?

The CBAs are not graded the same as your child’s class tests or the state exams in the Junior Cycle; however, CBAs are just as important as class tests.

There are four level descriptors of achievement in each Classroom-Based Assessment:

• Exceptional describes a piece of work that is of an extremely high standard.
• Above expectations grade describes a piece of work that reflects a particularly good piece of work, but with feedback from the teacher, the student has potential to improve.
• In line with expectations grade describes a piece of work that reflects most of the Features of Quality for the Classroom-Based Assessment well. It shows a good understanding of the task at hand and is free from significant error.
• Yet to meet expectations grade describes a piece of work that falls somewhat short of the demands of the classroom-based Assessment and its associated Features of Quality. The student has made a good attempt, but the task has not been grasped clearly.

A ‘Not reported’ is granted if a student does not make any attempt at producing any work for their CBA.

The grades of these CBAs will appear on a student’s Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) along with their final examination grades.

Advice to give your child on CBAs

• Follow all of their teachers’ instructions.
• Use their class time wisely. Three weeks do fly by.
• Keep track of their sources they use when researching.
• Do not copy and paste directly from the Internet and pretend it is their work because they will get caught.
• Ask for help if they are stuck.
• Encourage them to present their findings at home as practice in case they must do a class presentation.

To conclude, the CBAs are a fun and interactive three weeks in class, as they give the students a break from the ‘Chalk and Talk’ approach of learning, and they can be involved in more active learning methods.

Engaging in research also helps the students to think critically and find information for themselves, which is crucial to prepare them for life outside of a classroom. Encouraging the use of digital technologies in the CBAs can give the students a break from writing and can also help students with spelling and grammar.