The following statement has been agreed for issue by the Minister for Education and Skills, the ASTI and the TUI - 20th May, 2015

"A proposal to resolve the dispute over Junior Cycle reform has been agreed between the Department and the leadership of the second-level teaching unions. The leadership of the ASTI and the TUI, along with Minister O'Sullivan, have committed their support and strong endorsement to these clearly stated proposals, outlined in a document entitled “Junior Cycle Reform: Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation.”

This document will be presented by the leadership of both unions to their executives on Friday. The Department will also present the document for discussion to all education stakeholders. The proposals will be published in full following these meetings on Friday evening.

Discussions leading to this proposed resolution have followed recent commentary by Minister O'Sullivan, who outlined the following five key principles which must underpin any reform of the Junior Cycle:

** The need to recognise a wide range of learning

** A requirement to considerably reduce the focus on one terminal exam as a means of assessing our students

**The necessity to give prominence and importance to classroom based assessment

** Greater professional collaboration between teachers to be a feature of our schools

**Both parents and students to get a broader picture of each student's learning throughout the whole of junior cycle

The teacher unions responded positively to these five key principles and sought engagement on how they might be implemented in a mutually acceptable and appropriately resourced way.
The agreed document outlines a foundation for reform of the junior cycle, within the context of those principles. The document will be published with the express intention that it will form the basis for a ballot of trade union members, to take place as early as practicable in Autumn 2015.

Both sides have agreed that no further comment will be made in advance of the publication of the document on Friday evening.”

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