Teachers may be compromising the education of their pupils by focusing on teaching them how to achieve Central Applications Office (CAO) points instead of traditional learning.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has admitted to being concerned about the reliance teachers are placing on previous Leaving Cert exam results when deciding what and how to teach students, the Irish Independent reports.

As a result, the NCAA are currently conducting a survey of teachers in an attempt to discover the extent to which previous marking schemes are being used as an educational tool in the classroom.

This is known as "teaching to the test" and is said to encourage students to memorise key facts and figures to collect CAO points, rather than develop a deeper understanding of a topic.

The NCAA advises Education Minister Ruairi Quinn with regard to the curriculum and it is believed to be forming recommendations for reform of the college entry process.

Currently, students attain CAO points as a result of their Leaving Cert results but the organisation is said to be looking into the possibility of introducing a further grade breakdown - B1, B2 and B3, for example - to distinguish between students who currently achieve the same results.

Written by Donal Walsh.

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