This decision to adopt and integrate a fledgling & ever-evolving technology right into the core of schools without any research base is extraordinarily irresponsible and bordering on stupidity. Is there anyone in the DE offering a dissented voice or are they all lemmings?

We can't simultaneously decry that students can't seem to do anything for themselves and then make a bunch of digital tools that do things for students. Either we're helping them develop their practices (skills, knowledge, attitudes, habits of mind) of a field, or we're not.

On the contrary … as we said in our statement, we want for forge a closer, collaborate relationship with the Oide Science Team. We obviously want to delay the introduction of the AACs until their fairness, integrity and resourcing issues are resolved.

We are not asking members not to engage with the process, training etc. It’s just a formal recognition of our opposition to the proposed assessment. We don’t think our points are unreasonable; we’d argue anyone with an informed view on education would realise all our points are valid.

There is no prejudice - we have tried hard to engage in meaningful discussion on the AACs but all of our concerns (reasonable, informed and evidenced based concerns) have been ignored. Dissociation is a formal step, saying we formally disagree with the structure of the assessment.

Not sure what you mean? The guideline documents were published last week and the structure of the AAC is publicly accessible. On the grounds outlined in the statement, we make it clear that the proposed assessment is impractical, inequitable, open to abuse and potentially unsafe.

I won’t comment on your point but the Oide Science Team have been kindly asked to not misrepresent the views of the ISTA in those training days, or use the ISTA to support any decision.

Full statement here: ista.ie/wp-content/u...

This follows a similar decision made by the ASTI and IUA representatives on those subject development groups to dissociate from the Additional Assessment Components.

The ISTA Council have unanimously decided to formally dissociate from the Additional Assessment Components until such time as the concerns around its feasibility, fairness and integrity are addressed meaningfully.