THE SEVEN universities have finally agreed to introduce a bonus points scheme for higher level maths in the Leaving Cert – but the students will receive only 25 additional points.
The deputy president of UCD, Dr Philip Nolan signalled last month that a bonus of up to about 40 points would be available.
While Minister for Education Mary Coughlan – who pressed for the move – will welcome the new scheme, there will be a question mark over its capacity to draw more students to higher level maths. A series of studies has shown that higher level maths is by some distance the most time-consuming and demanding exam in the Leaving Certificate.
A bonus of 25 CAO points may not be enough to significantly change student choice. At present, only 16 per cent of Leaving Cert students take higher level maths, by far the lowest take up of any higher level subject in the exam.
At least one-in-five also drops from higher to ordinary level maths in the run-in to the exam.
Details of the new scheme – which will run on a pilot basis for four years from 2012 – were worked out at a meeting of university presidents, members of the Irish University Association (IUA) last night.
Every student taking higher level maths and gaining grade D3 or higher will receive the bonus. In practical terms a student scoring an A1 in the exam will secure the 100 points currently on offer plus a bonus of 25, a total of 125 points.
A student scoring a D3 will get the current 45 points plus the 25 point bonus, a total of 70 points.
University presidents say the new move will run in parallel with the new more “user friendly” Project Maths course which will also be rolled out from 2012.
IUA chief executive Ned Costello said: “The council has endorsed the bonus points initiative as a complementary measure to Project Maths and with a specific focus on encouraging a greater uptake of higher level maths in the Leaving Certificate. We are particularly anxious to address the problem of students dropping down from the higher level maths course as the Leaving Certificate approaches.”
University presidents say the new scheme while still rewarding high achievers will be “particularly attractive to those students who are capable of strong results at ordinary level, but who are concerned about the extra demands of the honours course”. The scheme will be reviewed in 2014.
The universities stressed the importance of the award of bonus points being backed up by full delivery on the recommendations of the Project Maths implementation support group. “Ultimately, the necessary step change in maths attainment will only come about through a combination of curriculum reform, improved teacher competence and appropriate incentives to students. There is a strong onus on Government to ensure that the full package is delivered,” Mr Costello said.
The usual CAO system will apply – the bonus points will then be awarded and added to the existing points for higher level maths, and then the best six subject scores are counted. If higher level maths is not among these six subjects, the bonus points will not be included in the total score.
While the available bonus is proportionally greater for those achieving higher level D and C grades, as per the objective of the pilot scheme, the scheme likewise ensures a worthwhile bonus for students achieving higher level B and A grades, on top of the existing rewards built into the points system for these high achievers. This scheme also avoids the issues associated with double weighting, whereby those getting high points are also rewarded with higher bonus points than others.