An English version of this text follows the Irish version.
Tá an FTO ag comhoibriú leis an tSeirbhís Náisiúnta Síceolaíochta Oideachais (SNSO) chun measúnú ar scileanna litearthachta Gaeilge a chaighdeánú, ar a dtugtar Measúnú agus Diagnóisic Litearthachta don Iar-bhunscoil – Gaeilge nó MDLI-G. Is leagan Gaeilge comhionann é seo de na trialacha PPAD-E a bhí ann cheana. Tá an staidéar á stiúradh ag Claire O’Halloran (Ceannasaí don réamhthástáil i scoileanna, SNSO) agus ag an fhoireann um Fhorbairt Trialacha (FTO). Ag an FTO, tá Conall Ó Duibhir ina bhainisteoir tionscadail don staidéar agus é ag obair le Emer Delaney (Comhalta Taighde) agus le Helena Ní Rócháin (Cúntóir Taighde).
Forbairtí Reatha agus Todhchaí
Tá obair ar siúl faoi láthair chun MDLI-G a chur ar fáil do gach iar-bhunscoil le húsáid leis an gCéad Bhliain agus leis an Tríú Bliain i bhfómhar na bliana 2025.
Teagmháil: development@erc.ie
An gá atá le MDLI-G
Tar éis forbairt agus rolladh amach rathúil an PPAD-E don mheasúnú ar litearthacht an Bhéarla ag tús na hIar-bhunscoile, aithníodh an gá atá le measúnú den chineál céanna ar litearthacht na Gaeilge. Chuige seo, tá obair tosaithe ag an SNSO agus ag an FTO ar MDLI-G.
Sular forbraíodh PPAD-E, bhí scoileanna ag brath ar thrialacha scagthástála i mBéarla a forbraíodh thar lear, nach raibh de réir an noirm do scoláirí in Éirinn. Níl, áfach, aon trialacha scagthástála litearthachta coibhéiseacha ar fáil don aoisghrúpa seo. Mar sin, cuirfidh MDLI-G acmhainn luachmhar ar fáil do scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge chun cabhrú leo scoláirí atá ag streachailt le gnéithe éagsúla den litearthacht a aithint agus tacaíocht chuí a phleanáil dóibh.
Déanfar MDLI-G a chaighdeánú ón tús de réir noirm do dhaltaí sa Chéad agus sa Tríú Bliain. Déanfar na staidéir phíolótacha agus chaighdeánaithe a riar ar scoláirí sna blianta seo lena chinntiú go bhfuil sé oiriúnach na scoláire ábhartha agus go mbeidh noirm ionadaíocha ar fáil ag an dhá leibhéal bliana.
Tá an measúnú deartha lena chinntiú go bhfuil sé oiriúnach do gach canúint Ghaeilge, gan buntáiste a thabhairt do chainteoirí aon chanúint ar leith. Mar sin, beidh MDLI-G oiriúnach do gach scoláire a bhfuil oideachas á fháil acu trí mheán na Gaeilge – i scoileanna Gaeltachta, i nGaelcholáistí, i sruthanna agus in aonaid.
Dearadh MDLI-G
Tá struchtúr an phacáiste tástála iomlán ar aon dul le PPAD-E. Tá cúig fhothriail ann:
- Léitheoireacht focal
- Litriú
- Mearléitheoireacht
- Léamhthuiscint
- Samplaí scríbhneoireachta.
Déantar gach rud seachas an triail Léitheoireachta Focal a riar i ngrúpaí (déantar Léitheoireacht Focal a riar ar an duine aonair). Ní mór uair an chloig a chur ar fáil don mheasúnú, móide 3-4 nóiméad in aghaidh an dalta don triail Léitheoireachta .
Cuspóirí agus buntáistí MDLI-G
Is é cuspóir an staidéir seo ná an MDLI-G a ‘chaighdeánú’ agus nósanna imeachta don riar agus don scóráil a bheachtú ionas gur féidir le múinteoirí ar fud iar-bhunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge na hÉireann é a úsáid.
Táthar ag súil go mbainfidh scoileanna iliomad tairbhí as an MDLI-G nua a úsáid, nuair a bheidh sé caighdeánaithe. Beidh an triail chaighdeánaithe:
- oiriúnach ó thaobh cultúir de agus oiriúnaithe do chomhthéacs na hÉireann
- deartha le húsáid ag múinteoirí
- uirlisí agus ábhair ag gabháil leo ionas gur féidir torthaí trialacha a riar, a scóráil agus a léirmhíniú do dhaltaí aonair
- nasctha le hidirghabhálacha fianaise-bhunaithe
- oiriúnach chun incháilitheacht do dhíolúine ón nGaeilge a mheas
- cabhrach don scagthástáil le haghaidh deacrachtaí (go háirithe dóibh siúd atá ag tosú sa chéad bhliain)
- úsáideach do mheasúnú diagnóiseach, monatóireacht agus meastóireacht ar dhul chun cinn
- cabhrach maidir le sonraí a sholáthar do RACE/DARE, agus
- úsáideach chun caighdeáin a bhunú agus a athbhreithniú.
Dearadh staidéar píolótach agus caighdeánaithe MDLI-G
Don staidéar píolótach, roghnaigh an FTO sampla ionadaíoch de scoileanna tríd is tríd chun MDLI-G a riar iontu. Bhí an chéim seo den tionscadal an-tábhachtach chun bailíocht gach gné de na tástálacha a bhunú.
Maidir leis an gcaighdeánú in 2024, tá an FTO tar éis sampla móráirimh de na scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge ar fad, lena n-áirítear scoileanna Gaeltachta, Gaelcholáistí, sruthanna agus aonaid a chur san áireamh. I ngach scoil roghnaithe, roghnófar rang amháin go randamach sa chéad agus sa tríú bhliain chun páirt a ghlacadh (a sholáthróidh tuairim is 3,500 rannpháirtí). Tar éis scórála agus anailíse, cuirfear tuairisc ar thorthaí ar fáil do scoileanna rannpháirteacha san earrach-samhradh 2025.
Dearbhú Cosaint Sonraí
Cliceáil anseo chun eolas faoi Chosaint Sonraí a fháil.
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English Version:
The ERC is collaborating with the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to standardise an assessment of Irish-language literacy skills, called Measúnú agus Diagnóisic Litearthachta don Iarbhunscoil – Ghaeilge or MDLI-G. This is an Irish-language equivalent of the pre-existing PPAD-E tests. The study is led by Claire O’Halloran (Lead for preliminary testing in schools, NEPS) and the Test Development team (ERC). At the ERC, Conall Ó Duibhir is project manager for the study, working with Emer Delaney (Research Fellow) and Helena Ní Rócháin (Research Assistant).
Current and Future Developments
Work is currently being undertaken to make MDLI-G available to all post-primary schools for use with First and Third Year in autumn 2025.
Contact: development@erc.ie
The need for MDLI-G
Following the successful development and roll-out of the PPAD-E in assessing English literacy at the beginning of Post-Primary, the need for a similar assessment of Irish-language literacy has been identified. NEPS and the ERC have begun work on MDLI-G to this end.
Prior to the development of PPAD-E, schools relied on English-language screening tests that were developed abroad, that were not normed for students in Ireland. However, no equivalent literacy screening tests in Irish are available for this age group. Therefore, MDLI-G will offer a valuable resource to Irish-medium schools to help them to identify students who are struggling with various aspects of literacy and plan appropriate support for them.
MDLI-G will be standardised and normed for students in First and Third Year from the outset. The pilot and standardisation studies will be administered to students in these years to ensure that it is appropriate for the relevant students in the Junior Cycle and that representative norms are available at both levels.
The assessment has been designed to ensure that it is appropriate to all dialects of Irish, without offering an advantage to speakers of any given dialect. Therefore, MDLI-G will be appropriate to all students receiving their education through Irish – in Gaeltacht schools, Gaelcholáistí, streams and units.
Design of MDLI-G
The complete test package mirrors the structure of PPAD-E. It includes five subtests:
- Word reading
- Spelling
- Reading speed
- Reading comprehension
- Writing samples.
All but the Word Reading test are group-administered (Word Reading is individually administered). The assessment requires an hour to administer, plus 3-4 minutes per student for the Word Reading test.
Purposes and benefits of the MDLI-G
The purpose of this study is to ‘standardise’ the MDLI-G and refine procedures for administering and scoring it so that it can be used by teachers across all Irish-medium post-primary schools in Ireland.
It is anticipated that schools will enjoy multiple benefits from using the new MDLI-G, once it is standardised. The standardised test will be:
- culturally appropriate and tailored to the Irish context
- designed for use by teachers
- accompanied by tools and materials that enable test administration, scoring and interpretation of test results for individual students
- linked to evidence-based interventions
- suitable for considering eligibility for an exemption from Irish
- helpful for screening for difficulties (particularly at first year intake)
- useful in diagnostic assessment, monitoring and evaluating progress
- helpful in providing data for RACE/DARE, and
- useful in establishing and reviewing standards.
Design of the MDLI-G pilot and standardisation studies
For the pilot study, the ERC selected a broadly representative sample of schools in which MDLI-G was administered. This phase of the project was very important in confirming the validity of all aspects of the tests.
For the standardisation in 2024, a census sample of all Irish-medium schools, including Gaeltacht schools, Gaelcholáistí, streams and units are being included. In each selected school, it is envisaged that one class in First and Third Year will be selected at random to take part (yielding approximately 3,500 participants). Following scoring and analysis, participating schools can expect to receive a report of results in spring-summer 2025.
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