Praesidium was started more than 20 years ago in response to a request from a youth serving organization that was reeling from an incident of child sexual abuse. At that time, little was known about how abuse occurred in organizations and what could be done to stop it. After two decades of research and experience with more than 4,000 youth and vulnerable adult serving organizations, Praesidium knows who's at risk, what types of programs are the most dangerous, and where and under what circumstances incidents and false allegations are most likely to occur.
Dublin Oak Academy works with Praesidium Inc., a leading company in abuse risk management, based in the United States of America.
The Junior Cycle
Dublin Oak Academy is authorized by the Irish Department of Education and Science to present the Irish National Junior Certificate Exam. The Junior Certificate examinations are held at the end of the Junior Cycle in Irish post-primary schools.
The Junior Cycle is aimed for students in the 13 to 15 year old age group. Students normally sit their examinations at the age of 14 or 15, after 3 years of post-primary education. In Dublin Oak Academy, the senior students prepare in an academic year the content that Irish students would cover in three years.
This examination is recognized by all European Union countries.
The subjects presented by our students in the state examinations are: English Literature, Mathematics, Science, Spanish, History, Geography and Classical Studies and Religious Studies. The syllabi can be viewed from the following website:
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)
The exams and their marking schemes can be downloaded from the following website:
State Examinations Commission
https://www.examinations.ie/index.php?l=en&mc=ca&sc=sc
Cambridge Exams
The Cambridge Exam which is held in June or March has three levels. This assessment also gives the overall English Language result. This will be the same as in the main report, a breakdown of English Language skills, and a comment section. The teacher will only use this section if he/she feels it necessary to explain some points to the parents. Please note that while 4 is the pass mark for all school exams, 6 is a pass mark for the Cambridge exams, 8 is a very good mark, 9 an excellent mark, and to achieve 10 the student must be outstanding.
Dublin Oak Academy students receive Cambridge University English Language Certificates, depending on their level of expertise in the use of English.
Cambridge certificates are recognised internationally as proof of competence in English language.
Our students will present the following levels at the Cambridge University English exams:
Preliminary English Test (PET)
Level 2 of the Cambridge exam system. Students who pass this exam are able to cope with a range of everyday situations in their own or in a foreign country, with native and non-native speakers of English. This exam requires about 380 hours of study overall, including previous years of English language learning. In general terms it is about Pre-Intermediate.
First Certificate of English (FCE)
This exam supposes that the student is fluent and accurate in English. It is generally taken by professional people or high school graduates who are working or want to work in an English speaking environment. The topics are very demanding and difficult for younger students. A pass here is an excellent result since it supposes up to 600 hours of study. This level corresponds to Upper-Intermediate level.
TIE (Test of Interactive English)
The Test of Interactive English (TIE) is recognised by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), a statutory body of the Department of Education and Skills.
TIE Test Format
The test assesses learner’ communicative and interactive skills. It has two parts, an Oral Test (30 minutes) based on the student’s project work, and a Written Test (60 minutes). The TIE Scale of Assessment accords with the Council of Europe’s Common Framework Scale of Language Proficiency.
TIE is recognised by the Irish Department of Education and Skills. For more information, please visit: www.tie.ie.
Advisory Council for English Language Schools (ACELS)
TIE is an international EFL exam developed in Ireland by a group of Irish English language professionals under the aegis of the Advisory Council for English Language Schools (ACELS) a government agency responsible for quality assurance in English language teaching. TIE is suitable for school students and our students will sit this test (that includes both, oral and written papers) as part of the English training programme.
