Assessment at Coláiste Bhaile Chláir goes beyond exams. We use a range of standardised tools alongside term assessments to build a complete picture of every student — understanding how they think, what support they need, and how to help them achieve their full potential.
CAT4 is a standardised assessment developed to measure a student’s reasoning abilities, rather than what they have already been taught. It looks at how students think, reason, and solve problems, and is commonly used with students aged 6–17. CAT4 is not a curriculum test — it does not assess knowledge of English, Maths, or Science directly.
NGRT (New Group Reading Test) is a standardised, adaptive reading assessment used with students typically aged 6–16. It measures key aspects of reading comprehension and sentence-level understanding, rather than decoding alone. The test is usually completed online, takes around 30 minutes, and can be administered to whole classes at once.
The SRA (Scholastic Reading Award) Library is a graded independent reading programme containing fiction and non-fiction texts, colour-coded or levelled books, comprehension questions and activities, and self-checking or teacher-guided responses. It is designed to promote independent, confidence-building reading practice.
Use NGRT to accurately identify each student’s reading level and needs.
Use SRA to provide targeted, levelled reading practice matched to the student.
Repeat NGRT assessments to measure progress and evaluate the impact of SRA practice.
Make informed decisions about intervention, support, and challenge based on combined data.
Athena Analytics is a school data analysis and reporting platform designed to bring together assessment, attainment, and progress data into clear, visual dashboards. It is widely used in schools to support evidence-based decision making, tracking progress and attainment over time, and identifying trends, gaps, and strengths at student, class, cohort, and whole-school level.
Term Exams in Coláiste Bhaile Chláir are conducted 3 times throughout the year. A report is sent home to parents and guardians with results and feedback for each student after each examination period.
| Exam | When | Year Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Week 10 | 2nd Week in November | All Year Groups |
| Week 20 | Early February | 1st Year 2nd Year TY 5th Year |
| Mock Exams | Early February | 3rd Year — Junior Cert 6th Year — Leaving Cert |
| Week 30 | End of May | 1st Year 2nd Year TY 5th Year |
