The Classroom-Based Assessment, or CBA for short, in your Junior Cycle Coding Short Course is a way for your teacher to see what you've learned throughout the course.

Unlike traditional exams, it's based on the work you've done in class, like projects and activities. It's an important part of your overall Junior Cycle experience, helping you demonstrate your skills in a practical way. For short courses like this coding one, there's just one CBA.

The CBA is called 'Putting the pieces together' and it's the final part of your coding short course. It's your chance to show everything you've learned by creating something with coding.

You have two options for how to do your CBA:

1. Develop a final software project: Work in a team of two or three students. Choose a project idea, research what it needs, design it, build it with code, test it, and document everything. Then, present it to your classmates for feedback. You'll also give feedback on others' projects and reflect on what you learn.
2. Create a portfolio: Collect examples of your work from the course. Pick the best ones that show how you've improved in problem-solving and computational thinking. For each example, write about what you learned and how it helped you get better.

Choose the one that suits you best.

If you choose the software project option for your CBA, you'll work in a small team of two or three students. As a group, choose a software piece to create, such as a game, app, or program based on your personal interests or something you've researched before.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Research and plan the requirements: Think about what your project needs. What problem does it solve? Who will use it?
2. Design, implement, and test: Design how it will look and work, including the user experience to make it easy and fun to use. Then, build it with code and test it to fix any bugs.
3. Document your contributions and code: Keep notes on what you did personally in the team, and explain your code.
4. Present to the class: Show your project to your classmates and get their feedback.
5. Reflect on peer feedback: Think about the feedback you receive and how it can help you improve.

If you choose the coding portfolio option for your CBA, you'll work individually to collect and present examples of your work from the course. Select 3-5 pieces from across the different strands that show how your skills and learning have grown. You can include group work as long as you clearly specify your own role in it.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Choose thoughtfully: Look back at your work and pick pieces that reflect on your successes, mistakes, and what you've learned. Think about how they demonstrate your growth in problem-solving and computational thinking.
2. Curate in a digital or physical format: Organise your selected pieces into a portfolio, either digitally (like in a document or slideshow) or physically (like in a folder).
3. Add a short note per piece: For each example, write a brief note explaining why you chose it and what it meant for your learning. Include any ethical or legal issues you encountered.
4. End with an overall reflection: Finish your portfolio with a summary of your development throughout the course, showing how your skills have progressed.

Teachers use the Features of Quality, set out in these guidelines, to decide the 
level of achievement in each Classroom-Based Assessment.