The news was confirmed in an announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
All third-year students in the Republic of Ireland will be awarded certificates for the completion of the Junior Cycle by the Department of Education and Skills.
The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh announced the revised arrangements with regard to the Junior Cycle on Wednesday.
Under the new measures, the work and achievements of third-year Junior Cycle students will be recognised with a state certificate from the Department of Education and Skills to signify the completion of the cycle.
As soon as possible after the end of the current school year, students will receive a written school report on their learning achievements in each subject, short course and/or priority learning unit.
As well as this, schools are also being given the authority to decide whether to run school-based assessments and what form they take.
Guidance for schools on reporting to students and parents, developed with the advice of the advisory group of stakeholders, will be published by the Department of Education.
McHugh said: “In this difficult time for students I have listened to the very strongly-held and well-articulated views of students, parents and other stakeholders.
“This decision has been made with the health and wellbeing of students, parents and teachers at the forefront of our thinking.
“It gives students and their families more clarity and certainty. It also gives schools freedom to decide how best to assess the progress of students following three years of hard work and learning.”
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