Vol. 562 No. 1
333 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No 134 of 13 February 2003, the nature of the data supplied in the psychological report that were not in line with the criteria outlined in circular letter 8/02; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5416/03]
My Department's circular letter 8/02 defines the criteria that make children eligible for extra resources in respect of special educational needs. In relation to specific learning disability it stipulates that resource teaching for 2.5 hours per week may be allocated only to children whose test results fulfil the following criteria, namely, such children have been assessed by a psychologist as: being of average intelligence or higher: and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the second percentile on suitable, standardised, norm-referenced tests. Children who do not meet these criteria and, who in the opinion of the psychologist, have a specific learning disability are more properly the responsibility of the remedial teacher and-or the class teacher.
It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the test scores of an individual child, but the information can be made available to his parents.
