Written Answers Nos. 458-477
458. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if there is provision to accommodate schools which need substitute bus escorts in cases of a bus escort having to self-isolate due to Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25189/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Based on the public health advice published in early July, my Department has been planning for School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021school year to fully operate, but with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place.
In a case where a school bus escort must self isolate due to displaying symptoms of Covid 19, or due to someone in their household whi is suspected or known to have COVID-19, the bus escort should not attend work for the period advised by HSE guidelines. In this case a substitute bus escort may be employed by the school to cover the length of time that the bus escort is self isolating. The cost for substitution can be claimed from School Transport Section of my Department in the normal manner.
459. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education if review options are available to a student (details supplied) whose school awarded grades for the 2020 leaving certificate which were significantly reduced by her Department therefore affecting their chances of obtaining the course of choice through the CAO system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25199/20]
View answerThe decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students.
Schools provided an estimated percentage mark and a rank order for each student’s subjects. The process of national standardisation was applied to the school information in order to ensure comparability between the standards applied by individual schools and the national standard. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school. It was inherent to the system of calculated grades that school estimates would be subject to adjustment through this standardisations process. The adjustments that occurred through standardisation resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. The standardisation process operated on the premise that the school estimates should only be adjusted through the standardisation process where there was credible statistical evidence to justify changing them.
Following standardisation, the estimated percentage mark was converted to a calculated mark and subsequently, a calculated grade which was provided to students on 7 September. It is only at this point that students were awarded a grade.
Therefore, it is not accurate to state that student(s) were downgraded, or upgraded, through the standardisation process. Rather the grade that was awarded following the standardisation process is the grade for the 2020 Leaving Certificate (Calculated Grades).
Some students experienced mark changes from the school estimates but no changes to the grades based on the school estimates; while others will have experienced changes to the marks leading to a change in the grade that would have been awarded based on the school estimates in one or more of their subjects.
In terms of the grades awarded, 83% (almost 340,000) of all Leaving Certificate subject grades are either the same or higher than the school estimates while 17% (under 70,000) grades are lower.
Every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics, either at the level of the student or the school and the standardisation process has been applied uniformly across all schools. This means anyone using the certificate to make a judgement between two people who hold this certificate, either now or in the future, can place equal value on the same grade in the same subject, without regard to where they went to school.
We appreciate that some students will be disappointed at the results they have achieved. This is the case every year when the Leaving Certificate results are published.
Students, at an individual level, had access to an appeals process the closing date for which has now passed. The appeals system is, by design, restricted to looking for technical errors in the data provided on behalf of students and in the processing of that data. The nature of this appeal process has been part of the system of Calculated Grades from the outset. The appeal process will involve a technical appeal focused on looking for errors in the transmission of the data through the process. An example of this would be whether any mistake has been made in entering the information to any of the systems used in the process.
It was fundamental to the adoption of a system of Calculated Grades that the professional judgement of the school (teachers and principals) would be outside the scope of the appeals process.
The integrity, validity and reliability of the process of national standardisation was overseen by the National Standardisation Group whose role was to oversee the application of the statistical model to the school data. Any appeals process that would allow an individual student level appeal to reopen the application of the statistical process to the school sourced data would fundamentally undermine fairness and equity in the system of calculated grades which relies on the uniform application of the statistical model.
Students dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeals process can invoke a separate process to have their appeal reviewed by independent Appeals Scrutineers. These Scrutineers are independent of the Department.
Students who consider that their appeal has not been processed correctly can make a complaint to the Ombudsman or, in the case of students under 18 years of age, the Ombudsman for Children.
Students dissatisfied with their results will have the opportunity to sit written Leaving Certificate examinations in November (subject to public health advice). Those who sit the examinations will be credited with the higher subject grade achieved between the Calculated Grade and the written exam.
460. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education her plans to establish a supply teacher panel for the south-west Cork areas; her further plans for teacher absences for the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25200/20]
View answerThe Roadmap for the Full Return to School provides for comprehensive supports across a range of areas to allow for the safe reopening of schools.
Among the supports provided is the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel. The scheme has been expanded from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to over 110 base schools, providing substitute cover to over 2,100 schools across the country.
In forming the Supply Panel clusters, my Department's GIS system identified the receiving schools based on distance from the base school. Teaching posts were allocated to each Supply Panel cluster based on the number of permanent teaching positions in the schools in the cluster and the distance to the base school.
Eleven Supply Panel clusters have been established in Co. Cork, including one in Bantry, which cover more than 200 schools across the county.
461. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education the process involved to access an autism place for a child when moving from one county to another; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25216/20]
View answerThe policy of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) is to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. The Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.
The enrolment of a child in a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents of the child and then a matter for the school/ Board of Management having regard to their own enrolment/admissions policy.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), are available to assist parents to identify appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs and to discuss their child's special educational needs. Details of SENOs are available on www.ncse.ie
The NCSE also works in collaboration with the Educational Welfare Services (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency which is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child or can offer assistance where a child is out of school. Contact details are available on www.tusla.ie .
462. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if a place will be made available for a person (details supplied) in a special school to repeat a year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25218/20]
View answerSpecial schools funded by my Department are classified as primary national schools and are intended, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 64(1) of the Rules for National Schools, to cater for children and young persons with special educational needs from the age of 4 years until the end of the school year in which they reach their 18th year.
Special schools may however seek approval from my Department for an exemption from Rule 64(1) in respect of students over the age of 18 who are pursuing courses leading to accreditation on the National Qualifications Framework (e.g. Junior Certificate/Leaving Certificate Applied/FETAC 3).
A request for an exemption from Rule 64(1) can only be made by a school where:
1. The student is pursuing a course leading to accreditation on the National Qualifications Framework (e.g. Junior Certificate/Leaving Certificate Applied/FETAC 3)
2. The student requires one additional year in order to complete their course
3. Retaining the student in the school for one school year will not prevent a younger pupil being enrolled there
4. Plans are in place to transition the student to a post-school setting at the end of the additional school year
Special schools are invited each year to make applications for exemptions from Rule 64(1) in respect of pupils who meet the above criteria. Where the criteria are met, my Department will approve the exemptions.
My Department has no record of receiving an exemption application, as referenced above, from the school to which the Deputy refers in relation to the pupil in question.
Some people with a disability, over the age of 18, and who have complex needs, may require specialised support throughout their lives. Ongoing care and support services within the community, in a post school setting, are provided by voluntary or statutory organisations. Responsibility for such care and support rests with the HSE.
Special school staff typically have extensive engagement with parents, HSE multi-disciplinary teams and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which involves planning for the student’s future, including options for further education, training, employment or other placement options subject to the student’s abilities, including the transition to adult services when they reach the age of 18 years.
It is important to note that students with complex special educational needs who transfer to adult service settings can continue to participate in educational programmes through further adult educational programmes or, in adult settings, which are allocated resources towards educational provision.
I understand that transition between school and post school settings can be a difficult time for students with special educational needs and their families and more so this year due to the COVID-19 crisis. I am also aware though that transition planning for these students will have been well advanced by their schools prior to the school closures.
While my Department acknowledges the continuity of learning and transition planning which has also occurred since March, we are very conscious of the needs and concerns of the young adults and their families at this time. My Department and the HSE have been working closely on the development of a support programme to ensure that these needs and concerns can be addressed through enhanced communication between schools and HSE funded Day Services.
An additional teacher allocation to each of the schools concerned as an exceptional once off measure has recently been notified to schools to support the transition process into HSE Adult Day Services between now and the end of the year. Each school may now access teacher substitution to enable a teacher(s) to liaise with the local HSE Provider.
463. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the financial burden being placed on rural families by the cost of school transport; her plans to reduce school transport fees; her views on low income families paying €650 per year for school transport; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that many rural communities agreed to school amalgamations on receiving assurances that their children would receive free school transport to a centralised school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25231/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
The annual charge for school transport services is €100 per annum for primary children and €350 for post primary children with a maximum family charge of €220 for primary children only or €650 overall. The service is heavily subsidised, with less than 8% of the cost of the scheme being recouped from fare-paying pupils in 2019.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge. In addition, there is no charge for children who are eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs.
The appropriate annual charge applies to all other children and there are no current plans to change this.
464. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education when a bus route will be provided for eleven students (details supplied) travelling from Clogheen, County Tipperary to Mitchelstown, County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25239/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of the Department's Post-Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest school/education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application process on time are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Bus Éireann, who operate school transport on behalf of my Department, has advised that the children referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's Post-Primary School Transport Scheme as they are not attending their closest school.
465. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education if a student (details supplied) can be transferred on to a bus route that passes their house twice daily under the school transport scheme rather than having to travel over two kilometres to another route; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25240/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
The pupil referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport and a ticket was issued on the 11th August 2020. Bus Éireann has advised that effective from Tuesday the 22nd September 2020 the pupil will be accommodated on a service that passes the pupils home.
466. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the reason for the delay in granting funding for additional accommodation works for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25241/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board (ETB). It is a matter for the ETB to progress the project in that context.
Having said this, I am aware that there have been changes made to the scope of works on this project which has led to the need to provide revised reports. While there have been other issues identified with some of these reports which has taken time to work through with the ETB, officials in my Department are currently reviewing the most recent revised stage report. This review has taken longer than would normally be expected, but I can assure the Deputy that it is being progressed as quickly as possible.
467. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the status of the amalgamation of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25242/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the decision making authority for any amalgamation belongs to the Patron/Trustees of the school and this is subject to my Department's approval. My Department understands that matters associated with the amalgamation in question are being addressed by the Patron. I wish to advise the Deputy that the major building project for the new school is at an advanced stage of the tender process.
468. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education if a review of the school transport scheme will be carried out for students attending a school (details supplied) and for those that have been awarded concessionary tickets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25243/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann have advised that there are 9 services which serve the school referred to by the Deputy for the 2020/2021 school year. In total 263 eligible students and 29 concessionary students have been issued with tickets on these services. There were 4 eligible students who did not pay on time and were unsuccessful in obtaining a ticket for a service, 3 concessionary students who paid on time were also unsuccessful in obtaining a ticket for a service and 3 concessionary students who did not pay on time and were unsuccessful in obtaining a ticket for a service.
Updated health advice was received from NPHET on the 18th August, which impacts on the operation of post-primary school transport services. This advice stated that for secondary school students on school transport, strict distancing should be ensured in line with that on public transport along with the wearing of face coverings.
My Department is engaging with Bus Éireann in respect of these plans, to implement measures so that any services that can operate from the start of the school year at 50% capacity will do so and over the coming period all other post-primary transport services will be re-organised and additional services will be provided as required to allow for physical distancing. Following implementation of physical distancing on current services further tickets will be only be issued to applicants where there is spare capacity once 50% physical distancing is achieved on services.
In the event of not securing a ticket where no capacity exists, or on cancellation, a full refund will be issued.
469. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Oideachais conas a cuireadh teanga theagaisc na mac léinn san áireamh le linn phróiseas marcála na hArdteistiméireachta i mbliana, á chur i gcuntas gur tugadh pointí bónais gach bliain go dtí seo dóibh siúd a rinne an Ardteistiméireacht trí Ghaeilge; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [25238/20]
View answerBa de bharr COVID-19, a d’fhág nárbh fhéidir Scrúduithe na hArdteistiméireachta a reáchtáil, a chinn mo Roinn dul le samhail na nGrád Ríofa.
Dearadh samhail na nGrád Ríofa ar chomhairle ó Ghrúpa Oibre Teicniúil ina raibh saineolaithe ó Choimisiún na Scrúduithe Stáit, ó Chigireacht na Roinne Oideachais agus Scileanna, ón bhForas Taighde ar Oideachas agus saineolaithe seachtracha idirnáisiúnta.
Is iad an oibiachtúlacht, an chothromaíocht agus an chóir na prionsabail ar a bhfuil córas na ngrád ríofa bunaithe. Dearadh an próiseas chun léiriú cothrom a thabhairt ar fheidhmíocht daltaí gan buntáiste a thabhairt d’aon chineál dalta ná d’aon chineál scoile.
Leagadh amach i gCiorclán 0037/2020, a foilsíodh ar an 21 Beatlaine, treoir mhionsonraithe do na scoileanna ar an tslí a n-oibreodh próiseas na ngrád ríofa. Bhí mioneolas sa doiciméad sin ar an tslí le marcanna a mheas do dhaltaí a bheadh ag fáil gráid ríofa. Eisíodh treoir bhreise do na scoileanna ar an 28 Bealtaine ar an tslí le claonadh neamh-chomhfhiosach a sheachaint agus fianaise ar ghnóthachtáil a léirmhíniú i gcás daltaí faoi mhíchumas.
Ar aon dul leis an treoir sin, iarradh ar na múinteoirí dul i muinín a mbreithiúnais ghairmiúil chun marc measta a chur ar fáil do gach dalta. Cheangail an treoir ar na múinteoirí úsáid a bhaint as roinnt taifead chun feidhmíocht agus dul chun cinn daltaí a mheas: m.sh. obair ranga agus obair bhaile; measúnuithe ranga; scrúduithe scoile Nollag agus samhraidh, bréagscrúduithe agus ar ndóigh obair an chúrsa.
Cuireadh treoir ar fáil do na scoileanna, leis, faoin tslí le marc measta faoin gcéad a ríomh do dhaltaí a chláraigh lena gcuid scrúduithe a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge: ba chóir don mhúinteoir an bónas a bhronntar as páipéar scríofa a fhreagairt trí Ghaeilge a chur san áireamh sa mheastachán. Mar sin, de bhrí gur cuireadh na marcanna bónais a bhronntar as scrúduithe a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge san áireamh cheana féin sa mheastachán, tá na marcanna sin san áireamh sa Ghrád Ríofa deiridh a fuair na daltaí.
470. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education the reason students from schools that previously excelled at the leaving certificate have had their results downgraded due to that excellence. [25255/20]
View answerThe decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations.
The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills, the Educational Research Centre and international external expertise.
Schools provided an estimated percentage mark and a rank order for each student’s subjects. The process of national standardisation was applied to the school information in order to ensure comparability between the standards applied by individual schools and the national standard. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school. Schools approached this task in a very professional manner, in line with detailed guidelines about the process, but inevitably some schools were overly harsh in their estimations while others were overly generous. This is to be expected given that there is no national standard on which to base an estimated mark. But to be fair to the class of 2020, the teacher judgements made at the level of the school had to be adjusted so that a common national standard was applied. It was inherent to the system of calculated grades that school estimates would be subject to adjustment through this standardisations process.
These adjustments resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. The standardisation process operated on the premise that the school estimates should only be adjusted through the standardisation process where there was credible statistical evidence to justify changing them.
This standardising process happens every year and would have happened in 2020 had the Leaving Certificate examinations been run as normal. The standardisation process applied across all subject and levels. The degree to which mark changes occurred related to the degree of over or underestimation in the school estimates for each subject and each level. This means that some students experienced mark changes from the school estimates but no changes to the grades based on the school estimates; while others will have experienced marks changes from the teacher estimates leading to grade changes in one or more of their subjects.
Following standardisation, the estimated percentage mark was converted to a calculated mark and subsequently, a calculated grade which was provided to students on 7 September. It is only at this point that students were awarded a grade.
Therefore, it is not accurate to state that student(s) were downgraded, or upgraded, through the standardisation process. Rather the grade that was awarded following the standardisation process is the grade for the 2020 Leaving Certificate (Calculated Grades).
The overall data on school estimated marks showed that there was a very significant rise in estimated grades against what would normally be achieved nationally. This level of grade increase based on the school estimates would have been unrealistic. For example, based on the school data there would have been 13.8% H1 grades this year when in a normal year there is 5.8%. Even with the standardisation process the rate of H1s this year is over 9%.
In terms of the grades awarded, 83% (almost 340,000) of all Leaving Certificate subject grades are either the same or higher than the school estimates while 17% (under 70,000) grades are lower.
In the absence of the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2020 every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students a possible. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics either at the level of the student or the school. The standardisation process means that the same standard has been applied uniformly across all schools. This means anyone using the certificate to make a judgement between two people who hold this certificate, either now or in the future, can place equal value on the same grade in the same subject, without regard to where they went to school, as they would in a normal year. The evidence does not suggest that any particular type of school has been disadvantaged by the standardisation process.
Individual Junior Cycle results was not used to determine any individual’s Calculated Grades. Rather, the Calculated Grades process took account of the overall Junior Cycle performance of the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 in each school and used this data to help in predicting the likely range of Leaving Certificate performance of that group. The fact that the vast majority of 2020 Leaving Certificate students would have sat the Junior Cycle examinations provides a good means of predicting the pattern of performance of these students at an aggregate level. The process was not applied at an individual student level and the absence of Junior Cycle results for an individual student l will not disadvantage that student within the statistical process.
While some students will be disappointed at the results they have achieved, this is the case every year when the Leaving Certificate results are published. It may be more difficult for students to understand when they see the estimated mark from the school.
The standardisation model has been subject to a high degree of human oversight by the National Standardisation Group with a number of safeguards built in to ensure fair results for students.
Technical details of the Calculated Grades model and standardisation process were published on the date of issue of the results and are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2ed9b-leaving-certificate-2020-calculated-grades-technical-reports/.
471. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education the steps she plans to take to remedy the disadvantage suffered by students whose leaving certificate results were downgraded. [25256/20]
View answerThe decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students.
Schools provided an estimated percentage mark and a rank order for each student’s subjects. The process of national standardisation was applied to the school information in order to ensure comparability between the standards applied by individual schools and the national standard. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school. It was inherent to the system of calculated grades that school estimates would be subject to adjustment through this standardisations process. The adjustments that occurred through standardisation resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. The standardisation process operated on the premise that the school estimates should only be adjusted through the standardisation process where there was credible statistical evidence to justify changing them.
Following standardisation, the estimated percentage mark was converted to a calculated mark and subsequently, a calculated grade which was provided to students on 7 September. It is only at this point that students were awarded a grade.
Therefore, it is not accurate to state that student(s) were downgraded, or upgraded, through the standardisation process. Rather the grade that was awarded following the standardisation process is the grade for the 2020 Leaving Certificate (Calculated Grades).
Some students experienced mark changes from the school estimates but no changes to the grades based on the school estimates; while others will have experienced changes to the marks leading to a change in the grade that would have been awarded based on the school estimates in one or more of their subjects.
In terms of the grades awarded, 83% (almost 340,000) of all Leaving Certificate subject grades are either the same or higher than the school estimates while 17% (under 70,000) grades are lower.
Every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics, either at the level of the student or the school and the standardisation process has been applied uniformly across all schools. This means anyone using the certificate to make a judgement between two people who hold this certificate, either now or in the future, can place equal value on the same grade in the same subject, without regard to where they went to school.
We appreciate that some students will be disappointed at the results they have achieved. This is the case every year when the Leaving Certificate results are published.
Students, at an individual level, had access to an appeals process the closing date for which has now passed. The appeals system is, by design, restricted to looking for technical errors in the data provided on behalf of students and in the processing of that data. The nature of this appeal process has been part of the system of Calculated Grades from the outset. The appeal process will involve a technical appeal focused on looking for errors in the transmission of the data through the process. An example of this would be whether any mistake has been made in entering the information to any of the systems used in the process.
It was fundamental to the adoption of a system of Calculated Grades that the professional judgement of the school (teachers and principals) would be outside the scope of the appeals process.
The integrity, validity and reliability of the process of national standardisation was overseen by the National Standardisation Group whose role was to oversee the application of the statistical model to the school data. Any appeals process that would allow an individual student level appeal to reopen the application of the statistical process to the school sourced data would fundamentally undermine fairness and equity in the system of calculated grades which relies on the uniform application of the statistical model.
Students dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeals process can invoke a separate process to have their appeal reviewed by independent Appeals Scrutineers. These Scrutineers are independent of the Department.
Students who consider that their appeal has not been processed correctly can make a complaint to the Ombudsman or, in the case of students under 18 years of age, the Ombudsman for Children.
Students dissatisfied with their results will have the opportunity to sit written Leaving Certificate examinations in November (subject to public health advice). Those who sit the examinations will be credited with the higher subject grade achieved between the Calculated Grade and the written exam.
472. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education when the timetable for the leaving certificate re-sits in November 2020 will be released to students. [25280/20]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
473. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if the appeals process for calculated grades will be expedited for students that indicate that they will be sitting the November 2020 exams in order that they are not unnecessarily studying for subjects whose grades may increase on appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25283/20]
View answerThe Calculated Grades Student Portal reopened on 14 September to allow students to view their estimated percentage mark and calculated mark to allow students to consider this data if they were considering an appeal of their Calculated Grade.
The appeals process is a process review focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process. It is not possible to appeal the information (estimated percentage mark or rank order) provided by the school. Due to the nature of the Calculated Grades system the professional judgement of the school is outside of the appeals process. It should further be noted that the design of the statistical model and the application of the national standardisation process is also outside of the scope of the appeals process.
At the time of closing the appeal application process on Wednesday 16 September, some 12,300 students had appealed almost 33,700 grades. Every effort will be made to process appeals as quickly as possible but it is not possible at this time to commit to a date for the issue of the appeal results. Students will be notified of this date as soon as possible. It is not possible to provide an expedited appeal for any student or group of students. All appeals will be processed, and results released, simultaneously to ensure fairness and equity to all.
474. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education the status of the Ryan Report recommendation to have a national memorial erected; her plans to have such a memorial erected; the timeline for same; if consideration has been given to the matter since the failed attempt in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25284/20]
View answerThe proposed Memorial for children who were victims of abuse in children's residential institutions and which won an open competition, was called the Journey of Light and was designed by Studio Negri and Hennessy & Associates. The design concept was that the Memorial would be integrated with the Garden of Remembrance and would provide an enduring symbol of lost innocence to inspire future generations to ensure the protection of all children. However, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for the Memorial in November 2013 on the grounds that it would have an adverse impact on the setting, character and function of the Garden of Remembrance.
In view of the architecture of containment and the pathways between Industrial/Reformatory schools, Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes, it is worth considering that memorialisation measures should encompass a whole of society approach.
I would welcome your views and your endorsement of this.
475. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education when a July provision school transport grant payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25287/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department.
In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Officials in School Transport Section of my Department are liaising with the school authority to get the relevant documentation with confirmation of attendance details in order to make a payment in respect of the transport costs incurred by the family in privately transporting the child referred to by the Deputy for Summer Provision 2020.
476. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 462 of 15 September 2020, the number of buses sourced to date; the percentage of routes operating at full 50% capacity as per the figures provided by county; the way in which progress on the issue is measured and monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25296/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Based on the public health advice published in early July, and the updated advice received from the HPSC on 7th August and from NPHET on the 18th August, the Department has been planning for School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021 school year to fully operate, but with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place and with the rolling implementation of measures on post-primary services as required to provide physical distancing, in line with those required on public transport, which is using 50 per cent of passenger capacity. The planning to date is in accordance with the Government decision of 18th August, which set out that arrangements for school transport would proceed as planned for re-opening but the Minster for Education and Skills and the Minister for Health and other relevant Ministers will review measures, including any additional resources, to ensure the safe operation of school transport for secondary school children.
School Transport Scheme services commenced operation on the 26th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on transport services for the 2020/2021 school year where such services are in operation.
The Department has been engaging intensively with Bus Éireann in regard to the logistics for the safe operation of School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021 school year. The Department has also been engaging with Bus Éireann on the logistics involved with the rolling implementation of measures on post-primary services as required to provide physical distancing, in line with those required on public transport, which is using 50 per cent of passenger capacity.
An assessment of the resources required to implement physical distancing on all post-primary services has been undertaken and, in line with the Government decision, the Department is reviewing this information in consultation with other relevant Departments with a view to implementing the measures required to ensure the operation of school transport for post-primary children that is aligned to updated health advice received from NPHET on the 18th of August.
Currently 20% of mainstream routes are operating at 50% capacity while in the region of 62% of SEN post-primary services are operating at 50% capacity with planning being undertaken by Bus Éireann to implement the remaining routes on a rolling basis.
Over the weekend of 28th, 29th and 30th August, Bus Éireann invited applications from operators who wish to be considered for the provision of additional post-primary services that may be required. To date over 142 applications from contractors have been received & evaluated and a panel has been formed.
477. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to address the concerns of the students who were marked down by the algorithm process from the grades assigned by their teachers in the leaving certificate; the way in which the algorithm was applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25331/20]
View answerThe decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations.
The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills, the Educational Research Centre and international external expertise.
Schools provided an estimated percentage mark and a rank order for each student’s subjects. The process of national standardisation was applied to the school information in order to ensure comparability between the standards applied by individual schools and the national standard. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school. Schools approached this task in a very professional manner, in line with detailed guidelines about the process, but inevitably some schools were overly harsh in their estimations while others were overly generous. This is to be expected given that there is no national standard on which to base an estimated mark. But to be fair to the class of 2020, the teacher judgements made at the level of the school had to be adjusted so that a common national standard was applied. It was inherent to the system of calculated grades that school estimates would be subject to adjustment through this standardisations process.
These adjustments resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. The standardisation process operated on the premise that the school estimates should only be adjusted through the standardisation process where there was credible statistical evidence to justify changing them.
This standardising process happens every year and would have happened in 2020 had the Leaving Certificate examinations been run as normal. The standardisation process applied across all subject and levels. The degree to which mark changes occurred related to the degree of over or underestimation in the school estimates for each subject and each level. This means that some students experienced mark changes from the school estimates but no changes to the grades based on the school estimates; while others will have experienced marks changes from the teacher estimates leading to grade changes in one or more of their subjects.
Following standardisation, the estimated percentage mark was converted to a calculated mark and subsequently, a calculated grade which was provided to students on 7 September. It is only at this point that students were awarded a grade.
Therefore, it is not accurate to state that student(s) were downgraded, or upgraded, through the standardisation process. Rather the grade that was awarded following the standardisation process is the grade for the 2020 Leaving Certificate (Calculated Grades).
The overall data on school estimated marks showed that there was a very significant rise in estimated grades against what would normally be achieved nationally. This level of grade increase based on the school estimates would have been unrealistic. For example, based on the school data there would have been 13.8% H1 grades this year when in a normal year there is 5.8%.
In terms of the grades awarded, 83% (almost 340,000) of all Leaving Certificate subject grades are either the same or higher than the school estimates while 17% (under 70,000) grades are lower.
In the absence of the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2020 every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students a possible. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics either at the level of the student or the school. The standardisation process means that the same standard has been applied uniformly across all schools. This means anyone using the certificate to make a judgement between two people who hold this certificate, either now or in the future, can place equal value on the same grade in the same subject, without regard to where they went to school, as they would in a normal year.
Individual Junior Cycle results was not used to determine any individual’s Calculated Grades. Rather, the Calculated Grades process took account of the overall Junior Cycle performance of the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 in each school and used this data to help in predicting the likely range of Leaving Certificate performance of that group. The fact that the vast majority of 2020 Leaving Certificate students would have sat the Junior Cycle examinations provides a good means of predicting the pattern of performance of these students at an aggregate level. The process was not applied at an individual student level and the absence of Junior Cycle results for an individual student l will not disadvantage that student within the statistical process.
While some students will be disappointed at the results they have achieved, this is the case every year when the Leaving Certificate results are published. It may be more difficult for students to understand when they see the estimated mark from the school.
The standardisation model has been subject to a high degree of human oversight by the National Standardisation Group with a number of safeguards built in to ensure fair results for students.
Technical details of the Calculated Grades model and standardisation process were published on the date of issue of the results and are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2ed9b-leaving-certificate-2020-calculated-grades-technical-reports/.
