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State Examinations

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Questions (78)

Neasa Hourigan

Question:

78. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education the forms of assistive technology available to students sitting their leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12676/22]

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Written answers

The State Examinations Commission provides a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations, known as the RACE Scheme. The scheme supports students with a diverse range of special educational needs.  It allow students who have special educational needs that interfere with their capacity to engage with the standard examination arrangements to demonstrate what they know and can do, without compromising the integrity of the assessment. In common with similar schemes which operate in other jurisdictions, the focus of the RACE scheme is on the need to remove examination access barriers, while retaining the need to assess the same underlying skills and competencies, and to apply the same standards of achievement as apply to all other students.

In order that the examinations system continues to be fair to all students and to be operated with integrity, reasonable accommodations can only be provided in accordance with the principles and requirements of the scheme, to eligible students based on the level of need of the student and the accommodation-specific eligibility criteria.

The SEC recognises the role of Assistive Technology in enabling independent access to the examinations by students who are eligible for RACE. The main forms of Assistive Technologies available to students under the scheme are:

- Word processors, laptops or tablets;

- Recording devices;

- Examination reading pens which convert text to speech; and

- Provision of Digital Coursework Booklets in a wide range of Leaving Certificate subjects to students eligible to use a laptop/word processor/tablet.

 The SEC is also open to receiving applications for use of Assistive Technologies other than those I have mentioned. Such applications are decided upon by the SEC, having due consideration to a number of factors. These include the candidate’s normal way of working; examinations integrity; the overhead of developing test instruments in alternative formats; and the principles and requirements of the RACE Scheme.

The RACE scheme was comprehensively reviewed from the 2017 examinations, following a review process initiated by the Board of the SEC and in consultation with stakeholders. The scheme is subject to further review in the context of reform at Senior Cycle. A priority in the next phase of review will be increasing the use of Assistive Technology to enhance access and integrity and to further support independent learning.  

Outside of the RACE Scheme, since 2018, second assessment components in new Leaving Certificate subjects have been designed for digital completion. Digital coursework is available to all students taking the subjects Politics and Society, Physical Education, Computer Science, Economics and Agricultural Science. The subject Design and Communications Graphics features coursework that is completed using Computer Aided Design. Consideration is being given to migrating to the digital completion and submission of the coursework reports in History, Geography and Religious Education for all Leaving Certificate students.

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