Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Nov 1998

Vol. 495 No. 7

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

745 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure that children with spelling or reading difficulties will have the same rights as those facilitated up to 1998 in view of the fact that parents of these children are being told that they can no longer apply to have the examiner of leaving certificate and junior certificate exams informed of their learning difficulties. [21756/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Special arrangements are made at the certificate examinations for students with specific learning difficulties.

Traditionally where a concern has been expressed regarding the readability of material, this has been brought to the attention of the individual examiner. However, in the event of an examiner encountering difficulty in reading the script, the examiner is instructed to send the answer book to his or her supervising examiner. This is to ensure that notwithstanding any presentational or readability difficulties every effort is made by the examiner or supervising examiner to ensure the candidate is given full credit for all work done.

For any one subject a common marking scheme is applied to the work of all candidates taking the subject regardless of whether the candidate has a specific learning difficulty or physical impairment which might cause difficulties with the presentation and ultimate readability of material presented for examination.

This year my Department has moved to strengthen this arrangement by instructing all examiners who have a difficulty in assessing the information given by a candidate to refer the script to their supervising examiner. The intention is to ensure that problems with readability, irrespective of whether they are brought to the attention of the Department, are dealt with by the examiner and that no candidate is disadvantaged.

The change will not impact on the actual marking process. All candidates, including those who may have a specific learning difficulty will, as in previous years, have their work assessed under the common marking scheme for the subject in question.