Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020
507. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who applied for calculated grades; and the number who have applied for same who will not receive a calculated grade for that subject. [14645/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraA system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the normal 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.
Calculated Grades are based on an estimated percentage mark provided by schools. The estimated percentage mark is based on a teacher’s professional judgement of what the candidate would be expected to achieve had they sat the Leaving Certificate examination
Students were required to register for calculated grades using the student portal which was available between 26th and 28th May. 57,972 candidates for the established Leaving Certificate programme registered on the portal and 2,855 students for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme.
The system is also being used to provide Year 1 LCA students (5th years) with calculated grades for elements of the programme that they have completed in 2020. There are also 3644 such students entered.
The Calculated Grades Executive Office (CGEO) in the Department of Education has developed a comprehensive guide to calculated grades for out of school learners – the students who are studying entirely outside of school – and has contacted each student individually on 25 June to invite them to apply for calculated grades. The closing date for applications was last Thursday 2 July 2020 and applications are now being processed.
In cases where a student who is attending school, but who is studying one or more subjects outside of school, school principals were asked to make every effort to provide an estimated mark for that subject(s) provided there was sufficient, credible evidence available from an appropriate source. If the principal was unable to provide an estimated mark for any student they were asked to notify my Department. As part of its commitment to ensure that a calculated grade is provided to as many students as possible, the CGEO are currently undertaking a review of these reports with the schools involved to ensure that the correct procedures were followed.
While the aim of the Department is to provide a calculated grade for as many students as possible, despite every effort being made by schools and by the Department of Education, there will be a small number of cases where there is no credible evidence to support a calculated grade in a particular subject. To attempt to give a calculated grade in such cases would be unfair to all other candidates.
Such students will have an opportunity to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations when it is safe to do so.
No decisions have been issued by the Calculated Grades Office in respect of any of these students – either those studying independently, or those attending school but studying a subject (or subjects) outside school, to date.
