Written Answers Nos. 438-457
438. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education if guidelines will be provided to a school (details supplied) in County Donegal in relation to practical aspects and fieldwork for geography classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24974/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Leaving Certificate Geographical Investigation accounts for 20% of the overall marks for Leaving Certificate Geography. The purpose of the investigation is to allow students to experience the practical application of the core geographical skills that are central to all units of the syllabus including physical, regional, human and economic geography. Students are required to identify aims, objectives and hypotheses for their investigation, select and use methods of collection and gathering appropriate to the chosen investigation topic, analyse and interpret results, draw valid conclusions and prepare a report.
The topic for the investigation must be chosen from an annual list of prescribed topics issued from the State Examinations Commission. The list of prescribed topics is prepared to ensure that the range of topics relate to as many of the units of the syllabus as possible including physical, regional, human and economic geography. This broad scope also ensures that the geographical investigation is accessible to as broad a range of learners and learning environments.
Furthermore, the list of topics provides scope and flexibility for a broad range of approaches to the investigation which may include the undertaking of a field study or an investigation which may involve desk based research. The 2021 investigation topics include a study of changing land-use, impact of migration, a local environmental issue, geology in a local area, impact of economic activity and impact of erosion on the landscape. The collection and gathering of information for each of these topics may involve gathering data through outside the school vis-à-vis an field study, survey, questionnaire etc. Alternatively, data may be collected using primary and secondary data available from journals, databases, government departments, published reports etc.
Some students may have the collection and gathering of data completed at this stage and in such cases they should complete their analysis and write up their report. In cases where the collection and gathering of data has not being undertaken, the flexibility of approach provided by the range of prescribed topics should be considered when choosing a topic for the geographical investigation in order that the investigation can be completed in line with public health requirements and guidelines. Any activity undertaken as part of the investigation should be done in compliance with these requirements.
The Department has also published a series of guidance documents as part of the reopening of our schools. These are available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.
This includes guidance regarding practical subjects in post-primary schools. While this guidance does not specifically name Geography, the guidance provided in provided in relation to Science is applicable. The guidelines outline areas that may be considered when schools are making decisions about implementing the curriculum, while acknowledging that teachers are best placed to consider how to safely manage equipment within current public health guidelines as they may account for their own local context.
For example, the guidance advises that where the sharing of equipment between students cannot be avoided, each piece of shared equipment should be cleaned/wiped between each use and that group sizes should be kept as small as resources allow.
The additional funding for the reopening of schools has been provided specifically for the safe reopening of schools. This includes funding for substitute teachers, aides for school restructuring, minor works, PPE and additional cleaning. Schools typically use their capitation grant to purchase curricular related materials and equipment.
439. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to a new primary school in Crusheen, County Clare in view of the pressure on the existing building which has led to a new prefab being installed. [25038/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that a building project for the school to which he refers, is currently at an early stage of architectural design. The delivery of the project has been devolved to the school authority and when completed, the new extension will provide an additional mainstream classroom and a Special Education Tuition (SET) room. It is intended that this accommodation, when completed, will meet the school's medium-to-long term accommodation needs. Pending the construction of the extension, my Department has provided grant to the school for an interim classroom to accommodate the additional mainstream teacher approved in 2020.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that, within the context of a rapidly increasing school population, my Department's priority is to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place.
440. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if an issue with school transport for a child (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25047/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 the School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability
Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service.
While the transport request referred to by the Deputy is generally outside the terms of the school transport scheme such requests are considered where there is no inconvenience to other pupils, where there are no health & safety concerns, where it is a regular arrangement and where there is no alteration or deviation to the route.
I am pleased to advise that transport request that has been received to the afterschool can be accommodated under the terms noted above. Bus Éireann is currently liaising with the school authorities and the family in relation to the arrangements.
441. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the percentage of students in Gaelscoileanna that received a H1 in Irish in 2020; the percentage of students in Gaelscoileanna that received a H1 in Irish in 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25054/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 (the student's place in the class group) for each student’s subjects. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school.
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. It is important to note that, unlike in other jurisdictions, the starting point for the standardisation process was the estimated percentage marks provided by the school.
The adjustments that occurred through standardisation resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. While the estimated marks have been subject to a process of adjustment to ensure fairness and comparability across schools, the national 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 the standardisation process, 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.
National policy in relation to examination outcomes, as given effect in Section 53 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended), is focussed on guarding against the release of information which would enable the compilation of information (that is not otherwise available to the general public) in relation to the comparative performance of schools in respect of the academic achievement of students. This means that generally examinations performance data analysis will only be presented and/or published on an aggregated, national basis and not at any more granular level, including by school but also by school type, geographic location, regional location, etc.
In the system of Calculated Grades, the standardisation process was applied to all schools in the same way – irrespective of whether the school was in the State system or not, or whether it was fee-charging or not. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics, either at the level of the student or the school.
In the context of validation of the statistical model underpinning the system of Calculated grades, some information has been made available this year respect of DEIS versus non-DEIS schools. Data is also included in respect of non-recognised schools, which have no DEIS designation. This ‘Other’ category mostly consists of private non- recognised fee-charging schools/institutes but also includes prisons, back to education settings and special schools.
The information requested in relation to Gaelscoileanna is not available in line with national policy.
442. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the extent to which the calculation of leaving certificate grades took account of the spelling and grammar waiver and the disability access route to education allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25055/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The system of calculated grades is underpinned by key principles of objectivity, equity and fairness. The process has been designed to arrive at fair representations of student performance which does not favour any type of student or school.
Circular 0037/2020, which was published on 21 May, set out the detailed guidance for schools on the operation of the calculated grades process. The document provided detailed information on the process of estimating marks for students to receive calculated grades. Additional guidance to schools on the avoidance of unconscious bias and interpreting evidence of achievement in the case of students with disabilities was issued to schools on 28 May.
In line with the guidance, teachers were asked to use their professional judgement to arrive at an estimated mark for each student. The guidance required teachers to utilise a number of records in assessing a student’s performance and progress; for example, classwork and homework; class assessments; examinations in school at Christmas or summer, mock exams and also coursework.
In the case of any approved reasonable accommodations, the estimate of the student’s likely performance was to be based on the assumption that this accommodation would have been available had the examinations been conducted in the normal way. Since examination accommodations are intended to reflect students’ normal way of working in class, this did not require any special intervention beyond the teacher’s understanding of how the student would achieve with the relevant supports in place.
As any approved reasonable accommodations were already provided for in the teacher estimates, this has been reflected in the final calculated grades awarded.
443. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the way in which the leaving certificate grade calculation algorithm was applied to those students that did not complete the junior certificate for any reason; the adjustment made in such situations to account for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25056/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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/.
444. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the way in which leaving certificate exams held in November 2020 will be marked; if they will be marked according to a curve similar to previous years; the appeals process for that set of exams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25057/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
445. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in one subject in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25058/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra446. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in two subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25059/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra447. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in three subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25060/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra448. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in four subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25061/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra449. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in five subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25062/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra450. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in six subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25063/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra451. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of students that were downgraded in six or more subjects in the 2020 leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25064/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 445 to 451, inclusive, together.
The 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 (the student's place in the class group) for each student’s subjects. We know from research that teachers are very good at making judgements about their students in the local context of the school.
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. It is important to note that, unlike in other jurisdictions, the starting point for the standardisation process was the estimated percentage marks provided by the school.
The adjustments that occurred through standardisation resulted in the school estimates staying the same or being revised upwards or downwards. While the estimated marks have been subject to a process of adjustment to ensure fairness and comparability across schools, the national 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 the standardisation process, 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 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 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. More detailed statistics are available on my department’s website at: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/PR20-09-07.html.
Of the students due to take examinations in the Leaving Certificate (including the Leaving Certificate Vocational) programme, the data requested on the number of students whose grades were different to those that would have been awarded based on the school estimates are set out in the following tables. It should be noted that some students had grades which were higher than the school estimates in some subjects and lower in others.
Number of grades which were lower than the school estimates by student
|
No of grades |
No of students |
Percent |
|
0 |
19,596 |
34.0 |
|
1 |
18,584 |
32.3 |
|
2 |
11,663 |
20.2 |
|
3 |
5,288 |
9.2 |
|
4 |
1,885 |
3.3 |
|
5 |
488 |
0.8 |
|
6 |
83 |
0.1 |
|
7+ |
11 |
0.0 |
|
Total |
57598 |
100.0 |
Number of grades which were higher than the school estimates by student
|
No of grades |
No of Students |
Percent |
|
0 |
44572 |
77.4 |
|
1 |
10842 |
18.8 |
|
2 |
1843 |
3.2 |
|
3 |
297 |
0.5 |
|
4 |
38 |
0.1 |
|
5 |
6 |
0.0 |
|
Total |
57598 |
100.0 |
452. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Education if a bus ticket will be allocated to a student (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25071/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool 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.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal was temporarily closed for applications and payments on the 20th August 2020. This temporary closure was necessary to complete the work required to issue tickets to families who at that time remained due to be allocated a ticket for school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal re-opened on the 7th September. However, parents/guardians making an application/payment at this time for the 2020/2021 school year are reminded that the closing date for payments for the 2020/21 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.
Bus Eireann has confirmed that medical card details for the children referred to by the Deputy were received on the 8th September, 2020 for the 2020/2021 school year and as such is late.
Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
In addition, payments or submission of medical card details for Post-Primary seats completed or made after 4th August 2020 will be only considered when 50% capacity, required by new Covid19 public health guidelines, is achieved on each route.
453. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Education the estimated number of posts of responsibility needed in primary schools to restore posts at the level which was pertained prior to the moratorium; the estimated number of posts which were lost through the moratorium; the number that have been restored to date; and the estimated cost of full restoration to the pre-moratorium level for the school year 2020/2021. [25074/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the longstanding moratorium on these posts with effect from the 2017/18 school year. This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable.
In total 1700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools since 2017 which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions. The Department has committed to revising the allocation of Posts of Responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year. This ensures that the current level of Posts of Responsibility are maintained in the school system.
The estimated cost of lifting the moratorium on posts of responsibility and restoring them to pre-moratorium levels at primary level would be in the order of €19m per annum. A comparison of the number of AP posts is attached.
Number of APIs and APIIs in primary schools
|
- |
Primary |
Primary |
|
2008/09 |
2019/20* |
|
|
APIs |
1,605 |
958 |
|
APIIs |
8,575 |
6,382 |
*2019/20 figures include the following posts of responsibility which were restored.
APIs - 268
APIIs – 1432
456. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education her plans to provide a post-primary school in Moycullen, County Galway in view of rapid growth in the area; if so, if a Gaelcholáiste is planned in view of the fact the village is in the Gaeltacht; if not, if an English medium school or both types are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25185/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. For school planning purposes Moycullen is located in the Spiddal_Inverin school planning area.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential development in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes as there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As the Deputy will be aware, since April 2018, the Government announced plans for the establishment of 45 new schools over the 4 year period 2019 to 2022. In addition to the new schools announced, there may be a need for further school accommodation in other areas in the future which can be addressed through either planned capacity increases in existing schools or additional accommodation or extensions to existing schools.
While a new school has not been announced for the Spiddal_Inverin School planning area the requirement for new schools is kept under on-going review and in particular has regard for the increased rollout of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040.
My Department is currently working on an updated demographic exercise to assess needs for the coming years. This work is at an advanced stage.
457. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education the number of complaints her Department has received in relation to the calculated grades system from pupils whose grades were marked down by her Department compared to those awarded by the school; the basis on which marking down took place; the steps a student who feels they were unfairly treated by the system can take to get the matter addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25186/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 process 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.
