Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 October 2020
238. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the level of oversight applied over the calculated grading formula; if all previous testing was replicated after it was amended to remove any aspect of school profiling in the days before the results were released. [29834/20]
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. A range of steps were taken to ensure adequate oversight of the Calculated Grades process.
Technical details of the Calculated Grades model and standardisation process were published on the date of issue of the Calculated Grades results on 7 September and are available at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/90d4a-calculated-grades-document-library/.
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 National Standardisation Group is the decision-making group responsible for the implementation of the iterative design and development cycles required to produce and refine the standardisation process and the application, review, and adjustment of the data in line with the commitments, principles, parameters and constraints associated with the calculated grades process to arrive at fair and just representations of student performance. The integrity, validity and reliability of the process of national standardisation was overseen by the National Standardisation Group.
Details regarding this group, including its terms of reference, membership and its decision making framework are available in the Report from the National Standardisation Group to the Independent Steering Committee and the Programme Board which is available at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/90d4a-calculated-grades-document-library/. Minutes of the meetings of this group are available at https://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Regulation-of-Lobbying-Act-2015/Groups-Committees-exempted-under-the-Transparency-Code/national-standardisation-group.html
A non-statutory Independent Steering Committee to oversee the quality and independence of the process being undertaken by the Calculated Grades Executive Office was established by me. The Steering Committee comprises six independent members appointed by me and is chaired by Dr Áine Lawlor, former Director of the Teaching Council. The Steering Committee was established to provide assurance as to the quality and integrity of the outcomes of the Calculated Grades system. The 1st Letter of Opinion regarding the Calculated Grades System of the Independent Steering Committee can be found at: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/86710/?page=null Details of the Independent Steering Committee including its membership are also available at the above link.
A Calculated Grades Programme Board provided governance and decision-making for the overall programme associated with the Calculated Grades Model and process. The Board was chaired by an Assistant Secretary General from the Department of Education and Skills and membership comprises officials from the Calculated Grades Executive Office, the wider Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
In addition, Dr Janet Brown, former Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, was appointed to the role of External Reviewer. The External Reviewer is an independent expert, unconnected with the design of the Calculated Grades model, who provides further independent oversight of the system and overall validation on the model, including the operation of the appeals system. Dr Brown’s Statement in Advance of the Issue of Results can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/90d4a-calculated-grades-document-library/.
The system of Calculated Grades is a complex and sophisticated system which had to be developed from scratch within an extremely tight timeframe in order for students to get their Calculated Grades results in time. The statistical model itself was developed specifically for the Irish Leaving Certificate. The Department had checks at a number of stages to ensure that data was collected correctly from schools and transferred correctly between the various stages of the standardisation process, the validation process and the grading processes.
