TDs have heated row in the Dáil over new system for the Leaving Cert

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The TDs clashed over the fairness of the new measures.

The new system brought into grade Leaving Cert students amid the Covid-19 crisis has caused a stand-up row in the Dáil.

Labour's Aodhan O'Riordain says the algorithms used by the Department to standardise results will impact unfairly on disadvantaged schools as the results will be partly compared to previous years.

Minister Joe McHugh claims the system will be fair and won't disadvantage any students.

This led to the two TDs clashing in the chamber:

Last week, the government released a breakdown of the process to be applied for students to be given the option of Calculated Grades or to sit the examinations:

1. The 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations, previously scheduled to take place in late July and August, have been postponed.
2. There will be no Leaving Certificate fee this year. All exam fees which have been paid will be refunded.
3. Teachers will be asked to provide a professional judgment of each student’s attainment which will be subjected to a rigorous in-school alignment process to ensure fairness.
4. The school principal will approve the estimated scores being provided and the rankings of each student in each subject in the school.
5. A special unit is being established within the Department of Education and Skills to process the data provided by each school and operate national standardisation, again to ensure fairness amongst all students.
6. The Department will finalise the grades for each student which will be issued to each student as close as possible to the traditional date. Formal State certification will also be provided.
7. Students will retain the right to appeal. This will involve checks on school-entered data; correct transfer of that data to the Department; a review that it was correctly received and processed by the Department; and a verification of the Department’s processes by independent appeal scrutineers.
8. Students will also retain the right to the sit the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations at a date in the future when it is deemed safe for state examinations to be held.