Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD has today announced all out-of-school Leaving Certificate 2020 students are being contacted directly to notify them of an application process for Calculated Grades.
Each of the 923 students will be emailed by the Calculated Grades Executive Office to outline the steps they need to follow to be considered for Calculated Grades.
The process is set out in the Guide to Calculated Grades for Out-of-school Learners published here: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/77841/d97810dc-22f7-4979-af17-96f2966e699e.pdf#page=null
An out-of-school Leaving Certificate student is someone who is studying a subject or subjects and who is not attending a second-level school or other centre recognised for the purposes of holding Leaving Certificate examinations.
Minister Mc Hugh said: “Each of these students should look out for an email from the Calculated Grades Executive Office today. It will have important information about the process they should follow.
“I urge every student who wants to avail of a Calculated Grade to return their form quickly.”
The process for out-of-school students seeks to mirror the fundamental principles which applied to the Calculated Grades process which schools have undertaken for their students. Both schemes are grounded in principles of objectivity, fairness, and equity.
Students in this group will be asked to apply to the Calculated Grades Executive Office (CGEO) by sending the application form through registered post by Thursday 2 July 2020 with details of their engagement with tuition on a subject-by-subject basis.
The arrangements seek to include as many out-of-school students as possible in the Calculated Grades system provided that there is credible, satisfactory evidence from an appropriate source, on which an estimated percentage mark can be based.
Following assessment of the application, the CGEO will seek an estimated percentage mark from the source nominated by the student and will make an assessment as to whether the estimated mark can be accepted in line with the principles and requirements of the scheme.
Students will have access to an appeal process which will include independent scrutiny of the process.
Minister McHugh also welcomed decisions by higher education institutions (HEIs) regarding exemptions being granted in respect of students who cannot obtain a Calculated Grade.
The Minister said: “This development will be important to students who might otherwise have been unable to satisfy certain basic minimum entry requirements. I would like to thank the representatives of the higher education institutions that have engaged with the Department on this important issue.”
The Irish University Association (IUA) has issued a statement detailing the exemption.
The Department also confirmed that the process for contacting out-of-school students by email to inform them of the application process for Calculated Grades applies only to students who have no affiliation with a school.
This part of the process for Calculated Grades for Leaving Certificate 20202 does not relate to school students who are studying an additional subject outside of school.
A separate process is in place for students who are attending school were also studying a Leaving Certificate subject or subjects outside of school.
Further information on this and all matters relating to the Calculated Grades process may be found at www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate
