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A record of more than 12,000 Leaving Cert students have sought to re-verify the results of their calculated grades.
The surge in appeals follows controversy over the extent to which some students’ scores were downgraded, especially in high-performing schools.
Students had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to file an online appeal about the grades they received last week.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed that 12,292 students, or one in five Leaving Cert candidates, had filed an appeal regarding 33,677 grades.
He said the department will now process these appeals as quickly as possible.
The appeal process for students is free, but limited to finding errors in the “transmission and processing of student data.”
It will not involve reopening the teacher decision-making processes that resulted in their estimated grades.
Teachers were advised to “safely destroy” any supporting documentation they generated to make a decision on student grades.
This included draft forms, personal notes, or emails in which teachers discussed a student’s estimated percentage or class rank on a particular topic.
It is understood that this was a condition imposed by the teacher unions upon signing up to accept the calculated grades process, along with full compensation in the event of any legal action.
Schools were ordered to retain only the final official forms used to record student grades and class rankings.
Stages one and two of the appeal process will ensure that the collection and processing of student data has been done without errors.
Students unhappy with that outcome may benefit from a separate review by independent “appeal scrutineers.”
This third stage will re-evaluate the procedures with access to the documentation considered in the initial stages. Final complaints can be made to the Ombudsman.
Month to process
Meanwhile, students who want to know the classification of their class as estimated by their teachers, must submit a request for access to the data that can take up to a month to process.
So far, the Department of Education has refused to comment on how students can access this data, except to say that it has been receiving “legal advice” on the matter.
However, the Data Protection Commission has confirmed that students have the right to have this information if they send a “request for access to the subject” to the department.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said: “We understand that the department will give individuals the right to access their personal data upon request.”
Class ranking data played a key role in determining students’ final calculated grades.
Students were supposed to have access to this data last Monday. However, the department reversed its position after lobbying by teachers’ unions that warned that the data was very sensitive.
Meanwhile, the first of several potential Superior Court challenges to the system used to calculate Leaving Cert results has been filed with the Superior Court.
The action against the state has been brought by Aine Finnegan, of Fairview, Dublin 3, who missed a place to study medicine at Trinity College Dublin by two points after three of her calculated grades were lowered.
His application was presented to Judge Charles Meenan on Wednesday, who was told that several other potential challenges similar to the calculated grade system are pending.
The court heard that the student studied for her Leaving Cert at the Institute of Education in Dublin. There she studied to obtain the necessary points that would allow her to fulfill her dream of studying medicine and becoming a doctor. The case has been postponed until next week.
Meanwhile, this year’s appeal volume represents a 35 percent increase from last year, when just over 9,000 students, or 16 percent of all applicants, appealed some 17,000 Leaving Cert scores this year.
Last year’s figures were the highest on record at the time and were attributed to measures to provide greater transparency.
Students were allowed to view and appeal the tests online for the first time.
In addition, candidates received the grades they obtained on individual components in subjects, such as oral exams, at an earlier stage.
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