Likely legal action by Leaving Cert calculated grades as many students were “ bitterly disappointed ”

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Legal challenges are expected to be thrown into this year’s Leaving Cert calculated grade system, with private routine schools in particular claiming their students had been unfairly penalized.

CAO’s first round of offers brought spectacular breakpoints yesterday, prompting Bruce College in Cork City and the Institute of Education in Dublin to say that many of their students have been “bitterly disappointed.”

This year, nearly half of all students applying for honors degrees through the CAO missed their first-choice course.

However, this is broadly in line with last year, with 80% being offered their first, second or third choice.

At Bruce College, many of its 187 Leaving Cert students were disappointed on Friday, according to principal Micheál Landers.

“It’s been a sad week, one of the worst,” Landers said, adding that 70% of the school’s students saw their calculated grades lowered by the Department of Education’s standardization process.

“Our students worked really hard and I think they just stepped on it. It has been devastating for the students and I would not use that word lightly. ”

While H1s and H2s increased nationally by nearly 48% this year, these scores declined significantly at Bruce compared to the school’s three-year average, according to Mr. Landers.

“We are asking that the Department of Education review it and contact the school and tell us why the national scores went up, but we went down,” he said. The school is happy to have the evidence it used during the audited grade estimation process, he added.

The school has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Department of Education requesting an urgent examination of their results.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the office of party colleague and new TD Christopher O'Sullivan this afternoon on Ashe Street, Clonakilty. Scholars Ben Reilly, Harold Paulino and Adam Kelly from Clonakilty Community College persuaded the Taoiseach to make a video explaining to their teacher why they were going to be late for school. Image: Andy Gibson
Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the office of party colleague and new TD Christopher O’Sullivan this afternoon on Ashe Street, Clonakilty. Scholars Ben Reilly, Harold Paulino and Adam Kelly from Clonakilty Community College persuaded the Taoiseach to make a video explaining to their teacher why they were going to be late for school. Image: Andy Gibson

Meanwhile, Yvonne O’Toole, director of the Institute of Education in Dublin, said that many of her 800 Leaving Cert students have been “distraught.”

“We have bitterly disappointed the students,” he said. “A lot of the students got option 10, and we have people who didn’t get any courses.”

Standardization resulted in 96% of the school’s students being demoted, he added.

“We are asking very clearly that the minister implement a robust appeals process,” he said. “This is a new system, untested and untested. We want a robust appeals process. ”

Ms. O’Toole believes that high performing schools have been penalized by the calculated grade system.

When asked if he believed legal action would be taken, he said: “Absolutely, without question. I know that is happening because we have students right now who are so distraught. If there was a robust appeals process, it could be different. ”

Simon Harris, Minister of Continuing and Higher Education, said it is not his place to comment on whether there will be legal cases.

The Minister for Continuing and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, speaks to the media in Dublin's government buildings. Image: Julien Behal Photography
The Minister for Continuing and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, speaks to the media in Dublin’s government buildings. Image: Julien Behal Photography

“We live in a democracy with an independent judiciary, and it is right and appropriate that anyone can receive legal advice regarding what is best for them or their family,” he said.

He said he is satisfied that the standardization process used was sophisticated enough to identify individual cases in particular types of schools, and that the process was fair.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the calculated grades model does not take into account the type of school or educational center for which the estimated grades were submitted.

Private universities are not recognized schools, but are included in the “other” category in the National Standardization Group report, he added. This includes additional education settings like VTOS and Youthreach.

The estimated average grade provided by schools and other settings in this category is 72%, which means that the impact of standardization was to lower grades by 1.4%, while leaving them well ahead of what would be expected. in a normal year, he added.

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