Registration for the Department of Education Student Portal opens today
The online student portal for Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied students is now open for registration as of 10 am on Tuesday 26 May. All students are required to register in order to have the opportunity to receive Calculated Grades at a later stage.
Following registration students following the established Leaving Certificate or Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme are required to confirm the level at which they intended to sit each of their subjects. It is essential that students confirm their levels at this time .Later on, students will use the portal to opt to receive calculated grades, to access their calculated grades, and to access later stages of the process such as the appeals.
Schools will assist any students who do not have access to device or smartphone.
There is help desk support available at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Due to COVID19 restrictions the help desk phonelines will be available from 12 pm to 5 pm on Tuesday 26th and between 9 am and 5 pm on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th. Outside of these hours you can email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie.
If you have any questions please contact us at clarity@issu.ie
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Feedback: Department Release Calculated Grading Guidelines
The Department of Education & Skills has released a Guide for Schools on implementing the Calculated Grading model for the 2020 State Examinations .
The document outlines procedures for the awarding of grades for the Leaving Certificate Class of 2020. The document can be found here:
https://assets.gov.ie/74604/d9e27dc5986e49a5a1b24623e77308d3.pdf
The ISSU encourages students to read the above document, and to share any feedback, queries or concerns that they may have by emailing clarity@issu.ie
The ISSU further wishes to stress that due to the nature of calculated results and this unique situation, students should not contact their teachers in any capacity. Canvassing by students or parents with regard to the calculated grade a teacher will provide is not allowed, and will serve only to compromise the calculated grade process and their integrity.
Further clarity is still required on certain aspects of the guidance and the ISSU is continually engaging with the Department and other stakeholders to reflect these areas of uncertainty and concerns of students.
ISSU Campaign for Clarity Continues
The ISSU welcomed the elements of clarity which were brought with the announcement made by the Minister for Education on Friday the 8th of May. However, the ISSU continues to seek further clarification on a number of crucial concerns relating to the finalised contingency plan to ensure it is fair and equitable in implementation.
Candidates who wish to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations should not be disadvantaged in transitioning to the next stage of their education . Students wishing to sit the exams must be allowed to avail of this at the earliest and most practical time that health guidelines permit. All students should have the equal opportunity to progress in their next step of education. A number of logistical queries, which the ISSU submitted to the Department of Education and Skills advisory group in April, regarding the sitting of examinations must be addressed and developed to ensure safety, fairness and equitable measures implemented.
The school profiling standardisation mechanism should not academically disadvantage or advantage any student because of the school they attend. Students should be awarded their deserved grade.
More detailed guidance needs to be provided as to what is deemed sufficient evidence for students studying subjects externally from their school. Protocols must be developed in detail to be able to administer grades in all subjects undertaken for the Leaving Certificate 2020.
Measures must be explored and implemented for any candidates who are repeating examinations, internally and externally, so that they can progress in a fair and equitable manner alongside their peers.
The date for release of calculated grades must be decided and provided at the earliest possible date to ensure those wishing to appeal and sit an examination are afforded the opportunity, without having to defer or reapply the following academic year.
Calculated grades must be cognisant and reflective of the possible progression of students’ ability and performance had they been afforded the opportunity to complete their schooling,study, coursework and examinations under normal circumstances. Students have missed vital class time, finishing of curricula and the completion of projects and practicals since the closure in early March. It is pivotal to include these variants alongside the records of students’ ability and performance in providing a calculated grade.
Any students receiving a calculated grade who would require reasonable accommodations in the examinations, should have their performance calculations estimated on this accommodation being available to them.
Clarification is needed on whether the new contingency plan will have implications for the DARE and HEAR access schemes.
Clarification is needed for students who wish to study abroad specifically around the release of dates, deadlines for appeal and sitting of examinations as this could have a huge impact on their entry to third-level institutes in other countries. The deadlines given should be aligned so that these students are able to proceed with their studies overseas.
We are seeking clarity on the HPAT results release date and are advocating for this to be brought forward for students to receive in advance of the CAO deadline for change of mind as is done in previous years.
Contingency plans need to be developed for the current 5th year and 2nd year students moving in to examination years that will ensure they are not academically disadvantaged due to school closures, loss of curriculum/project/coursework completion time and the implications the recently announced contingency will have on their progression to the next stage of their education.
We continue to encourage students to communicate their views, queries and concerns and would urge them to get in touch with us at clarity@issu.ie
Student Voice Matters. Clarity provided for Leaving Certificate Students, work still remains
“A decision taken with the best interests of students at heart”. The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, has today confirmed the Leaving Certificate Established and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations will not be taking place in the traditional manner this year.
The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has welcomed this clarity, and has acknowledged the significant work by the Department of Education and Skills in thoughtfully engaging with the ISSU through the forum of the advisory group which has been pivotal in recent weeks.
Active student representation as a true partner in education is fundamental to the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, 2019. The advisory group has collaborated and productively engaged with all stakeholders and the ISSU looks forward to continued engagement with the Department on this and other matters.
Definite clarity surrounding the examination intentions has come as great relief to many students . It is clear that student’s well-being, anxiety and stress levels have been at an all time high - and young people should seek the support available to them. The ISSU has seen unprecedented engagement rates over the past number of months and overwhelming response from all students.
Speaking after today’s announcement, Ciara Fanning (ISSU President) said:
“Actively engaging with students through structured dialogue can bring about unprecedented change for unprecedented times. We will continue to represent students to ensure fairness and equity in the revised decision. We’re inspired by the engagement levels we’ve seen in recent weeks and following this crisis we will begin highlighting our campaign for modernisation of the Senior Cycle programme”.
Guidance provided by the Department of Education on how calculated grades will work.
ISSU Survey May 2020 Results: Class of 2020 has their say on Leaving Certificate
A second examination online survey by the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU), conducted over 4 days between May 1st and May 5th 2020, has indicated that the majority of students are still in favour of the cancellation of exams.
Almost 24,000 final year examination students participated in the survey, where almost 79% of students were in favour of cancellation of exams, and for a predicted grading model to be used. This represents a 20-point shift towards cancellation in comparison to a previous ISSU survey, conducted between March 26th and April 1st. In this survey just 49% of students chose cancellation as a first preference, which increased to 58% when June exams were ruled out.
Just 15% of students were in favour of the current proposal of starting exams on July 29th. The ISSU previously came out against this decision, particularly with the lack of clarity around projects and practicals, issues related to the digital divide, and a lack of welfare support available for students.
The ISSU notes the concerns of these students regarding predicted grades. It is clear that the predicted grading model needs to be developed, but it must ensure fairness and equity.
Students were also asked to show how satisfied or dissatisfied they felt on a scale of 1-10 with the 2 main options in the survey;
An average of 3.24/10 was recorded for the continuation of the exams.
An average of 8.02/10 was noted for cancellation of exams and use of a predicted grade model.
Ciara Fanning, President, provided this comment regarding the survey:
“The ISSU is continuing to advocate for and representing the interests of second-level through our involvement in the Department of Education & Skills Advisory meetings which have taken place over the past number of weeks. Student's are a fundamental stakeholder in this process and we are engaging with other Stakeholders to help to bring much needed clarity to this unprecedented situation. This survey reinforces our mandate for clarification now - particularly as an increasing number of students are now in favour of cancellation and a thoughtful process established to ensure fairness and equity to all. Now is not the time for tradition, we need cohesive innovation amongst all stakeholders - this is not a political issue. We are particularly concerned about the mental health and anxiety issues brought to our attention by students in overwhelming numbers and seek to actively engage with the Department and other stakeholders to work together in unity for more palatable clarity for all and explore all possible contingencies for the class of 2020".
The survey size represents a sample of almost 39% of all Leaving Certificate students. Students following both the traditional Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied were included in the survey.
The ISSU received over 28,000 responses, including those from teachers, parents and students in other school years After these were removed and all results analysed, 23,694 were deemed valid.
The ISSU continues to engage with the Department of Education & Skills and other stakeholders to find a solution that will put student welfare and equity at the heart of any final decision. The results of this survey will feed into the organisation’s input at all future meetings, and the ISSU wishes to thank all those who participated and shared the survey.
The raw data analysed in the poll can be seen below
ISSU Leaving Certificate Examinations Survey - May 2020
The ISSU wishes to continually engage with students and encourage student participation regarding the developing 2020 State Examinations planning.
Clarity has now been given regarding the Junior Certificate and announcements have been made regarding the proposed Leaving Certificate Examinations plan. The ISSU is working with the Department and other education stakeholders in a weekly structured working group regarding the State Examinations, and wishes to continually bring student voice to this. We are listening, we are raising your concerns, asking the questions and continually advocating that student voice is heard within these meetings. The ISSU greatly appreciates all of the student communications received over the last number of weeks and wish to continue this to strengthen the student voice in progressing development of solutions for the 2020 Leaving Certificate.
Given the continuing change of circumstances, and the most recent announcements regarding the extension of social distancing guidelines, the ISSU wishes to consult with all 6th year students.
Please complete the below survey, and share within your school networks where possible.
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