Getting my Calculated Grades: A Guide for Students

Getting my Calculated Grades: A Guide for Students

From Department of Education and Skills

Published at: 20 July 2020

Last updated 20 July 2020

 

How to opt in to receive Calculated Grades for Leaving Certificate 2020 – key points:

The Calculated Grades Student Portal reopens at 12pm on Monday 20 July on gov.ie/Leaving Certificate.

Students have until 4pm on Monday 27 July to opt to receive Calculated Grades:

  • students following the Established Leaving Certificate programme – opt in on a subject by subject basis
  • students following the Leaving Certificated Applied Programme (Year 1 and Year 2) – opt in to receive your award in the full LCA programme and not for individual subjects, modules or tasks

You will receive your Calculated Grades results on 7 September. This provides you with the opportunity to progress either to employment or further studies within the 2020/2021 academic year.

All students will have the option to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations when it is safe to hold them.

If you are not satisfied with the Calculated Grade you receive in one or more of your subjects, then there is an appeals process. You will also have the option to sit the later examinations.

All students should take the opportunity to opt-in, even if you think you might not be eligible to receive Calculated Grades (for example, you are an out of school learner or you are studying a subject outside of school). The Calculated Grades Executive Office has not yet issued decisions in these cases so it is still essential that you complete the opt-in process.

Calculated Grades have the same status as the Leaving Certificate results awarded to students in previous years. There is no downside to opting in to receive a Calculated Grade.

Calculated Grades results

The Calculated Grades will issue to students on 7 September.

This will be in time for students who have applied through the CAO and the UK’s UCAS for college entry for the 2020/2021 academic year, as both the CAO and UCAS have agreed to extend their timeline to accommodate this new process.

It will also allow students to progress to further education and training as close as possible as would have been the case had the Leaving Certificate examinations been run as normal.

While it is slightly later than it would be if students had sat the examinations, this is the earliest that the results can be made available, given the rigorous and robust process that is involved in the Calculated Grades process.

The process includes a national standardisation process, validation of the statistical model and many quality assurance checks to ensure that the grades are accurate, reliable and fair to all students. To read more about the Calculated Grades data collection, national standarisation and quality assurance process, see A Short Guide to the Calculated Grades Data Collection, National Standardisation and Quality Assurance Processes .

Calculated Grades have the same status as the Leaving Certificate Examination

Calculated Grades have the same status as the Leaving Certificate results awarded to students in previous years and those that will be awarded in future years.

The Leaving Certificate class of 2020 will in no way be disadvantaged by receiving Calculated Grades, relative to previous or future Leaving Certificate students.

The government has made clear to higher and further education providers, to employers, and to higher education institutions abroad that Calculated Grades have the same status as the Leaving Certificate Examination.

More detail on this:

As a result of the robust and rigorous processes implemented to arrive at the Calculated Grades, these grades will be of equal standing and currency value to the previous and future Leaving Certificate grades. This means that they can be used to allow you to progress from second level following whatever pathway you choose, whether it be to further study or to the world of work.

If your decision at this point is to progress to the world of work and sometime in the future you decide to return to education, the 2020 Calculated Grades will have the same standing as any Leaving Certificate examination grades for entry to further study at that time. The certificate you receive will be similar to the one you would have received if the examinations had proceeded as normal.

If you choose to sit one or more of the later examinations, your final Leaving Certificate will integrate your Calculated Grades and the results of your examination in a way in which is most favourable to you.

Sitting the later Leaving Certificate examinations

Even if you opt to receive Calculated Grades you will still have an opportunity to sit the later Leaving Certificate examinations in one or more subjects.

If you do this, your final Leaving Certificate will reflect the best results for you.

For example:

  • if you sit the later examinations and you receive a grade lower than the Calculated Grade that you received in the subject, your certificate will display the Calculated Grade, as this is higher
  • if you receive a higher grade in the later examination, then this is the grade that will appear on your certificate

However, it is important to note that grades from the later examinations will not be available in time for CAO and UCAS in the 2020/2021 academic year.

Why some people will not receive Calculated Grades in a subject or subjects:

The system of Calculated Grades has been created to allow as many as possible of the 61,000 students in the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair to all students.

The system is underpinned by key principles of objectivity, equity and fairness. For the Calculated Grades system to be operated with integrity, and to ensure fairness for all students, an estimated percentage mark, based on credible, satisfactory evidence, can only be accepted from an appropriate source.

There are two particular groups of students who may not be able to receive Calculated Grades:

  • students who are enrolled in full-time education but are studying an extra subject outside the school
  • external students who are not enrolled in full-time education and are regarded as out-of-school learners

Students studying one or more subjects outside their school

In cases where a student is attending school, but is studying one or more subjects outside of school, school principals were asked to make every effort to provide an estimated mark for that subject provided there was sufficient, credible evidence available from an appropriate source.

If the principal was unable to provide an estimated mark for any student, they were asked to notify the Calculated Grades Executive Office (CGEO) in the Department of Education and Skills. The CGEO is currently undertaking a review of these reports with the schools involved, to ensure that the correct procedures were followed.

Out of school learners

Out of school learners, that is, Leaving Certificate students who were not attending any school on a full-time basis, had to apply directly to the CGEO for Calculated Grades and these applications are currently being processed.

Any student in this group who has not yet applied to be considered for Calculated Grades will be contacted by the CGEO to confirm whether or not they wish to do so. The processing of the applications will involve contacting the teachers, tutors or centres of learning, nominated by the student to provide an estimated mark on their behalf.

Where it is deemed not possible to provide a Calculated Grade in a subject, to either an out of school learner or a student studying a subject outside of school, the student will be contacted by the CGEO to inform them of this decision.

The student will be afforded the opportunity to appeal the decision. If the student remains dissatisfied, they can pursue an independent appeal scrutiny process if they wish. This process has to be completed so that this information is available for the national standardisation process which will generate the calculated grades. The national standardisation process will combine the school-sourced data and the historical data to ensure the Calculated Grades reflect standards that are properly aligned across schools and with a national standard.

Despite every effort being made by schools and by the Department of Education and Skills to provide Calculated Grades to as many students as possible, there will be a small number of cases where there is no credible evidence from an appropriate source to support a Calculated Grade in a particular subject. To attempt to give a Calculated Grade in such cases would be unfair to all other students.

Where it is not possible to provide a Calculated Grade, students will have the opportunity to sit the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations in one or more subjects at a later date when it is safe to do so.

Higher Education – Matriculation Requirements

In some cases, students have studied one or more subjects outside of school with a view to satisfying matriculation or minimum entry requirements for higher education institutions.

The higher education sector has been flexible in its approach to matriculation or minimum entry requirements for Leaving Certificate students in 2020.

The representative bodies of all of the universities and institutes of technology (from here, we will refer to them as higher education institutions) have agreed a common approach in relation to students who have studied Leaving Certificate 2020 subjects outside school and who have not been able to receive a Calculated Grade in those subjects.

In 2020, students who have applied for a Calculated Grade in one or more subjects in the Leaving Certificate 2020, with a view to satisfying matriculation or minimum entry requirements and for whom the Calculated Grades Executive Office has been unable to award a Calculated Grade in a subject, will be granted an exemption in the subject solely for matriculation/minimum entry purposes.

These exemptions will be granted automatically – it will not be necessary for students to apply individually.

Each subject will count as a subject for matriculation but will not attract points.

The exemptions cannot be used to satisfy additional programme requirements over and above the matriculation or minimum entry requirements.

Further information is available from the admissions offices of the individual higher education institutions.

Where the decision by the CGEO is that you cannot be awarded a Calculated Grade, there is no further action required by you in order to obtain the exemption.

The CGEO will be asking all out of school learners, even those who believe that they are ineligible, to engage with them so that its records of those who cannot be provided with a calculated grade are as accurate as possible in order to provide this information to the CAO.

The methods being used internationally to facilitate progression from second level schooling:

Given the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of an alternative means to certify achievement, to facilitate progression from second level schooling, is not unique to the Irish case. An estimation process is being implemented to certify achievement in the United Kingdom in the case of the GCSEs and A level examinations. A similar approach is being used in France in the case of the Baccalaureate and in other jurisdictions.

While identical processes are not being employed in the case of each of these jurisdictions, due to the variations in data and information available and the different types of assessments involved, they are based on similar data, including the prior achievement of the students and the previous outcomes in the examinations in the past.

As a result, and given the robust and rigorous processes involved in the national standardisation process, the outcomes from the Calculated Grades system will have the same status as the Leaving Certificate in previous years. It can be used for access to further study outside of Ireland, including for example, through the UCAS system in the United Kingdom.

Getting my Calculated Grades – A Guide for Students

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This information can also be accessed at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a4aa0-getting-my-calculated-grades-a-guide-for-students/?fbclid=IwAR3B8MaHmLr09Pnrs3MGIbMXQgv-ucWjVLY-KeTx5PsSHMRB17UDE6amoIY

 

Fifty Key Messages – when your child or teenager won’t go to school

Sometimes young people refuse to attend school despite the best wishes of their parents. There are often underlying reasons behind the young person’s decision not to attend school and parents often feel powerless to help their child.

If your child is refusing to attend school and you need support, contact us and an Educational Welfare Officer will get in touch with you.

Can I be taken to court if my child doesn’t attend school?

If you are a parent or guardian of a child aged between 6 and 16 you have a central role to play in ensuring that your child does not miss out on his or her education. Under Irish law you must ensure that your child attends school or otherwise receives an education.

For more information, see: ‘Don’t let your child miss out’

Click here for the PDF Dont let your child miss out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for the PDF Ná bíodh do leanbhsa thíos leis

See also: School Attendance – what every parent needs to know

If you want to explore more Key Messages to support your parenting see https://www.tusla.ie/parenting-24-seven/12-years/

The Parent/Child relationship is key – learning at home

 

Right from when they are born your children are learning. You can do a lot to help them learn and here are some great ideas from the Tusla Parenting24Seven website

And here they are as PDFs

Helping_your_young_child_with_maths

Tipsheet_for_parents_literacy

If you want to find out more about the key messages for you and your child click https://www.tusla.ie/parenting-24-seven/0-5years/

Employability Project for 16 – 18 year olds not currently in full time education

You Turn

is an Employability Project for 16-18 year olds not currently in full time education / work. Including young people enrolled in school, but not attending school on a full time basis.

– Starting mid-September,

– Finishing Beginning of December,

– Approx 12 weeks,

– Meeting 1 day a week for 2 x hours. Refreshments provided at each session,

– 6 weeks of small group workshops with their key youth worker – Social Personal Development, Confidence Building, Interview Skills & CV Prep etc. In a non-school environment and approach.

– 3 weeks guest facilitator from various industries,

– 3 Trips away (including a visit to Dublin to visit Facebook Irish Head Quarters)

– 1-2-1 support

If you know any young people or parents that might be interested in finding out more, just ask them to contact Siobhán O’Connor at

The LOFT

Donegal Youth Service

16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Tel.: 074 912 96 40

Website: http://donegalyouthservice.ie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yicletterkenny

Learning to love maths!

I hate math. I have always hated math. I manage to do enough to figure out my bank balance and calculate how to cut a recipe in half, but the finer points of advanced math remain beyond my grasp. When it came to the sciences that required some tricky math, I managed to memorize my way through, but I am the first to admit that abstract mathematical thinking is not my strong suit.

Having lived without this skill for my whole life, what’s the problem with the attitude conveyed in my first sentence? The problem is that such an assertion from parents could well sour the thinking of the kids around us. Researchers say that even mathphobic parents can raise kids who enjoy and excel in math, but that requires stopping the negative talk about math and mixing math games, questions, and observations into daily life, in the same way that they do reading and spelling.

Current research continues to indicate the importance of math to children’s success. A recent study indicates that math skills when children enter kindergarten are even stronger predictors of later school success than reading skills or even the ability to pay attention. And yet the most recent results in international student assessment show that American students continue to lag behind global peers, performing below average when compared with children in more than thirty other
industrialized nations.

So, besides avoiding the negative personal attitudes about math, there are many simple things that parents can do in the early years to foster understanding about numbers and spatial relationships. Very young children can learn to recite number by rote. Many a four-year-old can rattle off a string of numbers all the way up to fifty, but is flummoxed when asked to put a cookie for each of her friends on the plate. Table setting helps with this one-to-one correspondence, needing a plate, fork, and knife for each member of the family.

Helping children make connections between numbers and sets of objects—like giving five Cheerios for the number five—is far more meaningful in establishing math concepts. (How about saving an egg carton, marking a different numeral in each of the cups, and asking your youngster to put the corresponding number of Cheerios in each cup? That’s a fun, math-rich snack!)

Simple block-building games, encouraging children to replicate your stack of blocks, can teach spatial skills. Learning spatial relationships (like bigger and smaller or light and heavy) is linked to math skills. Think about all the items in your kitchen cabinets that could support this kind of learning play, like nesting measuring cups or lining up different sizes of packages.

Help your kids find the patterns that are embedded in picture books, like the red-stripe, green-stripe, bluestripe on the snake. Patterns are basic to math concepts. Make a game of finding geometric shapes around the house or when out in the car.

Here’s a fun outdoor game full of math. Draw a number line with chalk on the sidewalk and ask your child to hop to the number 4, and then to hop to the number that is two more, and then to the one that is three less, and so on.

Before long, you’ll forget that you hate math, and your youngster will be well on the way to math proficiency!

The GROWING TOGETHER NEWSLETTER is issued by;
GROWING CHILD Inc., and is distributed free, courtesy of:
THE LIFESTART FOUNDATION,
2, Springrowth House, Balliniska Rd.,
Springtown Ind. Estate, L’Derry BT48 OGG
Tel: 028 71365363. Fax: 028 71365334.
E-mail: headoffice@lifestartfoundation.org
Web Site: www.lifestartfoundation.org

Great new courses from Inishowen Development Partnership

Here are some of the new courses available from Inishowen Development Partnership

January 2019 – IT Courses

Food Safety HACCP CIEH L2 Feb 9th

Allergen Workshop Jan 2019

START YOUR OWN BUSINESS COURSE -SYOB – Course Outline – SG- 5th 6th Feb 2019

For more information contact

Denise McCool

Community Development/Education Officer

Inishowen Development Partnership

St. Mary’s Rd.,

Buncrana, Inishowen,

Co. Donegal.

CHY 17949 Co Reg: 447893

Email denise@inishowen.ie

Phone: 074 9362218

5 Entertaining and Educational Rainy-Day Activities for Kids

What do you do when bad weather has your family cooped up indoors? Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to keep your kids entertained and educate them at the same time! The internet is full of handy resources, from children’s exercise videos to online music lessons, that can provide endless ideas for indoor fun. Here are some great activities to keep kids (and yourself!) entertained when the stormy weather strikes.

Get Dancing

Kids love to dance. So, what’s better than encouraging them to get some physical activity by dancing to music videos in the living room? Play their favorite songs and let them go wild, or hop on YouTube and pull up some videos that teach children popular dance moves. You can even find plenty of children’s exercise videos online that your kids can follow along with. Alternatively, children’s yoga videos are a great way to calm them down.

Bring Out the Little Musician in Them

Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to enroll your child in expensive music lessons when they want to learn an instrument. There are tutorials on YouTube that can teach you to play almost any song on any instrument. You can also look up fun children’s games that can teach kids the fundamentals of music theory and help them learn to read sheet music. There are even programs available to help with ear training so your kids can learn to pick out the notes in a song and sing in tune.

Encourage Their Creativity

Drawing and painting are wonderful pastimes for kids that provide more mental benefits than you may think. According to The Artful Parent, art contributes to fine motor development and helps kids enhance their problem-solving skills. It’s also a valuable way for kids to process the world around them and express their feelings. There are many videos and free online art classes that can teach kids the basics of perspective, shading, and color mixing. These can help give kids greater confidence to continue their love for art as they grow older.

Practice Maths with Real-Life Applications

Parents are always looking for ways to help supplement the education their children are receiving in school. Practicing maths at home by applying concepts to real-life situations is a great way to do this. This can help children discover the importance and usefulness of maths in their lives. For example, Imagine Learning recommends taking your kid to the grocery store and encouraging them to estimate the total cost of all your groceries before you reach the checkout.

You can also use a rainy day as an excuse to get your kids in the kitchen. While baking with your kids, teach them the maths involved in measuring, multiplying or dividing recipes to produce more or less food, converting measurements, understanding ratios, and calculating cooking times. You can also find online games that focus on the real-world applications of mathematics.

Break Out the Science Experiments

Being stuck inside is also a great opportunity to turn your kitchen into a science lab. Learning science through hands-on experiments encourages kids to be curious and to test their hypotheses about the world. For example, you can try making a glass of lava that resembles an old-school lava-lamp with just a few items you probably already have in your kitchen. This can teach your kids about the interactions between common household objects.

 

The next time it rains, be prepared with various activities to keep your kids from getting restless. Take advantage of rainy days to educate your kids while providing hours of entertainment. This is also a great way to bond with your family and have some fun yourself!

(Our thanks to Jenny Wise http://specialhomeeducator.com/ for this great article!)