The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland has given its backing to the calculated grades system replacing this year’s Leaving Cert.

After lengthy talks last night, the union said it still has a number of major concerns with the process but is advising its members to engage with it so students can get on with their lives.

The Education Minister Joe McHugh announced the cancellation of the summer exam on Friday, confirming that schools asked to estimate each student’s grades instead.

Speaking overnight, ASTI President Deirdre Mac Donald said: “These are extraordinary times and we acknowledge that difficult decisions have to be made in order to ensure Leaving Cert students are enabled to enter the next stage of their lives.”

“This has been a difficult year for our Leaving Cert students and we are very aware of the stress they have endured to date due to this pandemic.

“The process outlined by the Minister is far from ideal; however, we will be striving to improve the process in order to deliver fairness, objectivity, and equity for all students and protect the professional integrity of teachers.”

Fairness

She said “fairness, objectivity and equity are the foundation stones” of the State exams process in Ireland adding that “we must endeavour to uphold these in whatever way we can during this pandemic.”

She said the process will prove challenging for many teachers but said members have a responsibility to ensure the new process is as fair as possible.

The union said it has a long-standing policy of standing against proposals for teacher to assess their own students but said the pandemic has made it necessary to make an exception.

It said it has secured confirmation from the government that the new process is being put in place on an emergency basis and will not be “regarded as a precedent or an agreement to operate this process in future years.”

Orals

It is also calling on Minister McHugh to urgently address a number of concerns it still has with the process.

It urged him not to renege on his promise to award students 100% for oral and practical examinations cancelled earlier in the year – and to extend the same marks to all Leaving Certificate project/ practical work.

It said it still has concerns about the data teachers will be using to calculate the grades and concerns relating to equity and perceived objectivity of the process for students as well as concerns relating to the professional integrity of teachers and school leaders.

The Teacher’s Union of Ireland (TUI) asked its members to engage with the plan yesterday.