Lobbying Records (Page 1 of 2)
Irish Stammering Association
2025-01-20
Intent: Clarification of the reasonable accommodations available for secondary school students who stammer in state oral exams provided by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) as part of the Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE)::Update to the 2025 RACE guidance document published by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) detailing the Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE) available for students who stammer in state oral exams
Details: Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE) for secondary school students who stammer
Officials: Sean Mimnagh, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Feeney
Methods: Penny emailed members of the Speech and Language Therapist special interest group in stammering to suggest that any SLTs who had experience of a client navigating RACE applications to email the oral exam department of State Exam Commission in order to share the experiences of their clients who stammer. This feedback aimed to provide real-world evidence of the impact of the unclear guidelines, strengthening the case for action to ensure consistent and fair accommodations for students who stammer. - Email, Email to the Irish Stammering Association Board to suggest they email the oral exam department of State Examinations Commission to share their experiences of oral exams, and highlight the inconsistency in access to accommodations for students who stammer in oral exams due to the lack of clarity in the guidelines, as they imply that accommodations are only available to students with both a hearing impairment and a speech impediment, creating confusion and limiting access to eligible students. - Email, Penny emailed local County Councillors and TDs in her region (Co Longford) to raise awareness and highlight that the lack of clarity in the RACE guidelines for students who stammer meant that students were not consistently applying for, or granted, accommodations in oral exams. This action aimed to address the issue by bringing it to the attention of the local council and Minister for Education. - Email, ...
Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU)
2024-09-20
Intent: Changes to assessment / Meeting of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Partners' Forum / Commitment to inclusion of stakeholders in advance of policy announcement / Second-level mobile phone ban
Details: Senior Cycle Redevelopment / Curriculum and assessment
Officials: Cliodhna O’Neill, Dalton Tattan, Yvonne Keating, Andrea Feeney
Methods: Meeting
Dyslexia Association of Ireland
2023-09-14
Intent: We sought agreement by the SEC to review the Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme to better reflect international and third-level practice including the addition of extra time as an option for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties who need it.
Details: In-person meeting with the State Examinations Commission (SEC) re the issue of extra time in state examinations for dyslexic students
Officials: Andrea Feeney
Methods: 31st May 2023, 2pm, at the SEC offices in Athlone - Meeting
Epilepsy Ireland
2023-05-19
Intent: For provision to be made for the aforementioned situation in the 2023 rules on deferred leaving cert sittings.
Details: Seeking that provision be made for students with epilepsy who have a seizure during their exams to have access to a deferred sitting of the Leaving Cert exams
Officials: Fiona O'Loughlin, Gary Gannon, Patrick Costello, Norma Foley, Andrea Feeney, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, ...
Methods: Met with Minister for Education to discuss this issue and seek her support - Meeting, Met with State Exams Commission to discuss this issue and to urge that they make the necessary changes to the deferred exam criteria. - Meeting, Met office of Deputy Gary Gannon and Deputy Patrick Costello to discuss this issue in further detail and seeking that they raise in Dáil and highlight need to have this issue addressed. - Virtual Meeting, ...
Dyslexia Association of Ireland
2023-05-19
Intent: Meeting with the State Examinations Commission, and a review of the Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations operated by the SEC to better reflect international practice including the addition of extra time as an option for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties who need it.
Details: Campaign calling for extra time in state examinations as a reasonable accommodation for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties who need it
Officials: Andrea Feeney
Methods: Email, Promotion of our campaign and petition on all our social media channels. - Social Media
Epilepsy Ireland
2023-01-21
Intent: For the access criteria to be updated and for Deputies/Committee/Ministers to raise the matter with Minister/SEC
Details: Criteria for the deferred sitting for Leaving Cert exams
Officials: Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Gary Gannon, Andrea Feeney, Paul Kehoe, Rose Conway-Walsh, Cathal Crowe, Carol Nolan, Jim O'Callaghan, ...
Methods: Asking Deputies Gannon and O'Riordain to raise issues re deferred exam access relevant to people with epilepsy. - Email, Writing to all members of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and seeking that they raise issues around deferred exam access relevant to people with epilepsy.Updating Deputies Lowry, Carroll MacNeill and Murnane O'Connor on our correspondence to the committee. - Email, Trying to arrange a meeting with Minister Foley through the Minister's diary team. - Email, ...
Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU)
2022-05-21
Intent: To try and secure support from stakeholders for a hybrid leaving certificate for the class of 2022 i.e. through accredited grades & examination period
Details: Informing education stakeholders of the ISSU's position on the Leaving Certificate 2022
Officials: Norma Foley, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Deirdre Shanley, Mick Barry, Pauline O'Reilly, Fiona O'Loughlin, Gary Gannon, ...
Methods: Number of emails sent to stakeholders which included a report and results of a survey conducted by the ISSU on the Leaving Cert 2022 - Email
Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU)
2021-05-20
Intent: To present the results of the ISSU Senior Cycle Reform Survey to stakeholders
Details: ISSU Senior Cycle Reform Symposium
Officials: Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Peadar Tóibín, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Pauline O'Reilly, Andrea Feeney, Dalton Tattan, Mick Barry
Methods: Presentation of ISSU Senior Cycle Reform Survey and networking with stakeholders - Event / Reception
Apple Distribution International Ltd.
2018-05-21
Intent: Brief State Exams Commission on use of Apple devices in digital examinations, and encourage policy that iPad is an eligible device.::Brief State Exams Commission on Apple's Swift programming language, and request inclusion of Swift in examinations for the Computer Science Leaving Certificate.
Details: Meeting to discuss digital examinations and the Computer Science Leaving Certificate
Officials: Andrea Feeney
Methods: Meeting
National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals
2018-01-15
Intent: To promote SubTeacher.ie as a potential national database for substitute teachers and to promote possible advantages for the State Examinations Commission
Details: To explain the potential advantages of the SubTeacher.ie database in the light of the current shortage of substitute teachers at post-primary level.
Officials: Andrea Feeney
Methods: Meeting