Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to discrepancies between results from tests carried out in schools on students by the National Educational Psychological Service psychologists and results from tests carried out by other psychologists as part of a full educational assessment on students, such discrepancies arising from use of the WRAT and WIAT2 tests, both of which are recognised by his Department; the way he plans to deal with this discrepancy which is resulting in some students being discriminated against as the results they have measured from the full tests are being ignored, even though they are based on the test which is required for entry into third level under DARE. [5937/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides a range of psychological supports to pupils and teachers in first and second levels schools nationally.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more students indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that students are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

In second level schools, in addition to providing direct and ongoing supports, including full psycho-educational assessment of students, NEPS psychologists make recommendations to the State Examination Commission (SEC) on applications under the Reasonable Accommodation for State Examinations scheme (RACE). Under this scheme students with specific learning difficulties may be afforded additional supports or accommodations while sitting their Leaving Certificate examinations.

As part of these RACE responsibilities, NEPS psychologists must take into account the results of a range of psychometric tests, including the WRAT and WIAT2 tests mentioned by the Deputy, and including any previous psychometric assessment data available. They must also consider information supplied by school authorities on the applicant's educational history, attainments and current performance in reading and writing as part of the process of recommending the granting of accommodations. My Department's NEPS service is satisfied that, based upon criteria as set down by the SEC, the process put in place under this scheme appropriately and fairly identifies candidates for receipt of such accommodations.

Any, or all, of the above assessment information can be submitted by the student in support of an application under the DARE scheme for entry into third level.