Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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773. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated amount of money spent on the Educational Testing Service. [33101/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As was announced on 30 September, my Department engaged the services of Educational Testing Service (ETS), a US-based non-profit organisation which specialises in educational measurement, to review essential aspects of the coding underpinning the Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades model. This engagement was initiated following the discovery of errors in the coding. ETS submitted their report of the review to my Department on 03 October.

The value of the contract with ETS was 25,221 USD.

As a result of the work undertaken by ETS, some further work had to be undertaken by the organisation which falls outside the scope and estimate of the original contract..

ETS’s assistance in relation to the coding of the Calculated Grades model has also been sought in the context of litigation in this area to which my Department is a party.

The overall cost of services provided by ETS has not yet been finalised.