Qualifications are changingCurriculum Update Event – Dunblane HydroTuesday 13 December

Access 1 and Access 2

Welcome• Latest qualification information

• Meet the people who are developing the qualifications

• Opportunity to discuss curriculum planning

• Opportunity to provide feedback

• Package of publications and support

Welcome• Design of new National Qualifications

• Development of new National Qualifications

• Update on Units and Courses available at Access 1 and Access2

Designing the new National Qualifications

Margaret Miller, Policy Manager

What are we trying to achieve?• Clear and smooth progression from Experiences and

Outcomes and between levels of qualifications• Focus on skills development• Assessment which supports, motivates and challenges

learners – including opportunities for reinforcement, consolidation and extension

• An inclusive, coherent, and easy to understand framework of qualifications which uses hierarchical structures wherever possible

• More open requirements, allowing centre flexibility and learner personalisation and choice

• Clear, appropriate standards, credibility and relevance

New National Course (Access 2)New National Units (Access 1 & Access 2)

• Courses at Access 2 and 3 will have Units totalling 18 SCQF credit points

• New and revised Courses at Access 2 based on Units and are ungraded

• Units in National Courses will be internally assessed on a pass/fail basis, and will be ungraded

New National Units (Access 1)• At Access 1, there are Units but no

Courses

• In spring 2012, SQA will issue plans for development work for:• Supported Units• Independent Units

• Derived Units

Unit Assessment• Units in all Courses will be skills-based, less prescriptive

• Fewer and broader Outcomes and Assessment Standards and more flexible to encourage holistic assessment across more than one Unit/outcome where appropriate

• Assessment method not prescribed in Unit Specifications; greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment will be encouraged

• Teachers/lecturers may vary assessment approaches for different learners to suit individual needs and to create personalisation and choice

• Teachers/lecturers may create their own Unit assessments

Specifications, guidance and support• New ways of specifying requirements: shorter, more

open, less prescriptive

• Course Specification: outlines course structure and what is required to pass the course

• Unit Specification: outcomes and assessment standards

• More guidance and support, for example:• Course and Unit Support Notes: guidance on delivering

Courses and the Units, approaches to learning, teaching and assessment

• Assessment support: Unit exemplification materials

Course / Unit Support Notes• Each Course will have Course Support Notes

• Each Unit will have Unit Support Notes

• These provide advice and guidance on the delivery and assessment of Courses and Units

• Not mandatory documents

• Approaches to learning and teaching

• Approaches to assessment - building on the principles of Building the Curriculum 5

Course / Unit Support Notes• Approaches to building in equality and inclusion woven

through Course/Unit Support Notes • Approaches to Learning and teaching

– Signpost where assistive technologies can be used– Advice on strategies for making teaching learner-

centred• Approaches to assessment

– Use of naturally occurring evidence – Suggesting different assessment approaches so learners

may achieve in different ways and at a different pace– Amount of support

• Proposed SQA skills framework, building on BtC 4:• Literacy • Numeracy• Skills for health and well-being• Employability and enterprise skills + citizenship • Thinking skills

• Skills to be built in to new National Courses and Units as appropriate

Skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work

Quality assurance of internal assessmentFeedback from engagement:

• need for robust QA • approaches need to be developmental and foster

partnership• constraints

Developing ways SQA and centres can work together to:• promote a shared understanding of national standards

across centres and sectors• build training and support into the QA process• develop partnership approach

Further engagement:• national partners and stakeholder groups• detailed work to ensure manageable and successful

implementation

Development of the new National QualificationsRoderic Gillespie, Head of Curriculum for Excellence

How are we developing qualifications?• Qualifications developed in a more strategic way: starts

with learning, process is iterative

• Each stage informs the next: on-going process of exploring issues/developing thinking, seeking advice/guidance and then testing proposals

• Wide range of engagement: from formal groups to Liaison Team visits to targeted activities

• Open & transparent:• draft documents published at each stage (both for

information and feedback)• stakeholders and partners involved at each stage• feedback published on website

Publication/Support Access 2 Access 3 Nat 4 / Nat 5 Higher

Draft Course Specifications Oct ‘11 Oct ‘11 Apr ‘11 Aug ‘11

Draft Unit Specifications Dec ‘11 Dec ‘11 Aug ‘11 Nov ‘11

Draft Course Assessment Specifications N/A N/A Nov ‘11 Jan ‘12

Draft Course/Unit Support Notes Apr ‘12 Apr ‘12 Jan ‘12 Feb ‘12

Course/Unit Assessment Support on NAR Apr ‘13 Apr ‘13 Apr ‘13 Apr ‘14

Subject Implementation Support Events

Session 2012/13

Session 2012/13

Session 2012/13

Session 2013/14

Publication of final document for Access 1 – Higher: April 2012Publication of final documents for Advanced Higher: April 2013

New National Qualifications: Implementation Timelines• Session 2012/13 – last diet of Standard Grade examinations

• Session 2013/14 – first diet of new qualifications (Access to N5), dual run with existing Access and Intermediates

• Session 2014/15 – first diet of new Higher, dual run with existing Access, Intermediates and Highers

• Session 2015/16 – first diet of Advanced Higher

Access 1 and Access 2

Keith Wright, Qualifications Development Manager

Key points• Builds on principles and practices guidance and

relevant level experiences and outcomes

• Follows the design principles agreed by CfE Management Board and SQA’s Qualification Committee

• Incorporates the best features of existing Access 2 Courses and feedback from engagement

• Focuses on personalisation and choice

• Provides opportunities for flexible delivery and curriculum planning

Engagement and feedback

• Local Authorities and Colleges

• Subject specialists and professional associations

• Learner engagement

• CARG / QDT / SWGs

• CfE Liaison Team

• Have your say

Curriculum area Courses at Access 2

Mathematics Lifeskills Mathematics -

Science Science in the Environment -

Languages English & Communication Modern Languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish)

Expressive Arts Performance Arts Creative Arts

Social Subjects / Business

Social Subjects Business in Practice

Health & Wellbeing Physical Education Food, Health & Wellbeing

Technologies Practical Craft Skills Information & Communications Technology

Courses will:• Have strong focus on skills development and

activity based learning

• Be written in a very open way to encourage personalisation and choice

• In many cases, provide a mix of optional and mandatory Units

• Encourage breadth, depth and application

Awards• Personal Development Award at

Access 2

• Personal Achievement Award at Access 1 and Access 2

Available from August 2012

Personal Development Award

• Hierarchical with Personal Development Award at SCQF levels 3, 4, 5 and 6

• Re-brand the existing Personal Development Course

• Consists of nine Units in three groupings – select one from each grouping

Personal Achievement Award at Access 1 and Access 2These Awards aims to develop, reinforce and strengthen skills associated with:

•working toward independence•working with others•communicating•thinking•developing knowledge and understanding

Personal Achievement Award at Access 1 and Access 2

• Recognises small but significant achievement of learners on an incremental basis

• Each Unit is 3 SCQF credit points in size

• Based around 40 new Units developed across both levels

Personal Achievement Award at Access 1 and Access 2

• All Units have same outcomes• Prepare for• Participate• Review

• Units grouped under two themes• Developing Independence• Taking part in the Community

Type of Award

Number of Units (all 3 SCQF Credit

points)

Combination of Units

Size of Award (SCQF Credit

Points)

Bronze 2One from

each theme6

Silver 4At least one from each

theme12

Gold 6At least two from each

theme18

Learners can:

•build up achievement in small amounts

•develop skills in very open contexts

•focus on participation to develop skills

•widen and deepen skills by working in a very wide range of contexts

Personal Achievement Award

Task• Read over documentation provided• Feedback regarding:• Unit outcomes – are they appropriate and achievable?• Opportunities for developing breadth and depth of

learning using Courses in the curriculum area and/or a mix of Units from these Courses

• Opportunities to develop breadth and depth of learning using the full range of revised/new Courses at Access 2

• Potential to use Awards to recognise learning that has taken place

• Opportunities to meet the aims, purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence