Posted: 11 June 2009 at 9:23pm | IP Logged

Changes coming into effect from 2013 will mean that:

• A new qualification - the National award - will replace Intermediate and Standard Grade.
• New National Literacy and National Numeracy awards will be introduced, to be taken from S3 onwards.
• The existing Access, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications will all be retained and updated to fully reflect Curriculum for Excellence.

Today, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said that the changes "will ensure that the key strengths of the existing arrangements will be retained, while long-standing issues, such as over assessment and unnecessary complexity in the system, can be dealt with. The new 'Nationals' will be specially designed to support learning under Curriculum for Excellence and will focus on developing the skills pupils need to support them in the future - be that education, training or the workplace. The qualification will be awarded on Level 4 and Level 5 of the world-leading Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) in individual subjects - for example, National History 4 and National Maths 5 ... Pupils currently in P6 will be the first cohort to undertake the new range of qualifications, with literacy and numeracy qualifications available from 2012-13 and the new National award in place from 2013-14."

The new National qualifications replace Intermediate and Standard Grade at SCQF levels 4 and 5. Currently, Access is at levels 1-3, Intermediates are at levels 4 and 5, Standard Grade straddles SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5, Higher is level 6 and Advanced Higher is level 7.

National 4 courses will be assessed by teaching staff primarily through a course assessment, quality assured (verified?) by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The qualification will not be graded, freeing up more time for learning and teaching.

Likewise, National 5 courses will have a course assessment assessed by teaching staff and quality assured by SQA. National 5 will also be assessed by SQA through an exam or other external assessment. The qualification will be graded to help learners progress to Higher and other areas of learning and employment.

The National Literacy and National Numeracy qualifications will be awarded from S3 onwards, on the basis of a portfolio of work drawn from across the revised curriculum. Pupils will have the flexibility to be presented for these qualifications when they are ready. The content of the qualifications will be based upon the literacy and numeracy outcomes in Curriculum for Excellence. The qualifications will not be graded but skills will be profiled and the qualifications recognised at SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5.

Posted: 12 June 2009 at 6:56pm | IP Logged

According to the Scotsman (12 June):

"Government statistics show that, at present, 20 per cent of pupils leave school with a Standard Grade at general level – the equivalent to the new National level 4 qualification. That suggests the same percentage would probably not go on to sit the National level 5 and therefore leave school without sitting an externally marked formal exam.

With compulsory literacy and numeracy tests also being only internally assessed, that means those who do not take a level 5 qualification would leave school without sitting a single exam."

Did the Minister mention what schools (and/or colleges) could offer to students who do not sit National 5 exams but who remain in full-time education?

Posted: 16 March 2010 at 1:30pm | IP Logged

SATH members and their colleagues should have received a letter from the Chair of the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board updating them on national progress with CfE, and inviting them to complete a survey about CfE at: https://web.questback.com/scottishgovernment/cfesurvey/

This consultation appears to focus on the timetable for the introduction of qualifications as this is the only area where delays have been suggested.  In April, the Management Board will consider what action needs to be taken to ensure that new qualifications can be delivered on schedule, with National 4 and National 5 qualifications being awarded from 2014. 

The online questionnaire should be completed by 26 March.

Posted: 26 April 2010 at 3:47pm | IP Logged

Subject Working Groups - Registration of Interest

SATH members and other colleagues have the opportunity to join the History Subject Working Team, which is the body that will write the detail of the new qualifications at National 4 and 5.

Here is the link to the application process from the SQA website:
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/34644.html

If you are interested in helping to develop the next generation of National Qualifications, please take a few minutes to read this information then complete and submit the ‘Registration of Interest’ form that can be downloaded from that site.

Background

A Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is a radical overhaul of Scotland’s education system aiming, for the first time ever, to provide seamless progression from 3 to 18. 

It will ensure that:

• all young people can be successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
• every child fulfils their potential: attainment will rise across the board.
• Scotland’s education system continues to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Qualifications and the curriculum go hand-in-hand, and the new approach to the curriculum will need to be reflected in the qualifications available.  To support the new Curriculum for Excellence, SQA will be undertaking the development of:

• new qualifications in Literacy at SCQF Levels 3, 4 and 5
• new qualifications in Numeracy at SCQF Levels 3, 4 and 5
• new National 4 qualifications (to replace current Standard Grade General and Intermediate 1 provision)
• new National 5 qualifications (to replace current Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2 provision)

The project will also undertake:

• revision of current Higher provision
• revision of current Advanced Higher provision
• revision of current Access 1 and Access 2
• revision of current Access 3 qualifications (to replace current Standard Grade Foundation provision)

SQA are setting up Subject Working Groups (SWGs) in subject areas to participate in the development of the products (Course/Unit specifications, support packs etc) in connection with the new Curriculum for Excellence qualifications and are looking for teaching professionals to assist in this work. 

What’s involved?

The prime role of the SWG member is to participate in producing materials in connection with new/revised Curriculum for Excellence qualifications.  To ensure materials are developed to agreed technical requirements, quality standards and timescales, there will be a requirement for the SWG member to be actively involved in a number of meetings; these meetings could be face-to-face, on-line, video or telephone conference.  In addition, SWG members will be required to work collaboratively using web-enabled software.

SWGs will be established from summer 2010 to carry out discrete pieces of work, for example, the rationale and course summary, unit specification or unit support pack for a particular subject area.

Release compensation will be paid to employers when SQA activities are undertaken in ‘employers’ time. Expenses will also be paid to the individual. Fees will only be paid for activities undertaken in ‘own’ time. It is anticipated that the bulk of the work will be carried out in members’ ‘own time’.

Who can apply?

Teaching professionals who:

• have recent experience of delivering national qualifications in an SQA-approved centre, an Institution of Further/Higher Education or other learning provider
• can demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and be able to engage positively with all members of their team
• can communicate confidently, effectively and professionally with others in the SWG, stakeholders and SQA staff both orally and in writing
• can work co-operatively and professionally with other appointees and SQA staff, taking and providing feedback as appropriate
• can demonstrate excellent organisational and administrative skills with an ability to meet deadlines

Is there anything you specifically need?

Yes. You should have home access to PC or laptop. The computer specifications/requirements are:

• Internet Access/Connectivity – Broadband
• Personal e-mail account
• You will need the following computer specifications/requirements: PC with Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 enabled as an optimum

Posted: 31 May 2010 at 12:22pm | IP Logged

Having read through much of the information available online, here is a summary of what we can say about the new National 4 and National 5 courses.

In the new National 4 & National 5 courses, the units will be based on a nominal 160 hours of study. There will be flexibility in the number of units covered by learners. The new units will be more skills-based than before, and will be less prescriptive. The units will require skills and KU, but the specifications will be more flexible and open, with fewer and broader outcomes.

Holistic assessment will be encouraged and assessors will be expected to exercise their professional judgement rather than measure learners’ work against long lists of criteria. Assessments will include practical work, performance (where appropriate), case studies, exams & projects (where applicable). Unit assessments will be assessed by centres as pass or fail, backed up by external quality assurance & verification. Unit by unit assessment will be available for learners who need to build up their achievement over time. Course assessment will require learners to provide evidence which meets the requirements of all units.

National 4 & National 5 courses will include a 40-hour added value element requiring learners to demonstrate depth of understanding and/or application of skills. The National 4 course will not be graded but the National 5 course will include an external assessment that is graded A-D.

Posted: 06 June 2010 at 10:05pm | IP Logged

The timeline for the development of the National 4 and National 5 courses appears to be as follows:

June 2010: Qualifications Development begins with the first meetings of the QDT.

January 2011: Draft Rationale and Course Summary published online.

April 2011: Draft Course Specification published online.

August 2011: Draft Unit Specifications published online.

November 2011: Draft Unit Support Pack published online.

February 2012: Draft Course & Unit Assessment Specifications/ Evidence Requirements published online.

May 2012: Formal publication of Qualifications/ Course Arrangements and Specifications.

April 2013: Initial Phase of Assessment Support Material to support implementation.

2013-2014: Implementation Session.

March 2014: Initial Phase of Exemplification Material to support implementation.

August 2014: Certification.