Understanding standards at fourth level
A key principle of curriculum design is to support progression 3-18, with CfE
levels viewed as a continuum providing seamless learning experiences. Within
S1 to S3 it is important to ensure that all children and young people receive
their entitlement to experience well-paced progression in their learning across
all curriculum areas, up to and including third level. Most learners will progress
to fourth level in many aspects of their learning before the end of S3. As
individuals progress, they should become accustomed to learning which
promotes their sense of purpose and motivation to learn. This supports
learning in the senior phase which will continue to be active, engaging and
enterprising.
Individuals will progress towards fourth level experiences and outcomes at
different rates and, as a consequence, S1 to S3 curriculum frameworks should
be designed to provide flexible progression routes to meet the needs of all
young people. This will include, for example, meeting the needs of those
wishing to specialise in subjects and learn at greater depth. Schools should
continue to develop the curriculum in order to ensure coherence in learning,
including at fourth level, by using experiences and outcomes to provide wellplanned and joined up learning across curriculum areas and subjects, and
through interdisciplinary learning, personal achievement and the life and ethos
of the school. For example, the effective planning of appropriately challenging
interdisciplinary learning, will provide young people with opportunities to
pursue their learning in ways that are personal, enjoyable and flexible.
Schools should continue to refer to all seven design principles when planning
their fourth level curricula. For example, through personalisation and choice,
fourth level offers a chance to challenge learners further in an open ended
way by offering additional opportunities to reinforce and extend in them the
knowledge, understanding and related skills necessary for success in the
senior phase and beyond. Fourth level experiences and outcomes also
provide the breadth and depth to explore learning further in ways that are
both challenging and enjoyable, without the need to prepare directly for
National Qualifications.
Furthermore, fourth level should provide opportunities to develop greater
independence and resilience in learners as well as occasions to practise a
range of subject specific skills.
UNDERSTANDING STANDARDS AT FOURTH LEVEL
Indeed, through the enhancement of knowledge, understanding and related
skills, fourth level experiences and outcomes can be viewed as a bridge
spanning the broad general education and senior phase.
The profiling process, learner conversations with a key adult and the creation
of the S3 profile, assist in capturing evidence of learning. This process
encourages the development of deeper reflection on learners’ progress in
order to help prepare them for the senior phase. Moreover, the maturity
commensurate with learning at fourth level means that greater responsibility
can be placed with learners themselves.
The opportunity to challenge learners in open ended ways means that there
is no ceiling to achievement at fourth level. For such open-ended learning to
take place, the focus should be on the planning of challenging and welldesigned learning opportunities which provide specialisation in curriculum
areas. Such progression, coupled with appropriate reflection on learning, will
support the identification of suitable and appropriately challenging pathways
into the senior phase. For some, this may involve two year courses with
progression to Higher.
Understanding standards from early to fourth level is supported by work
published on the Education Scotland website relating to assessing progress
and achievement. This includes an overarching paper; individual curriculum
papers; progression frameworks (early to fourth level) and annotated
exemplification (illustrating work by learners typifying the achievement of a
level). Quality assurance of the fourth level annotated exemplifications
included input from SQA. This work should support an understanding of
progression, an appreciation of the nature of fourth level and, indeed,
decisions about which qualifications learners should progress to, and at what
levels, in the senior phase.
In terms of the 3-18 principles guiding assessment, Education Scotland and
SQA jointly produced the resource, Making Good Assessment Decisions,
which is currently being developed further and expanded on.
Further advice on planning progression in learning in relation to fourth level
experiences and outcomes can be found in CfE Briefing 1: broad general
education in secondary schools; CfE Briefings 6-8: Progression from the
Broad General Education to the Senior Phase.
The assessing progress and achievement in the broad general education suite
of resources, and Making Good Assessment Decisions, are available on the
Education Scotland website.