CfE Implementation e-bulletin
September 2012
Welcome to the September issue of the CfE
Implementation e-bulletin which continues to
bring you the most up to date information and
resources from our partner organisations. The
publication, which is sent to all schools and
centres across Scotland, is now an established
source of information on the range of materials
being developed to support Curriculum for
Excellence.
As with all of our publications, the aim of this e-bulletin is to support positive
engagement amongst practitioners, pupils and parents by providing you with
information on the latest resources and key milestones.
As a more specific support for dialogue, our new series of CfE briefings is also
gathering strength, with the publication of the fourth title in the series on the
topic of Interdisciplinary Learning. These briefings are intended to provide
succinct guidance and advice on key aspects of CfE, to help inform discussion
and promote further, innovative development. Printed copies of all CfE briefings
have been sent to schools and centres and are available for download on the
Education Scotland website.
As we progress towards the first diet of the new National Qualifications in 2014,
Education Scotland, SQA and partner organisations are working hard to ensure
that course materials, across the full range of the new National 4 and 5
qualifications, will be made available to schools and centres, on schedule, by
Easter next year. As you will see from this bulletin Education Scotland is
working closely with ADES and local authorities across Scotland on this
extensive exercise, which exemplifies the spirit of professional collaboration that
CfE is all about. The full package of support which will be provided will come
from a wide variety of sources which we have detailed for you within this ebulletin.
Finally, we are pleased to announce three new web-based and downloadable
resources which have been launched in the last few weeks. The resources,
including: Passeport pour la Francophonie, Testimony and 3 – 18 Curriculum
Impact Series, are designed to support you in identifying important areas for
discussion and further development around Curriculum for Excellence.
Dr Bill Maxwell
Chair of the CfE Implementation Group
Development of National 4/National 5 Support materials:
From Local Authorities
Ongoing work is currently underway by Education Scotland and ADES to identify
those schools and departments where materials are being developed, or are
planned. Education Scotland will work with ADES, Local Authorities and Schools
to co-ordinate the production of these materials.
From colleagues in schools
The results of the audit work carried out by Education Scotland earlier this year
identified colleagues and schools who showed a willingness to become involved
in resource development. These colleagues may be approached and asked to
peer review materials or contribute to course materials.
From Education Scotland/Commissioned Resources
Where we are not able to gather course materials in subject areas, we will use
the expertise of Education Scotland personnel to write course materials. In
some circumstances it may be appropriate to commission writers to complete
the task.
These resources will be web-based and adaptable by practitioners. It is hoped
that practitioners will be able to ‘mix and match’ resources from different
sources, to suit their needs and the needs of their learners.
Professional Focus Papers
In addition to the course materials, Education Scotland has committed to
provide a full suite of Professional Focus Papers for each qualification at National
4 and 5. These brief papers (2-4 pages) will set out the main differences
between Standard Grade/Intermediate courses and the new National 4/5
courses. The primary focus of these papers will be on approaches to learning
and teaching.
This work is an opportunity to pool resources and expertise locally and
nationally and get the most effective outcome to support teachers and schools
in their preparations for new qualifications. This work will benefit our young
people in their journey towards those qualifications.
Update on new National Qualifications from SQA
Assessment Support Materials
Assessment overviews are available on SQA's website for every course from
National 2 to National 5.
The assessment overviews describe the course and unit assessment support
materials that SQA will produce for teachers and lecturers in session 2012/13
by subject and level. Use the subject drop-down menu at
www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence to find the assessment overviews for
each subject.
The first package of unit assessment support will be available at the end of
October and further packages will follow in February and April 2013. Each
package of unit assessment will provide practitioners with materials that cover
the requirements of the course. It will also provide information on how to
gather evidence and make assessment judgments. The materials will be ready
to use, but centres will be free to develop their own assessment packages. The
unit assessment support will be published in a secure, electronic format.
The specimen question papers will be published on our website by the end of
February 2013 and specimen coursework will be available by 30 April 2013
following a phased release.
Course and unit assessment support for Highers will be available by the end of
April 2014.
Events
SQA are running a series of Subject Implementation Events, from October 2012
to March 2013. These events will give subject practitioners an overview of the
assessment support materials that will be produced ahead of the new National
Courses starting in August 2013 - for National 2 to National 5.
There will be around 150 events across the country, giving subject staff the
opportunity to find out more about the delivery and assessment of the new
qualifications, National 2 to National 5. This will include Unit assessment
guidance, specimen question papers, Coursework and marking instructions.
Details of these events are now available http://www.sqa.org.uk/cfeimplementationevents
SQA's CfE Liaison team are continuing to support local events:
www.sqa.org.uk/cfeteam
Core Skills
Core Skills, alongside Skills for Learning, Life and Work, continue to be
important parts of Scotland's education and qualification system as SQA
implements the new National Qualifications being developed to support
Curriculum for Excellence. Following feedback from stakeholders, SQA has
updated their Core Skills policy - http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/58988.3646.html
Universities
Information about the new qualifications for Higher Education Institutions is
now available - www.sqa.org.uk/cfeforuniversities
Delivery Processes
SQA will be providing more information and confirm key dates and operational
processes for the implementation of the new qualifications, over the coming
months. SQA intends to retain existing key dates and processes wherever
possible, and they will help prepare schools and colleges for anything new by
making guidance and support available in advance. Find out more www.sqa.org.uk/cfedelivery
The Scottish Government's Literacy Action Plan Interim Progress
Report, September 2012
The Standing Literacy Commission published an interim progress report on the
Scottish Government's Literacy Action Plan on 12 September. This reports on
key elements of progress with implementation of the plan since its publication in
October 2010. A fuller report on progress with implementation of the LAP will
be produced by the Commission before the end of 2013. The interim progress
report captures the wide range of
broad-based work that is being done by policy and delivery partners to improve
literacy levels in Scotland, in line with the Government's vision to raise
standards of literacy for all - from early years to adulthood - and break the link
between deprivation and low levels of literacy.
New School Handbooks
New guidance has just been published to support schools and local authorities
in the publication of School Handbooks for parents. This publication
accompanies The Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland)
Regulations 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”). The 2012 Regulations set out a
range of information that must be provided by local authorities, including
information relating to Curriculum for Excellence. The guidance was developed
in partnership with local authorities and informed by the Scottish Government’s
public consultation on School Handbooks, held between November 2010 and
March 2011.
Curriculum for Excellence: making good assessment decisions 3–18.
Education Scotland in partnership with SQA have published resources which
highlight quality assurance processes that are common to the moderation of the
broad general education between ages 3 and 15 and the proposed approach for
the new National Qualifications.
The resources are also available on both the Education Scotland and the SQA
websites.
These resources have been developed in consultation with a range of
practitioners and stakeholders. They can be used by local authorities, schools,
colleges and other stakeholders to support the development of
moderation/verification practices.
Further support materials to exemplify these resources are in development and
will be available by the end of the year.
If you or your teams have any comments on the resources, please e-mail
Valerie.macdonald@educationscotland.gov.uk or Jacqui.murray@sqa.org.uk
Scotland Colleges update
The Curriculum for Excellence team at Scotland’s Colleges has been delivering a
range of events and engagement activity building on the progressive
development of the implementation phase. This activity includes:
• Subject based events focusing on the continued improvement of learning,
teaching and assessment- working in partnership with SQA;
• Practical workshops focusing on writing assessments for National 4 and 5
courses and wider Achievement awards;
• College drop in sessions tailored to college development needs;
• Employer engagement webinars;
• Lecturer induction programmes with a focus on learning, teaching and
assessment; and
• Attending SQA implementation events and sharing key messages through
subject networks.
Other activity includes data and information gathering for the second Annual
Curriculum for Excellence progress report. We are engaging with 10 colleges to
gather evidence that young people are receiving and starting to benefit from
Curriculum for Excellence entitlements. Working with colleagues from SQA and
two colleges, the team is having a professional dialogue around Adaptive
Comparative judgement (an alternative to traditional exam script marking) and
how this connects to Building the Curriculum 5. Finally, two of our advisors are
delivering co-operative learning programmes in colleges.
For more information contact garry.cameron@scotcol.ac.uk
New resources now available:
Passeport pour la Francophonie
Journey through the French-speaking world with interdisciplinary resources and
learning ideas. This new web-based resource provides information for primary
practitioners about teaching language skills and developing learners' cultural
awareness. Activities and resources are available for supporting interconnected
teaching of languages and the European Language Portfolio provides pupils with
a record of their achievements and progress in languages.
Testimony - Religious and Moral Education
This resource is designed to support both pupils and teachers of RME within the
senior phase. This site focuses on the importance of faith, belief and values to
the lives of individuals and how these beliefs and values have impacted upon
their lives and influenced their actions. This resource will also show that beliefs
and values, whether derived from a belief system or not, play a fundamental
role in the lives of the people that hold them.
3 – 18 Curriculum Impact Series
This series of reports is designed to gauge the impact of a changing curriculum
on learners’ experiences and achievements. Each report will evaluate current
practice in a particular curricular area. The reports identify good practice and
highlight important areas for discussion and further development.