Moving Forward with
Curriculum for
Excellence
SATH Spring Conference
Saturday 7 May 2011
Jane Henderson QDM Social Studies
Next Generation of
Qualifications
CfE: Experiences & Outcomes
and
Principles & Practices documents
OECD Review
BtC 1 - 3
Employers
Consultation
HMIe Reports
Cabinet Secretary’s
Announcement
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence
Big Picture: Areas for Improvement
 Reduce over-crowding in the curriculum and make learning more
enjoyable
 Reduce the attainment gap between most and least able learners
 Better connect the various stages of the curriculum from 3 to 18
 Achieve a better balance between 'academic' and 'vocational'
subjects and include a wider range of experiences
 Equip young people with the skills they will need in tomorrow's
workforce
 Ensure that assessment and certification support learning
 Allow more choice to meet the needs of individual young people
Big Picture: Implications for SQA
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Breadth of learning
Clear and smooth progression
Inclusive, coherent, easy to understand
Less time spent on assessment for certification
More focus on skills development
Assessment supports, motivates and challenges
learners
 High standards, credibility and relevance
 Working with Building the Curriculum series, in
particular BtC 3, 4 and 5
The development and quality
assurance process
QDT
CARG
WEB
IROCCG
IROCCG
update
EROCCG
SWG
An Open and Transparent Development Process
 Draft documents on web as soon as ready
 Robust quality assurance process which
involves all key stakeholders
 Proactive, planned engagement
– to explore issues and help shape thinking
– offer advice and guidance
– reflect on and test proposals
 ‘Myalerts’ feedback facility on web – feedback
summaries to CARGs, QDTs and published on
web.
Clear roles and remit
Subject Expertise:
Course Design:
QDT
Design principles
Qualifications
Development
Technical Writing:
QDCs assisted by
SWG
Assessment
Expertise:
SQA
Design Principles for National 4 and National 5
• There will be new qualifications called National 4 and National 5.
• They will replace the qualifications that currently sit at SCQF levels 4
and 5 (Standard Grade and Intermediate 1 and 2).
• The new courses will use a new type of Units — more skills-based,
less prescriptive, and more user-friendly. These Units will require
knowledge and understanding as well as skills.
• Their specifications will be more flexible and open. They will have
fewer, broader outcomes that encourage holistic assessment, and will
rely on assessors to exercise professional judgement instead of
having to satisfy long lists of criteria.
• Both National 4 and National 5 will be based on a nominal 160 hours
of study, and in both there will be flexibility in the number of Units.
National 4 and National 5 Design
Principles
 National 4
Unit 1
or
Unit 2
Added
Value Unit
 National 5
Unit 1
Combined Unit Assessment
including Added Value
or
Unit 2
External
assessment
including
Added Value
Combined Unit
Assessment
External assessment
including Added
Value
CFE History qualifications
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Draw on the Es and Os / principles / practice
Retain best of current qualifications
Emphasise importance of skills
Ensure smooth progression and “fall-back”
through the levels 3-7
 Have balance of Scottish, British and
European/World
 Facilitate a coherent historical experience: “map
of the past” and the relevance of History for
today
3 unit structure for Access, National 4,
National 5 and Higher
 Historical Study: Scottish
 Historical Study: British
 Historical Study: European and World
Added Value at N4: Project
Added Value at N5: Course Assessment - Project and
Question Paper
Added Value at Higher: Course Assessment - Project and
Question Paper
Skills in Higher History
 researching and investigating historical themes and
events
 synthesising information from a wide range of sources to
produce detailed and reasoned lines of argument
 evaluating historical sources with reference to their
content, context and usefulness
 analysing historical themes and events
 communicating balanced conclusions supported by
evidence
Skills for Assessment Purposes
 Skills will be taught across all three units but, for
assessment purposes only, to simplify and
reduce the burden of assessment, we have
allocated particular skills to particular units
 Knowledge and understanding is assessed in all
three units
Added Value
 Breadth is the ‘demonstration of breadth of learning across the
Units of the Course, drawing on knowledge and skills from across
the Units requiring retention and/or integration as appropriate’.
 Challenge is defined as ‘requiring greater depth or extension of
knowledge and/or skills assessed in other Units of the Course (note
that this must be within the SCQF level of the course)’.
 Application is defined as ‘requiring application of knowledge and/or
skills in practical or theoretical contexts as appropriate’.
Course assessment/added value
 Assignments - structured problem-solving exercise
 Case studies - stimulus-based assessment of learner’s ability to
analyse and draw conclusions
 Practical activities - direct application of learner’s skills to make or
build something
 Performances - practical demonstration of learner’s skills, eg in
Music or Drama
 Portfolios - collection of learner’s work assembled over a period of
time
 Projects - open-ended task with support appropriate to the SCQF
level requiring investigative/research skills
 Question papers/tests - examination of knowledge and
understanding via written responses
National 4 Assessment (continued)
 Added Value Unit — Project (National 4)
 In this Unit, learners will exercise choice in selecting a
topic and context for personal study drawn from Scottish,
British or European and world contexts. They will
research their chosen topic and communicate their
findings. Through this activity, they will have
opportunities to demonstrate greater depth or extension
of historical knowledge and skills as they draw on and
apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the other
Units of the Course.
Timelines
 2010 – new curriculum introduced
 2012 – publication of new qualifications levels 1 to 6
 2013 – last Standard Grades + current Access 1, 2 & 3;
publication of new qualifications level 7
 2014 – first new qualifications at levels 1 to 5 (Access and
National 4 and 5); dual run’ with existing National Courses
 2015 – first new qualifications at level 6 (Higher); ‘dual run’
with existing National Courses
 2016 – first new qualifications at level 7 (Advanced Higher)
What’s next?
 Nat 4/5 draft Course Rationale and Summary
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Published
Nat 4/5 draft Course Specifications
Published
Higher draft Course Rationales and Summaries
May 11
Higher draft Course Specifications
Aug 11
Nat 4/5 draft Unit Specifications
Aug 11
Acc 3 draft Courses Rationales and Summaries
Aug 11
Higher draft Unit Specifications
Nov 11
Nat 4/5 draft Unit Support Packs
Dec 11
Acc 3 draft Unit Specifications
Dec 11
Publications of final Specifications - Apr 12 (AH Apr 13)
Assessment support and exemplification
(N4/5 from Apr 12, H from Apr 13. and AH from Apr 14 )
CfE Course Document Set
Current Qualification
Arrangements
Document
New CfE Qualification
N4 and N5
Draft Rationale and
Course Summary
Ready to Publish
Draft Course
Specification
We are Here
Draft Unit Specification
Publish 30 Aug 2011
Publish 30 April 2011
Includes:
Course Structure
Rationale and Aims
Course Content
Course and Unit Assessment
Grade Descriptions
Estimates and Appeals
Approaches to Learning and
Teaching
Unit Specifications
Draft Course and Unit
Assessment
Specification
Draft Course and Unit
Support
Publish 30 Nov 2011
Publish 31 Jan 2012
 How to get involved
– www.sqa.org.uk/cfeteam
– www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence
– www.sqa.org.uk/haveyoursay
– www.sqa.org.uk/subjectworkinggroups
– www.sqa.org.uk/myalerts
– www.sqa.org.uk/appointees