New National Qualifications — Mythbuster

Why is SQA developing new qualifications?

Curriculum for Excellence represents a different approach to learning in schools. This will help pupils to develop skills and knowledge in more depth which they can use across different subjects and gain abilities they can apply to life outside the classroom.

This fresh approach to learning needs new assessment methods and qualifications.

The new National Qualifications will have equal status and credibility to those currently available and will support the new curriculum.

What are design principles?

The design principles are the blueprint for developing the new qualifications.

They were signed-off by the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board and SQA’s Qualifications Committee.

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).

Access, Higher and Advanced Higher Courses will be revised to reflect the aims, values and principles of Curriculum for Excellence and to provide good progression to and from National 4 and National 5. Revised Access 3 Courses will replace Standard Grade Foundation level.

The new Courses will use a new type of Unit — 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 judgment instead of having to satisfy long lists of criteria.

National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Courses will be based on a notional 160 hours of study, and at all levels there will be flexibility in the number of Units. Access 2 and Access 3 Courses will be based on a notional 120 hours of study.

Why is it taking so long to develop the new qualifications? Is the process behind schedule?

It takes time to design and develop the new National Qualifications and to go through the development process. We are on schedule to deliver the new National 4 and National 5 qualifications in time for the 2013/14 school year.

Throughout the development process we are publishing draft documents on our website. This allows you to see each stage of the development.

The next draft documents which will be published for each qualification are Course Rationales and Summaries, Course Specifications, Course and Unit Support Notes and Course and Unit Assessment Specifications.

These documents will all be finalised in April 2012. You can find out more about these on our website. It’s worth remembering, support materials and examples of Course and Unit assessment will be available once the qualifications are finalised in 2013. See our CfE timeline for more detail on when developments are happening.

What are the latest draft documents?

On 31 August 2011 we have published Course Rationales and Summaries for Access 1, 2 and 3, Course Specifications for Higher and Unit Specifications for National 4 and 5.

All of the new qualifications we are developing go through the same process. Our diagram shows what these stages are and our timeline shows when each qualification will go through each stage.

The easiest way to keep up to date with the latest developments for your subject is to use our subject drop-down menu. Here, you can see what stage of the process each qualification for your subject is at, read the latest documents and give your feedback.

When we publish a new set of documents, we put a news item on our CfE pages (if you are signed up to MyAlerts you will get notification of this). We also let all of our partners and stakeholders, for example teaching unions and parent bodies, know to pass this information through their own communication channels.

What’s coming next?

In 2011 we will publish:

• Course Specifications for Access 2 and 3 in October.
• Course Specifications for National 5 and Unit Specifications for Higher in November
• Unit Specifications for Access 1, 2 and 3 in December 2011.

When each set of documents is published, there is a 2-month feedback window when you can give us your comments. Find out more about how we are using your feedback and view a summary of the comments received so far, on our website.

Once the final Course and Unit specifications have been published, SQA will provide quality assured assessment materials and exemplars on the National Assessment Resource (NAR) to support the new qualifications.

Why are the new assessments not ready at the same time as the new curriculum?

The idea for the Curriculum for Excellence development programme was that curriculum development came first and qualifications followed, so it would not have been possible to devise the qualifications until the new curriculum was in place.

What is a CARG?

CARGs provide advice and guidance in each curriculum area. Each group is made up of nominated representatives from partner organisations, stakeholders, teaching associations and parent groups.

What is a QDT?

QDTs work on the design of qualifications within individual subjects such as Physics, History, English, Music etc. They are made up of nominated subject experts.

What is a Subject Working Group?

SWGs carry out specific pieces of work as designated by the QDTs. Teachers and practitioners can nominate themselves to join these groups.

What are the new qualifications?

New National Qualifications called National 4 and National 5 will be introduced.

They will replace a number of current National Qualfications – Standard Grade General, Standard Grade Credit, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2. Standard Grade Foundation will be replaced by the updated Access 3.

Revisions will also be made to the current Access 1, Access 2, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications.

The new National 4 and National 5 qualifications will be introduced in 2013/14, as will the new Access qualifications. The new Higher will follow in 2014/15, while the new Advanced Higher will be available from 2015/16 onwards.

How will National 4 and National 5 differ from Standard Grade General, Standard Grade Credit, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2?

There will be less prescription and more personalisation and choice in the qualifications. For example, there will be ‘added value assessments’, a lot of which will be projects; so in history, students will be able to take an aspect of the Course that really interests them and study it in more depth. At National 5, more coursework will contribute to the final grade, so exams should be shorter. At the moment, half of Intermediate Courses have some coursework aspect. It will be a much larger proportion at National 5.

Will learners still choose subjects?

Learners will still choose individual subjects to study at Access 2, Access 3, National 4 and National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels.

The Courses learners will study are currently being developed and full information on this will be shared with you shortly. Updates are also available on the SQA website.

To find out when learners will make their subject choices and how many they will choose, you should speak to the school as arrangements can vary from school to school.

If a pupil fails National 5, will they get an automatic National 4 award?

Learners will be given credit for achievement at the level they have been working to. This means that if a learner fails the Course assessment at National 5, they will be awarded the units from the Course at that level – the award of the Course at the level below will not be automatic.

However, if the National 4 and National 5 Courses are hierarchical which means that they have a common structure, the learner may be able to get a Course award at National 4 by achieving the Added Value Unit at National 4.

In this scenario, learners will achieve the Course at National 4 and the Units in the Course at National 5.

Will schools be able to set their own standards?

No. While schools will be internally assessing a number of the new National Qualifications (Access 1, Access 2, Access 3 and National 4), they will adhere to nationally set standards.

We are working in partnership with schools, colleges and local authorities to implement rigorous quality assurance processes that ensure internal assessments meet national standards.

How will SQA ensure that standards are met and maintained in the new qualifications?

Teachers are already teaching and assessing to very high standards and continuation of this good practice will be an important part of the implementation of the new National Qualifications.

We will provide training and support to schools and colleges to ensure national standards and understood and maintained. In addition, there will be guidance, support and examples available through the National Assessment Resource (NAR).

We will ensure that rigorous quality assurance procedures are in place in order to maintain high standards in assessment.

What is the SCQF?

The SCQF is the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

The SCQF enables employers, learners, and the public in general to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other, and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce.

It makes the relationships between qualifications clearer. It can clarify entry and exit points and routes for progression within and across education and training sectors. It assists learners to plan their progress and learning.

Qualifications in the SCQF are compared using two measures: level and credit. The level of a qualification shows how difficult the learning is. The credit points show the size of the qualification and how much work is involved in achieving that qualification. For example, one person may study a course at Intermediate 1, SCQF level 4 and another at Higher, SCQF level 6. Both award the same number of SCQF credit points but at different levels of difficulty.

The SCQF is the basis for all qualifications for example National 4 maps onto Standard Grade/Intermediate 1.

How are the new national qualifications being quality assured. What work is being undertaken?

The purpose of the quality assurance and validation processes is to ensure that the next generation of National Qualifications are fit for purpose.

Details of the quality assurance model are available on the SQA website, this includes information on how the model has been developed, and the quality assurance processes that will be adopted to ensure national standards are being maintained.

I’ve heard pupils will only be able to choose five subjects in S4. How many subjects will pupils be assessed for in their fourth year under the new National Qualifications system?

The number of subjects pupils should be examined for in S4 is not being set out nationally. The precise number and range of qualifications on offer, as well as when they are taken, will be a decision for schools to take in consultation with pupils and parents.

There are some models which have been developed by schools to show how the senior phase, S4–S6, could be delivered. These are available on the Curriculum for Excellence website, including examples of how up to eight subjects can be taken in S4.

Can learners still be presented for early assessment?

Early presentation for the new National Qualifications is not prohibited by CfE. Schools will still have the flexibility to present learners early where it is in the interest of the individual child.

Why is National 4 internally assessed? How is this going to assist learners who go onto further education if they have never sat an exam?

National 4 Courses are designed to provide flexibility in timetabling and assessment. They provide articulation - a path - from Access 3 Courses and further develop learners' skills and knowledge leading to National 5. Where appropriate for learners they also provide a progression route to National Qualification Group Awards in colleges or as part of a school college partnership programme. Assessment of National 4 Courses will be supported, like all of our new qualifications, by exemplification and robust Quality Assurance processes.

SQA talk about using external assessment to grade pupils’ work. What does this mean? Will they still sit an exam?

Courses at National 4, Higher and Advanced Higher will assess breadth, challenge and/or application in line with Building the Curriculum 5.

Breadth, challenge and/or application assess added value by sampling skills, knowledge and understanding from Units. This is what makes the Course more than the sum of its parts. This is not a new idea, it builds on the current Course assessment for Intermediates, Highers and Advanced Highers.

Does internally assessing National 4 mean the qualification will hold less weight?

No. National 4 will follow a similar model to other qualifications such as the Higher National Certificate (HNC) and the Higher National Diploma (HND) which are internally-assessed, but quality-assured by SQA. Many people use these qualifications to progress into employment or to get into higher education, often with advanced standing.

What’s happened to NABs?

The 5-14 National Assessment Bank was closed on 2 July 2010.

This decision was made by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and followed the advice from the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board.

The decision takes into account the range of measures which are available to ensure the appropriate support for teachers in the new assessment approaches for Curriculum for Excellence.

These measures include:

•  
• a range of assessment materials published on the Curriculum for Excellence website in the priority areas of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing across all curriculum areas
• national quality assurance of the initial assessment items to ensure that they reflect national standards and expectations
• a further in service day for teachers which will focus on assessment
• the development of the National Assessment Resource, which is now available at www.narscotland.org.uk
• to support teaching staff in the new assessment approaches and the transition of existing Scottish Survey of Achievement items which are consistent with Curriculum for Excellence

In addition, funding of £3 million will be made available to Local Authorities to support quality assurance and moderation approaches in schools.

A letter was issued to all teaching staff from the Cabinet Secretary on 8 June 2010.

 

Are universities, colleges and employers aware of the changes to the National Qualifications?

We are working with parents, teachers, colleges, universities, employers and the Scottish Government to make sure that national standards are being maintained.

Representatives from universities and colleges are working with us as part of our Curriculum Area Review Groups and Qualifications Design Teams, developing the new National Qualifications.

Scotland’s Colleges, the organisation which represents further education colleges in Scotland, is represented on the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board and plays an active role in shaping the new qualifications, which will be available in colleges at the same time they are rolled out in schools.

Universities are considering the implications of Curriculum for Excellence and the new National Qualifications and a new task force will streamline linkups between schools and universities as Curriculum for Excellence beds into secondary schools.

As we approach the time of the first learners leaving school with the new qualifications we are working with employers to ensure they have all the information they need.

I’ve heard SQA is looking for feedback on the new qualifications. Is this true and how can I give feedback?

Positive engagement with all of our customers and stakeholders is critical to ensure the success of qualifications development and the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.

We need feedback from all our customers and stakeholders – those of you who are working with Scotland’s learners and who have experience of education.

We are publishing draft documents on our website at each stage of the qualifications development process. This gives you the opportunity to see how the development is progressing and to comment at every stage.

‘Have Your Say’ — What’s the point?

To ensure that each qualification is of the highest quality, we are publishing draft documents on our website at each stage of the process.

This is the first time that each stage of the qualifications development has been made available for comment throughout the process.

This is to allow you to see each stage of the development and give us your feedback.

We are looking for feedback from all our stakeholders groups on all of our draft documents. Comments can be submitted via the Have Your Say pages.

We are asking you to feed back comments on the draft CfE proposals. How will these comments be used and what is likely to happen as a result?

The comments we receive are being compiled and fed back to our Qualifications Design Teams who are working on the qualifications deveopment. The comments will then be presented to the Curriculum Area Review Groups which oversee specific subject areas and the related qualifications. Comments will then be considered as part of the revision process.

Find out more about how we use your feedback.

How has the feedback been used?

We really do welcome your feedback and thank everyone who has taken the time to give us comments. All comments are fed into our development teams and considered as part of the development process.

Some examples of how feedback has been considered are:

• Common skill sets across the sciences have been introduced
• There is a new Course in Environmental Science
• There is a new skills focus in maths courses, organised into application, reasoning and other processing skills
• There are new Lifeskills Maths courses at National 4 and National 5
• There is a focus on performance in the Added Value of PE Courses and the portfolio at National 4 has been dropped
• In the Care (National 5) Course the question paper has been dropped in favour of a project, and
• Work is ongoing on Units in Music

Fundamental issues – such as the Design Principles for National Courses and internal assessment for National 4 — have already been confirmed and these policies have been agreed by the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board and the Scottish Government

Areas such as Course and Unit names, titles and methods of assessment are available to comment on and feedback is welcomed via our Have Your Say page.

What happens when I leave a comment?

The feedback from Have Your Say is collated and presented to our Curriculum Area Review Groups and Qualifications Design Teams. This feedback is then discussed as part of the development process, both at a curriculum area and subject level.

Feedback from these groups and the website is also considered by our groups which oversee the work of the SQA Curriculum for Excellence development team and our Quality Assurance and Validation processes.

Each stage of our qualifications development process informs the next and we work closely with our Curriculum Area Review Groups and Qualifications Design Teams to explore issues, develop thinking and test proposals on an ongoing basis.

Find out more about the work of our CARGs and QDTs, and how members were nominated.

What’s happening with literacy and numeracy?

Literacy and numeracy is the responsibility of all and will be developed across learning. There are no separate qualifications in literacy and numeracy but Literacy and Numeracy Units will form part of English and Mathematics Courses at Access 3 and National 4 levels.

At National 5, some, but not all, literacy and numeracy skills will be included within English and Mathematics Courses. These skills will not be separately certificated by SQA.

However, for those who require full, separate certification in literacy and numeracy, freestanding Units at SCQF level 5 will be available. The Literacy and Numeracy Units will also be available to adult learners.

I’ve heard SQA is also developing Awards. Why is this?

As well as developing Scotland's new national qualifications, SQA is taking the opportunity to supplement these with new and existing Awards which meet Curriculum for Excellence. The Awards, in areas such as Health and Wellbeing, Religious Education, Personal Development, Languages and Computing can help offer a wider range of provision for learners.

Will Skills for Work Courses change?

Our Skills for Work Courses offer practical experience, linked to particular careers, which encourage young people to become familiar with the world of work.

For many young people, the chance to work on practical skills that relate directly to a particular job or career provides real benefits for the future. Skills for Work Courses also develop broader employability and other transferable skills.

Skills for Work Courses are already available in a number of sectors. We are continuing to develop new Skills for Work Courses such as the new Creative Industries Skills for Work Course which provides an introduction to the Creative Industries including the Art and Design, Dance, Drama, Media Studies, Music, Sound Production and Technical Theatre sectors.

Skills for Work Courses support Curriculum for Excellence delivery by actively encouraging interdisciplinary working.

What is NAR?

The National Assessment Resource (NAR) is an online resource to support assessment approaches for Curriculum for Excellence and is a key tool to help promote effective moderation within Building the Curriculum 5.

NAR supports practitioners in developing a shared understanding of standards and expectations for Curriculum for Excellence and how to apply these consistently.

It is being developed jointly between Education Scotland SQA and the Scottish Government.

What can you do on NAR?

On NAR you can view materials, by browsing and searching, you can create and upload your own assessment materials, and you can customise existing resources for your own learners.

A NAR user guide and poster are available which walk you through each of the functions. A video guide is also available.

How do you get access to NAR?

If you are from a local authority school you will access NAR through your Glow account. If you are from an independent school or college, you will access NAR through SQA Connect. Your school or college will have a dedicated SQA Connect administrator who will be able to set up an account for you.

Who is NAR for?

NAR is for all practitioners from early years to senior phase. We have content relating to quality marked and quality assured examples of a wide range of assessment approaches and evidence - relating to experiences and outcomes in literacy, numeracy and aspects of health and wellbeing, across curriculum areas and stages, and within levels. A number of exemplars in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels are available as well as Literacy and numeracy materials developed by SQA.

NAR helps to support and facilitate Curriculum for Excellence in the classroom and can be used by all practitioners.

How can I get help using NAR?

A NAR user guide and poster are available on NAR and explain each of the functions.

A video guide is also available. NAR also has a help facility which contains an FAQ section and a detailed manual showing you how to use all of the functions. There is a NAR helpdesk you can call if you need further support.

We have some ‘talking heads’ on NAR explaining how they have created and moderated materials.

What is the SSLN?

The SSLN is the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy. It is a sample survey which monitors performance in literacy and numeracy in Scotland. The information from the survey may lead to improvements in learning or teaching activities, and in children’s experiences. The survey is managed by the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and SQA.

Why do we have the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy?

The SSLN monitors national standards of performance in literacy and numeracy in alternate years. In 2011 the survey will focus on numeracy. This means that the 2012 survey will focus on literacy.

We are keen to help all our pupils do well in all aspects of school life and achieve their full potential. Accurate and up-to-date data collected through the SSLN allows us to:

• plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of pupils
• better understand some of the factors which influence pupil attainment and achievement,
• share good practice, and
• better target resources.

Does Scotland participate in any other international surveys?

Yes, Scotland participates in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) which is widely recognised as the key international measure of educational achievement in maths, science and reading. Scotland has withdrawn from participation in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), greatly reducing the burden on schools.

What information is published for the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy?

Information is collected for statistical and research purposes only. Pupils’ names and addresses are not collected as part of the survey. Children are given an SSLN number which acts as a unique identifier throughout the survey. All data is held securely and no information on individual pupils or schools will be published.

There will not be results for individuals. Children are not assessed individually, to do so would require a longer assessment. Pupils are part of a much bigger jigsaw, and when all the assessments of other pupils who are attempting different questions are put together, we are able to build up a picture of overall performance across Scotland.

 

How will SQA support schools and colleges to implement the new qualifications?

Our Curriculum for Excellence Liaison team is visiting every school and college in Scotland to explain the development process, answer questions that teachers have and collect feedback to gauge what further support is needed to deliver the new National Qualifications.

The team is working in partnership with our Business Development and Customer Support team who provide advice and support to centres about existing qualifications.

I’ve heard a lot about added value – what does this mean?

Added value is what makes a Course more than the sum of its parts. The concept builds on the current Course assessment for Intermediate, Higher and Advanced Higher. Courses from National 4 through to Advanced Higher will assess added value and include a 40-hour added value element.

This will assess breadth, challenge and/or application of learning. This will be achieved by sampling skills, knowledge and understanding from Units. Added value will be assessed in a Unit at National 4 and through the Course assessment at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.

What are Skills for Learning, Skills for Life and Skills for Work?

SQA has developed a new framework of broad, generic skills. The Skills for Learning, Skills for Life and Skills for Work framework is derived from Building the Curriculum 4 and is being used to develop the new qualifications which support Curriculum for Excellence.

The framework outlines definitions of the five broad areas of generic skills that are essential for qualification development.

• Skills for Learning, Skills for Life and Skills for Work Framework (46 KB)

The five broad areas are:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Health and wellbeing
• Employability, enterprise and citizenship
• Thinking skills

This new skills framework is being used in the development of qualifications that support Curriculum for Excellence. It will also assist with the design of assessment and learning and teaching methods. These skills sit alongside knowledge, understanding and subject based skills.

A ‘toolkit’, Skills for Learning, Skills for Life and Skills for Work: Using the Curriculum Tool has been developed to support the use of the skills framework. It is available on SQA’s secure website and can be obtained via your centre’s SQA Co-ordinator.

Skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work will not be automatically certificated. The development of these skills is the responsibility of all practitioners. Many of the opportunities to develop the skills will be naturally occurring, through learning and teaching activities.

Core Skills remain an important part of our Scottish system and Core Skill qualifications will remain for the foreseeable future.