Education reform
Education reform in Scotland
In 2021, SQA conducted two pieces of research to contribute towards the national discussion and evidence base around education reform in Scotland:
- A comparative study of organisational structures in high performing jurisdictions, and how they support successful assessment, curriculum and qualifications (8.93 MB)
- To what extent is there alignment between the intentions of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, and National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher Courses? An evidence-based approach (2.44 MB)
These research reports underpinned SQA’s response to Professor Muir’s review of education reform (619 KB). His subsequent report, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education, was published by the Scottish Government on Wednesday 9 March 2022 and references the research.
In 2023, SQA conducted a comparative study of internal assessment practices in seven selected high-performing jurisdictions. The research focuses on the role of internal assessment in secondary education, moderation and quality assurance practices, and support for teachers and lecturers in implementing and grading internal assessments. The report was shared with Emerita Professor Louise Hayward to contribute towards the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment.
SQA Internal Assessment Comparitive Study Report (0.99 MB)
Senior phase assessment in Scotland
OECD's paper Upper-secondary education student assessment in Scotland: a comparative perspective follows its report on Curriculum for Excellence in June.
To inform their work we submitted this report to the OECD.