An Introduction

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”

Albert Einstein

“Britain’s economy is in a mess not for a lack of maths, but for a lack of ethics and common sense.

Being top of the world in science did not save the Soviet Union from Collapse”

Simon Jenkins, quoted by Neil Lawson in the New Statesman

• Aspirational

• Relevant

• Inclusive

• A “One Nation” Baccalaureate

QUALIFICATIONS an unrestricted celebration of attainment in all domains: academic, vocational, professional, personal development

EXPERIENCES

that build confidence and character, supplementing the pursuit of knowledge, and leading to a whole education experience: a celebration of opportunity

SKILLS that build competency: a celebration of work-readiness and life-readiness

The Modern Baccalaureate is a grass-roots movement, led by teaching professionals:

•Accrediting a whole education experience and a learning journey, from age 4 into the workplace, building on the concepts introduced originally by Mike Tomlinson

•Encouraging a balance between knowledge, skills and the wider experiences that prepare young people for 21st Century work and life, and in doing so, closing the gap between the workplace and the classroom

•Incentivising all young people, irrespective of ability, to exceed expectations within a broad and balanced curriculum

•Celebrating the wider achievements of young people within and beyond the classroom, unlocking the power of informal learning

•Adapting to local needs, through customisation of the programme to an area, a federation, or to a particular academy chain

Young people in education today will face an array of future challenges in work and life unprecedented in recent history. The CBI recognises this, asserting that school leavers entering a tough labour market must have the underlying skills needed for success in any job.

Young people will need :

•To be highly literate and numerate

•To have the best qualifications possible.

•To have resilience, character, confidence, flexibility,

•To be capable of: self-management, team-working and problem solving.

Modern Baccalaureate recognises the demands of the 21st century workplace , and empowers schools and learners to address not just the accumulation of qualifications, but also the development of skills and experiences that build a successful 21st century citizen.

How Modern Baccalaureate Accreditation Works

•Schools, Colleges and Training Providers will register learners for the Modbac programme. This opens up a web-based transcript.

•Qualifications and the grades achieved are recorded

•Learners can upload evidence of learning and participation in six core areas of experience, which can then be validated easily by their teachers/ learning managers

•Skills development is recorded

•This gives a rounded and complete profile of achievement

•Certificates can be locally branded, and locally printed.

•Every certificate has a unique QR code. When scanned, it will hyperlink to a secure website, holding all the details of the learners’ qualifications, skills and wider accomplishments- a 21c profile of achievement

Core – all about performance

Must include English and Maths GCSE (or Functional Skills post-16)All level 2 qualifications count

Advanced – A Levels, Level 3 vocational qualificationsIntermediate – GCSE A*-C, Level 2 vocationalFoundation – GCSE D-G, level 1 vocationalEntry - Entry Level and pre-vocational qualifications

ModBac Advanced Level Core (Example)Core grading is based on collecting credit from recognised qualifications. This can be from any QCF or NQF qualifications at Level 3 or higher including grades A*-E at GCE A level. A maximum of 1/3 of the credit can come from Level 2 qualifications for a bare Pass. This is to support motivation for progression in keeping with the central aims of the programme. In summary:

•for a Pass at least 2/3 of the credit should be at Level 3 or higher. This includes GCE grades A*-E, QCF credit such as BTEC and City and Guilds and credit from qualifications in other national systems referenced to Level 4 in the European Qualifications Framework. The remaining 1/3 can be at Level 2.

•For Merit 2/3 of the credit should be at Level 3 Merit or GCE A level grade C or higher. The remaining 1/3 should be at Level 3 or in the case of GCE A level grade E or higher.

•For  Distinction 2/3 of the credit should be at Level 3 Distinction or in the case of GCE A level, grade A. The remaining 1/3 should be at Level 3 Pass or GCE A level grade E or higher.

•For Distinction* 2/3 of the credit should be at Level 3 with Distinction* or in the case of GCE A level, grade A*. The remaining 1/3 should be at Level 3 Pass or GCE A level grade E or higher.

Honours

Contexts for applied learning (can be qualifications, programmes of study or experiential learning beyond the classroom):

•Use of IT / Computing•Internationalism/Modern Languages•Enterprise / Financial Capability•Community Volunteering / Active Citizenship•Personal Challenge•Extended Project

These learning experiences can occur in school or beyond, involving community participation in sport and leisure, participation in Community Groups, NCS, DoE Award, etc.

Grading the honours programme at Foundation and intermediate level

Not every student has to do every element, and the final gradings will reflect this (and the importance of external accreditation) as follows:

Distinction* All 5 elements evidenced and externally accredited or certified

Distinction 5 elements evidenced in learner transcript (with at least 4

elements externally accredited or certificated) Merit 4 elements evidenced in learner transcript(with at least 2 elements externally accredited or certificated)

Pass At least 4 elements evidenced in learner transcript(no requirement for

external accreditation or certification)

The learner transcript would be clear about which elements (eg Personal challenge / community award) have been evidenced

SKILLS PASSPORT

Stressing the importance of developing lifelong learning and employability skills.

Wide range of programmes acceptable:

RSA Opening MindsPLTSBuilding Learning PowerASDAN programmesASDAN qualificationsOr local solutions

such as

Suffolk E4L (Employability for Life) framework

The Skills Passport

The Skills Passport will be flexible and adaptable to local contexts, accrediting skills development systems and processes that may already be highly developed in some schools and academies.

The pupil transcript will report the basic and wider skills students have acquired, such as:

•ALAN tests (literacy and numeracy)•Other functional or key skill tests and qualifications•ASDAN skills-centred qualifications (AoPE, CoPE, CVQ, Employability, etc.)•RSA “Opening Minds” awards•PLTS passport•Building Learning Power•QCF competence based skills qualifications from Prince’s Trust, Edexcel and NCFE

QR Code

An innovative design feature will be a QR code unique to every certificate.

When scanned, it will hyperlink to a secure website, holding all the verified details of the learners’ qualifications, skills and wider accomplishments, personal statements and a reference from the school/college

This gives a 21st century profile of achievement, that can eventually be updated to include 16+ success, and beyond!

The Modbac transcript is designed to be updated as learners transit into 16+ and FE- supporting the UCAS process

MiniBac These approaches are being developed from Sept 2012 by a network of powerful primary partners

HiBAC graduate employability skills framework developed with NUS. The transcript can therefore be updated and deployed beyond 18+

Common data storage and transcript

generation system underpins recording of

achievements from age 4-21+

• Tripartite approach to lifelong learning is at the heart of EQF (European Qualifications Framework)

• Emphasis on competence that is underpinned by skills and knowledge.

• Modbac:

• Empowers learners to take personal ownership of all three domains

• Empowers schools, colleges, parents, teachers and employers to address all three domains

• Gives learners a “graduation certificate” to mark passage onto a new phase, or school

Stretching the Highest Attaining

•Students can mix levels of Core, Honours and Skills

•Gifted and Talented students can either add level 3 qualifications to their core transcript, or combine a level 2 core with the level 3 Honours / skills programme

•Transcript is flexible enough to record this

“Excelsis” – developing skills at Level 3

Students demonstrate development in five domains:

• Leadership and Team-working• Self Management• Problem Solving and Creative

Thinking• Presentation• Research and Development

“Excelsis” – developing skills at Level 3

These skills are evidenced through completing a series of challenges from a selection from the following areas:

• Citizenship• PSHE• Global Outlook• Participation• Application of Knowledge• Enterprise• Creativity and Development

DOES IT IMPACT ON PROGRESS AND STANDARDS?

•Yes it does! Findings from a UWE Report highlight the academic performance uplift that occurs if you accredit a wider curriculum, and the skills that can be developed through it.

•Archbishop Sentamu Academy’s experiences bear this out. It serves one of the most socially deprived communities in Hull, if not in England.

•Despite the national issues around grade boundaries at GCSE in Summer 2012, the academy moved to 61% five A*-C including English and Maths, compared to just 29% in 2009. Level 2 threshold scores showed equally robust improvement, from 68% to 100%

Why? How?

•A focus on skills development benefits academic achievement

•A focus on equity demonstrates to students that they are all equally valued – a microcosm of Finland’s pursuit of equality over competition 20 years ago?

A Unique Story behind every Modbac transcript

  

  

Andi Elliot

  

Andi is a very hardworking young lady and is committed to everything she embarks upon. Andi has already passed Maths and English in Y10, with good grades, but is now aiming for A*s. In addition to this she is studying GSCE Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Andi has also passed NCFE Level 2 Custom Animation as well as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Art. She is also studying GCSE R.E. Chinese and OCR Nationals Level 2 First Award in ICT. Andi will finish with an Intermediate Level Modern Baccalaureate. Andi has met the Skills Passport requirements through ASDAN’s AoPE (Award of Personal Effectiveness), developing and accrediting Team Working, Planning & Reviewing Learning and Presentation skills based on work experience. Andi has completed the Level 2 literacy and numeracy ALAN tests. Andi has also worked with a group of students to set up and run a Smoothie bar at the Academy, thus, demonstrating team working skills and entrepreneurial qualities. Andi enjoys playing music in her spare time and has achieved a grade 3 in drums and a grade 2 in the violin. She was also involved in the Rock Challenge performance in Y10. These have contributed to the Personal Challenge. Andi has also chosen to study the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Enterprise qualification in the Academy’s extended day. Since she is studying Chinese and ICT these will also count towards the Honours section. As Work Experience was externally accredited through ASDAN (see above), Andi has therefore already achieved five elements within the Honours section.

Next steps

The Modern Baccalaureate strategic partners would be delighted to assist and support you on the ModBac journey.

ASDAN Education has built a formidable international reputation over the past thirty years of service to the teaching profession, accrediting non-formal and informal learning, and the development of skills for learning, skills for employment and skills for life.

TLM are a Midlands-based IT innovator, bringing the latest technological solutions into schools to make delivery of Modbac, and IT qualifications, incredibly low cost and highly reliable

Imaginative Minds are also Midlands-based, and complete the support package with a comprehensive professional learning community offer, giving all Modbac centres access to CPD resources, articles and publications as part of the Modbac package

Please contact ModBac at modbac@gmail.com

Andrew.chubb1@gmail.com

@ASAPrincipal

07595 568833

www.sentamu.com

www.modernbaccalaureate.com