New qualifications, assessment & quality assurance to
support the Senior Phase of Curriculum for Excellence
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Course assessment at Higher and Advanced Higher Most Courses at
Higher and Advanced Higher are assessed by a combination of a
question paper and one of the other seven agreed methods. We call
these Components of Course assessment. Courses are graded A, B, C
or D. To gain the award of the Course, the learner must pass all
the Units in the Course as well as achieve a grade AD in the Course
Assessment. Grades for new National Courses are based on the total
marks for all the Components of the Course assessment
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Assessment: reflections on practice
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Our world Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous
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50% of US jobs automatable by 2034
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Societal Challenges Societal: greed, global warming, and
personal privacy invasions, religious fundamentalism and political
absolutism. Economic: globalization, and the pursuit of innovation.
Personal: goals of employability and happiness. (Trilling and
Fadel, 2009)
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Assessment purposes
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Activity Mathematics and English (not Literacy and Numeracy )
should be given priority post-16 as well as pre-16 because of their
central and increasing importance (Wolf 2011) Today, in Scotland we
have 53,000 (19%) 16 to 19 year olds not in work and not in
education/training (Wood 2014) What is the purpose of assessment
for qualifications?
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Purposes a few examples Evaluation Formation Monitoring
Guidance Certification/Licencing Selection (Newton, 2007)
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Assessment principles
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Activity An assessment cannot (in itself) be valid or invalid,
only the interpretation of results (Newton 2011) Is ensuring that
assessments are valid enough?
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Principles Valid Reliable Practicable Fair and inclusive Open
and flexible Relevant Credible Coherent
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Key features Learners will engage in a variety of learning and
assessment activities: More time researching information less time
receiving it from teachers Engaging in wide-ranging independent
reading Recording in a systematic way, the results of research and
independent investigation Participating in group work with peers
Participating in debate and discussion with peers which reflect
constructing and sustaining lines of argument Drawing conclusions
form complex information Using sophisticated written and/or oral
communication and presentation skills to present information
Demonstrating development, improvement and refinement of techniques
and practices in practical/performance based subjects New
Courses
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Assessment More learner autonomy, greater degree of flexibility
More coursework, more focus on application of SKU Independent
learning approaches and focus on higher order skills More extended
range of marks to facilitate differentiation of learners within
bands
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Types of assessment
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Activity fit for purpose assessment? Assignment English Case
Study Essay Physics Evidence accumulation Matching Mathematics
Multiple Choice Test Objective response PE Oral response Question
Paper Geography Practical work Performance Projects History
Presentation Drama Portfolios Selected response Engineering
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Key features Most common assessment methods QPs, Projects,
Practical Activity, Performance, Portfolio Learners do AH Courses
more independently, less supervision Learners take more
responsibility for their learning Skills, knowledge and
understanding - reflect higher order skills analysis, synthesis,
evaluation, complex research and investigation skills, higher order
thinking skills Progression /preparation for HE/FE programmes
Assessment Methods
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Assessment in new Highers and Advanced Highers Management of
Assessment Across the Centre http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64556.html
New National Qualifications Subjects
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/45625.html
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Approaches to learning and teaching Learners working with less
direct supervision, especially at Advanced Higher More
self-directed learning Variety of approaches independent research,
investigation and reading group work and discussion/debate with
peers use of sophisticated communication and presentation skills
practical/performance subjects showing development, improvement and
refinement of techniques and practices Should promote
personalisation and choice Approaches to learning and Teaching
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Whole system Quality Assurance Developed, maintained, verified
and marked by SQA Annual deployment of over 15,000 appointees and
nominees On-line marking and monitoring Central and visiting
verification Publication of standards Secure publication of
candidate evidence
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Take away challenge
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Activity We are currently preparing students for jobs that dont
yet existusing technologies that havent been inventedin order to
solve problems we dont even know are problems yet (Fisch, 2008) How
are you developing a curriculum which fits student teachers for the
future but aligns with the existing assessment for qualifications
system?