On Friday the interim report of the government’s independent review of assessment and qualifications was published and called for an end to senior secondary students sitting high-stake exams three years running, at the end of S4, S5 and S6, and for a move to exit qualifications instead.
It also proposes a leavers certificate be introduced. The working title is the “Scottish Diploma of Achievement” (SDA) and the goal is to better represent students’ full range of achievements beyond study in individual subjects.
Yesterday, Tes Scotland also revealed that the Higher brand could be consigned to the history books, as the review group explores ways of ensuring parity of esteem between academic and vocational qualifications.
Now, the review group is seeking feedback on its proposals and is asking teachers, pupils, parents and other stakeholders to email in their responses to nine questions, one of which is split into two parts.
We set out all the questions below, providing some context where necessary.
The email address for responses and the deadline can be found at the end of the article.
1. Do the three areas described in the SDA offer learners the potential to gather and reflect a broader range of achievements important for their future progress?
Is there anything you would like to add or delete? Why?
The proposal is that the SDA allows “evidence of learner achievements to be gathered in a broader range of areas than is currently the case”. Every learner would work towards the SDA; and for it to be awarded, attainment must be demonstrated in three elements: subject studies, learning in context and the personal pathway.
2. What are your views on the proposals for recognising achievements in subjects/curricular areas?
The proposal is that students will continue to study subjects but with “a more appropriate balance between evidence gathered from examinations and assessments undertaken in schools and colleges”, including oral presentations, project-based work and observations.
Senior-phase qualifications will usually be “progressive over two years”, with students accumulating credits throughout the programme, and then sitting an external exam “when they exit a subject”.
3. What are your views on the proposals for recognising achievements in knowledge and skills in action?
The proposal is that an interdisciplinary project be introduced to allow learners to collaborate, problem solve and manage their time. The briefing paper says: “For some learners, they may wish to explore a global challenge such as climate change, social justice or migration from an interdisciplinary perspective. Other learners might focus on a local community task or on independent living.”
4. What are your views on the proposals designed to recognise achievements in respect of personal learning?
The proposal is that the “person pathway” will allow students’ personal interests to be reflected in the leaver’s certificate. The way this part of the SDA develops would be different for every student but could include evidence of achievements in a range of areas, including sport, drama, music, volunteering or part-time work.
Students would be encouraged to gather their own evidence to illustrate their learning and progression. This might be in the form of a report but equally, it could be photographs, recordings, pieces of video or a written statement. All evidence, including statements of involvement in activities, might be supported by individuals they have engaged with, to validate participation and contribution.
5a. What do you think of the idea of introducing an SDA?
5b. If you support this idea, what actions should be taken to make this approach work in practice?
What alternative would you propose that would be consistent with the vision and principles [which can be read on pages 12-13 of this document] identified in phase one of the review?
6. What changes to existing practice, if any, would you recommend to support the development of a new qualifications and assessment system?
Examples suggested here include: accountability; inspection; professional learning; initial teacher education; college and university entrance; and recruitment procedures for employers.
7. To promote parity of esteem across all qualifications, academic or technical and professional, should all qualifications at a particular Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level have the same name?
The proposal is that “all qualifications at the same SCQF level would be subject to the same descriptor without distinguishing the type”. The idea is to address the longstanding issue in Scottish education that academic qualifications are more highly valued than so-called vocational qualifications.
One possibility is that familiar brands such as Higher and Advanced Higher cease to exist, and instead, the focus is put on the level of the qualification - so instead of talking about studying at Higher or equivalent, the focus would be on studying at SCQF level 6, or a new collective name could be coined.
That is just one possibility, however, and other ways this proposal could be realised are explored here.
8. Do you have any additional comments about the proposed approach to qualifications and assessment set out?
9. Given we are now in the final phase of the review we would be interested to receive any feedback on our approach to this important exercise.
The consultation closes on Sunday 30 April, with the review group’s final report due to go to education secretary Jenny Gilruth at the end of May.
The consultation questions can be read in full here; the interim report can be read here and the briefing paper published on the same day can be read here.
Responses should be emailed to qualificationsreform@gov.scot
