Assessment and achievement
Assessment is a key strand of work in implementing Curriculum for Excellence. On 20 January 2010 the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning announced the publication of Building the Curriculum 5 - A Framework for Assessment together with an associated paper on quality assurance and moderation.
Assessment for Curriculum for Excellence
In September 2009, the Scottish Government’s strategy on how to build on our existing strong foundations of effective approaches to assessment was published.
Strategic vision and key principles for assessment (89 KB)Building the Curriculum 5 - A Framework for Assessment is part of the staged approach to ensuring assessment meets the needs of all learners, as an integral part of Curriculum for Excellence. The framework builds on the Scottish Government’s assessment strategy and the existing strong foundations of effective approaches to assessment. It sets out how the principles in the strategy will be put into practice. An associated paper on quality assurance and moderation sets out how to provide support and ensure quality. The Scottish Government, education authorities and other partners will work together to build on local and national practices for quality assurance and moderation of assessment. This will help to achieve consistency in standards and expectations and build trust and confidence in practitioners’ judgements.
The framework sets out the purposes of assessment, which aims to create:
- a more effective assessment system which supports greater breadth and depth of learning and a greater focus on skills development
- through collaborative working, a better-connected assessment system with better links between pre-school settings, primary and secondary schools, colleges and other settings to promote smooth transitions in learning
- better understanding of effective assessment practice and sharing of standards and expectations as well as more consistent assessment
- more autonomy and professional responsibility for teachers.
The Framework for Assessment will help to demonstrate how standards are being raised as a result of Curriculum for Excellence by providing learners with opportunities to achieve greater breadth, respond to more challenge in their learning and apply that learning in new and unfamiliar situations. There will also be a greater focus on skills development.
What happens next?
The next stages of work will focus on supporting practitioners to put the principles and guidance contained in the Framework for Assessment into practice. This will include the following actions:
Learning and Teaching Scotland will hold a series of events for practitioners in January and February on implementing the Framework for Assessment.
Beginning at the start of the summer term, assessment exemplars will be provided showing learners’ work assessed by practitioners against the standards and expectations contained in the Framework for Assessment. The exemplars will be in the priority areas of literacy and numeracy across all curriculum areas and health and wellbeing. Examples will provide illustrations of the three aspects of assessment set out in the framework - the application, breadth and challenge.
From autumn 2010, staff will have access to a new online National Assessment Resource (NAR), which will build up a range of assessment material and exemplars across the curriculum areas.
There will be an ongoing focus by the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board, Scottish Government, education authorities and other partners on providing continuing professional development activities to help practitioners develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve greater consistency and confidence in their professional judgements.
In addition to the three in-service days which have already been provided to support staff in moving towards full adoption of Curriculum for Excellence in August 2010, a further in-service day has been made available to support professional development for the new assessment system.
In recognition of the additional activity associated with introducing and operating a moderation scheme, as well as meeting the costs of national work, the Scottish Government will transfer resources to local government to help pay for additional local work.
Related information
Assessment as part of learning and teaching
Teachers' professional judgement about the progress children and young people are making is an important feature of learning and teaching approaches.
Qualifications
Qualifications have a significant role to play in enabling young people to develop the four capacities and the range of skills for life and skills for work they require.
Assessment within curriculum areas and subjects
Guidance on the broad features of assessing children and young people's progress within specific curriculum areas and subjects.