Process of change
The University of Glasgow was commissioned to analyse the feedback on the draft experiences and outcomes. Its reports summarised the feedback for each curriculum area and provided insights which were used to inform the next stages of development. A summary of the main messages is provided in the enagagement findings.
Groups of curriculum area and subject specialists drawn from all sectors of education and national organisations examined the analysis of responses for each curriculum area and made recommendations for action to refine and supplement the draft experiences and outcomes. Further engagement was then used to test reactions to the proposed changes - those involved included a wide range of practitioners, partners and specialists.
What did we do in response?
- Each set of draft experiences and outcomes was edited in places where the wording needed to be clarified or amended.
- Some sets, including the expressive arts, health and wellbeing, and technologies, were restructured to make the frameworks easier to use.
- Some, including sciences and health and wellbeing, now have short commentaries to explain aspects of learning. In the case of sciences, the commentaries describe the concepts which are being developed.
- Further work was done to make stages in progression clearer in sciences and social studies, for example.
- The principles and practice sections and the sets of experiences and outcomes themselves have been made more consistent in wording and structure.
- Most have a short appendix which provides short explanations of a few particular terms.
- We have added further points to some of the principles and practice sections to explain points which were raised in engagement (for example the place of ‘personal search’ in non-denominational religious education).
- We have prepared separate sections for those aspects which are the responsibility of all staff.
- We weighed up the balance of views in arriving at decisions and took further advice with the aim of ensuring that the changes would be in the best interests of learners. This involved reference to international studies.
- Checks were made against Scottish Qualifications Authority expectations and international benchmarks to ensure that the published experiences and outcomes represent appropriate levels of demand and scope.
- A thematic review was carried out on the experiences and outcomes as a whole to consider, for example, skills progression. Some further refinements were made.
Following the process, some sets of experiences and outcomes remain very similar to the drafts – these include the languages, numeracy and mathematics and religious education in Roman Catholic schools frameworks.
We have also used the report and subsequent engagement to identify priority areas for future exemplification (including material to help teachers in developing their understanding of expectations and standards). This will be developed and published over the coming months.
The final quality assurance and approval stages involved all national partners and the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board.