Qualifications Update: People and Society

1. Qualifications Update: People and Society

2. Developing qualifications • Progression • More open and flexible requirements • Assessment which supports learning • Refreshed and relevant contexts for learning • Personalisation and choice • Robust and credible

3. Relationship between CfE and SCQF Levels Continues to 12 ≈ SCQF Levels 4 4 CfE Levels 3 3 2 2 1 1 early years

4. People and Society - key messages • Interdisciplinary • Based around key ideas drawn broadly from the Social Subjects, Social Science and Religious and Moral Education subject areas • Each Unit has a skills focus: • Investigating • Comparing and contrasting • Making decisions • Coherence derived from choosing an overall context or theme for the Course and from having one key idea in common across the three Units • At N3 in addition each Unit should also use a key idea which is different from the common idea and different in each Unit • At N4 in addition each Unit should also use two key ideas which are different from the common idea and different in each Unit

5. Unit Structure

6. Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messages • Are available on the SQA Secure Website, are confidential documents and should be treated as such and held securely • Use one of three approaches to generating evidence: • Unit by Unit approach • Combined approach • Portfolio approach •  Assessors may use the assessments provided in UASPs • as they are • to adapt • to develop their own assessments They will be made available in Word format for this purpose

7. Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messages • Valid from August 2013 • encourage professional judgement • allow assessors to chose appropriate contexts and forms of evidence • support, motivate and challenge learners •  Each pack provides details of • a broad based task • type of evidence to be gathered • how this is to be judged against assessment standardsan example of a Candidate Assessment and how it should be assessed • Most important aspect for SQA is that standards are met and that all evidence is authentically the candidate’s own work

8. Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messages • Assessment approaches should support and be consistent with learning and teaching approaches and the needs of individual candidates • Assessment judgementsare made on a pass fail basis • Contexts may be changed to suit or be made more relevant to candidates, but must of the same level of demand and difficulty • Where assessment is by observation or oral questioning, evidence should include assessor comments that show clearly the basis on which assessment judgements have been made • UAS packs also include examples of recording documentation: assessors may adapt these to suit local needs and approaches

9. Assessment Support Schedule 2012/13

10. People and SocietyUnit AssessmentNational 3 to National 4

11. Unit assessment • Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence Requirements in Units • Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages • Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one outcome or Unit – combined assessments • More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

12. Unit Assessment Support packages – purpose Assessment support packages will be provided which you can use to: • Assess your candidates • Adapt for your own assessment programmes • Help you develop your own assessments

13. Unit Assessment Support packages – key features • Valid from August 2013 • Designed to encourage professional judgement • Provide broad-based tasks – allow assessors to choose appropriate context and forms of evidence • Show range of approaches to generating assessment evidence • Give information on the type of evidence which could be gathered and how this is to be judged against Assessment Standards

14. Unit assessment support packages - approaches Package 1 • Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks for each Unit Package 2 • Combined approach – groups Outcomes and Assessment Standards from different Units Package 3 • Portfolio approach – gathering evidence assessment standard by assessment standard

15. Assessment Package 1

16. Assessment Package 1 • Although a range of approaches to gathering evidence for Unit assessment have been illustrated: • the standard applied is the same irrespective of the approach taken • it is the skills, knowledge and understanding which are being assessed – do not inflate the demands of the Unit • there should be consistency in conditions across different techniques • all approaches should be manageable for learners and centres

17. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Overview of assessment • States purpose of assessment • Gives description of assessment task • Indicates flexibility of task and opportunities for adaptation • Suggests prior learning • Suggests approaches to generating evidence

18. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Assessment conditions • Candidates should have sufficient time to complete the task • Level of teacher/lecturer support should be appropriate for level but evidence must be the candidate's own work • When group work is used –evidence of individual achievement is required

19. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Evidence to be gathered • Sufficient for QA purposes but not burdensome • Practical approaches to retaining evidence e.g. candidate responses/product, assessor checklists, supplementary material

20. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Teacher prompts and questioning may be used to: • Confirm evidence is candidate’s own work • For clarification/confirmation of standard being met • To supplement oral/visual/written presentation if necessary

21. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Judging evidence • Standards need to be consistently applied, irrespective of the approach taken to generating evidence • General principles and specific exemplification given • Candidates may provide evidence of meeting the standard outwith the specific prompt – this should be credited

22. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Reassessment • SQA policy continues to apply • Only need to reassess specific Outcomes or assessment standards not yet met

23. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Recording documentation • Exemplars given • Centres should adapt, as required to meet their own needs

24. Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs • Assessment for candidates - task • Illustrative only • Centres encouraged to adapt to their own contexts

25. Workshop 1 Task 1 Use the materials provided: • Split into groups of 2-3. Discuss • The assessment tasks illustrated • Approaches to generating evidence • Making judgements • How could you use, adapt or model the Unit Assessment materials to support you in your own centres?

26. Lunch Break • Afternoon session: • Combined Assessment • Course planning • Added Value Unit

27. Workshop 2 Task 2 Use the materials provided: • Split into groups of 2-3. Discuss • How you could combine assessment in your own centre • How could you structure your course in the light of these documents?

28. General Update

29. New Quality Assurance arrangements • Will cover new National 1 to National 5 from 2013/14 • New arrangements will promote shared understanding of national standards through a collaborative and partnership approach • New ‘Nominee’ role - provides a pool of nationally trained experts • Intense verification in the first 3 years, then an intelligence led approach will be adopted

30. New Quality Assurance arrangements • Will cover new National 1 to National 5 from 2013/14 • New arrangements will promote shared understanding of national standards through a collaborative and partnership approach • New ‘Nominee’ role - provides a pool of nationally trained experts • Intense verification in the first 3 years, then an intelligence led approach will be adopted

31. Prior-Verification • Can amend SQA Unit Assessment Support Packs, maintaining the standard. • If developing assessments, advised to use SQA Prior Verification Service. • First prior verification window opens 3rd June 2013, response in August. • Thereafter, 6 week turnaround on submissions • www.sqa.org.uk/cfepriorverification

32. Recognising Positive Achievement • Opportunities for candidates who have achieved Units at National 5, but failed the Course Assessment, to achieve the Course at National 4 • “Fallback” based on hierarchical structures • No Compensatory Awards • Must have an entry and a ‘Pass’ result for the N4 Added Value Unit (English, Gaidhlig and Maths also require Literacy and Numeracy Units) • Pre and post certification models • A guide on these arrangements is now available www.sqa.org.uk/cfedelivery

33. People and SocietyAdded Value Assessment:- National 4 Added Value Unit

34. Adding Value – National 4 • Each Course at National 4 includes assessment of Added Value • For National 4, the added value is in an Added Value Unit - not graded

35. Added Value • Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts • Builds on current Course assessment and Group Award approaches • Defined as breadth, challenge and/or application as outlined in Building the Curriculum 5 • May involve accumulation, assimilation, integration and/or application of skills, knowledge and understanding • At N4 uses one of 7 defined assessment methods

36. National 4 Added Value Unit Assignment • Opportunity for learner personalisation and choice • Flexibility in how the learner presents findings • Internally assessed by centres and externally quality assured by SQA • Conducted under some supervision and control

37. National 4 Added Value Unit Assignment • Support materials produced by SQA to provide advice and guidance on: • the degree of support which may be provided • assessment conditions • nature and amount of evidence to be retained for quality assurance purposes • making assessment judgements

38. Workshop 3 Task 3 • Use the materials provided: • Further information on Course assessment at N4 • Assignment read across document • In small groups of 2-3, discuss • National 4 Added Value Unit

39. Recognising Positive Achievement • Opportunities for candidates who have achieved Units at National 5, but failed the Course Assessment, to achieve the Course at National 4 • “Fallback” based on hierarchical structures • No Compensatory Awards • Must have an entry and a ‘Pass’ result for the N4 Added Value Unit (English, Gaidhlig and Maths also require Literacy and Numeracy Units) • Pre and post certification models • A guide on these arrangements is now available www.sqa.org.uk/cfedelivery

40. People and SocietyAdded Value Assessment:- National 4 Added Value Unit

41. Adding Value – National 4 • Each Course at National 4 includes assessment of Added Value • For National 4, the added value is in an Added Value Unit - not graded

42. Added Value • Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts • Builds on current Course assessment and Group Award approaches • Defined as breadth, challenge and/or application as outlined in Building the Curriculum 5 • May involve accumulation, assimilation, integration and/or application of skills, knowledge and understanding • At N4 uses one of 7 defined assessment methods

43. National 4 Added Value Unit Assignment • Opportunity for learner personalisation and choice • Flexibility in how the learner presents findings • Internally assessed by centres and externally quality assured by SQA • Conducted under some supervision and control

44. National 4 Added Value Unit Assignment • Support materials produced by SQA to provide advice and guidance on: • the degree of support which may be provided • assessment conditions • nature and amount of evidence to be retained for quality assurance purposes • making assessment judgements

45. Workshop 3 Task 3 • Use the materials provided: • Further information on Course assessment at N4 • Assignment read across document • In small groups of 2-3, discuss • National 4 Added Value Unit