QCA Update NAIGS 2 July 2009 David Harrison - Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

QCA Update

NAIGS2 July 2009

David Harrison

-

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Overview

• Changes at QCA

• Primary

– Primary Curriculum Consultation

– APP Primary Science

• Secondary

– Draft GCSE Criteria

– Diploma

“to develop modern, world-class curriculum and assessment which will inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future”

A DCSF consultation managed by QCA

Curriculum reform consultation


“I would like to see children having

access to as wide a range of

experiences as possible so each child

has an opportunity to shine.” Parent


Consultation overviewThe government is proposing important changes to the

curriculum and is giving those involved in education, including

parents, teachers and learners, the opportunity to comment on

the proposals.

This feedback will be used by the government to inform its final

decisions.


• the primary curriculum

• personal, social, health and economic education

• level descriptions for subjects

• updated non-statutory guidance for religious education

There are four separate consultations:


Proposals to change

the primary curriculum


OpportunitiesQuotes from the independent review

What is set out in the draft programmes of learning represents a national entitlement with full scope for teachers to shape and supplement it.

How schools choose to organise their curriculum and timetable will remain a matter for them

The touchstone of an excellent curriculum is that it instils in children a love of learning for its own sake. This means that primary children must not only learn what to study, they must also learn how to study, and thus become confident, self-disciplined individuals…

Sir Jim Rose


Secretary of State: the remit

•Increasing flexibility for teachers to personalise

learning

•Securing the basics: literacy, numeracy and ICT

•Maintaining a broad and balanced curriculum,

introducing languages

•Strengthening the approach to personal

development

•Promoting creativity and a lifelong love of learning

•Improving transition – EYFS and secondary

To continue to raise standards, narrow the gap and achieve ambitions

set out in the Children's Plan by:


What practitioners say they want

• More flexibility, less prescription

• Focus on deep learning not just coverage

• Securing essentials – in a range of ways

• Securing wider skills, especially 'soft skills' and

social/emotional skills

• Good balance across all subjects and areas of the

curriculum

• More scope for local interpretation and connecting

learning to contemporary issues


The aims of the secondary

curriculum should be

extended to the

primary curriculum

to enable all

children to become: • successful learners

• confident individuals

• responsible citizens

Curriculum aims


Essentials for learning and life

The essentials are

embedded throughout the

whole curriculum

They are:

• literacy, numeracy

and ICT capability

• learning and thinking

skills, personal and

emotional skills and social

skills


Areas of learning

Proposed national curriculum

The full proposed primary curriculum also includes religious education as a statutory subject.


Each area of learning has a

common format and includes:

- an importance statement

- essential knowledge

- key skills

- breadth of learning

- curriculum progression

- cross-curricular studies

What’s in areas of learning?


• A more coherent and less prescriptive curriculum

– based around aims and essential skills

– six broad areas of learning

• Increased focus on early literacy and numeracy,

– including speaking and listening: use and application

• Increased expectations on the use of ICT

– to enhance learning throughout the primary curriculum

• Greater emphasis on personal development as one of the

essentials for learning and life

What’s new?


• A curriculum format that emphasises essential knowledge,

understanding and skills – discipline and depth

• Ensuring a breadth of learning

• Curriculum content set out in three phases

– to help schools plan for progression and transition

• Subject teaching to be complemented by challenging cross-

curricular studies

• More scope to select content according to local

circumstances and resources

What’s new?


• Supported by international evidence

• eight of ten countries that have recently reviewed their

primary curricula have moved to an areas of learning

design

• Supported by NFER research with teachers

• Supported by Ofsted evidence

• schools with outstanding curricula provide skilled

subject teaching and opportunities for children to

benefit from rich cross-curricular studies

Why areas of learning?


May – July 2009: Public consultation

September 2009: Government decisions

expected

January 2010: First materials available on

national curriculum website

September 2011: First teaching of the revised

primary curriculum

Timeline

Assessing Pupil Progress

1. Why is this area of learning important captures the significance of this area for children’s education

2. Essential knowledge captures the big ideas of what it is children need to learn at primary school

3. Key skills are the important skills that children need to develop in this area of learning in order to progress at primary school

4. Breadth of learning covers a sufficient range of content and experiences5. The three curriculum stages (early, middle and later) help teachers plan

for progression6. Cross-curricular studies makes useful links to other areas of learning and

the essentials for learning and life framework7. The explanatory text is helpful in improving understanding of this area of

learning8. There is sufficient reference to ICT in this area of learning

Assessment and APP

1. The learner is at the heart of assessment

2. Assessment needs to provide a view of the whole learner

3. Assessment is integral to teaching and learning

4. Assessment includes reliable judgements about how learners are doing related, where

appropriate, to national standards and expectations

How does APP work?

Four simple steps:

1. Generate evidence from teaching

2. Review the evidence periodically

3. Make a judgement

4. Use information from APP

Lessons from the pilot schools

• Recognise APP as a long-term investment in the profession and teachers’ confidence

• Phase introduction by subjects and numbers of pupils involved but involve all teachers and TAs across school or department

• Focus initially on a sample of pupils so that teachers become comfortable with the assessment guidelines

• Use internal moderation and the standards files for accurate assessment

• Look at ways of using APP when discussing progress with pupils, parents and carers

Where next with APP science…

• KS3 materials available from:http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/157236

• Primary materials available from Jan 2010

• Dissemination and training

– building capacity in the system

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/157236

GCSE Science

• QCA is leading the review of criteria for GCSE science qualifications, working closely with the subject community: learned societies; subject associations and teachers.

• We will consult on the criteria from mid-June to mid-September and submit the revised criteria to the regulators for approval in the autumn.

• Specifications based on the revised criteria will be accredited by September 2010 for first teaching in September 2011.

• The current GCSE science criteria will be replaced by six separate criteria: biology, chemistry, physics, science, additional science and additional applied science.

• The consultation is due to start on Friday 19th June; closes Friday 11th September http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_21855.aspx

http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_21855.aspx

Timetable for changes to GCSEs

• New GCSEs (except English, English Literature, ICT, mathematics and science) have been accredited (summer 2008) and specifications are now available for first teaching in September 2009.

• Greater consideration of equalities and diversity issues in design of criteria and specifications

• New GCSEs in English, English literature, ICT and mathematics will be available in November 2009 for first teaching in 2010.

• A new linked pair of Mathematics GCSEs will be piloted from 2010

• The new GCSEs will deliver functionality; there will be no requirement to take a separate assessment.

• Coursework has been replaced by Controlled Assessment

GCSE 2009: Controlled assessment

The GCSE qualification criteria state that the assessment arrangements :

• ensure that, where controlled assessment is required, specifications make clear how reliability and fairness are to be secured, by setting out requirements that ensure the robustness of each stage of the internal assessment, i.e.

setting of tasks

extent of supervision in carrying out of tasks

conditions under which assessment takes place

marking of the assessment and internal standardising procedures

any moderation process

• Proportion of external assessment set in subject criteria at either 100%, 75% or 40% per subject .

GCSE 2009: Controlled assessment

Subjects with 100% external assessmentClassical Greek

Economics

Latin

Law

Religious studies

Sociology

Psychology

Subjects with 75% external assessmentBusiness studies

Classical civilisation

Geography

History

Humanities

Statistics

Subjects with 40% external assessmentApplied business H&C

Art and design L&T

Citizenship Manufacturing

Construction Media studies

Dance MFL

D&T Music

Drama PE

Engineering

Expressive arts

Health and SC

Home economics

Review of GCE AS/A Levels

• Changes introduced September 2008.

• Stretch and Challenge

Assess quality of written communication through extended writing

More challenging questions in all A2 assessments

Introduction of A* grades for all A levels (not AS) - Summer 2010

• Also reduction of the number of units from 6 to 4 in most subjects (except for music and the sciences)

• No structural changes made to the applied A levels – only incorporation of stretch and challenge at A2 and A*

• Mathematics qualifications to be revised for first teaching 2011/2012- but include A* from Summer 2010

The Diploma – where are we now?

• Phase one Diplomas are being taught in schools and colleges for the first time and have received an enthusiastic response from teachers and learners.

• Specifications for phase two Lines of Learning are now in centres – alongside Diploma curriculum guidance.

• Line of Learning criteria have been accredited for phase three Diplomas and curriculum guidance is also under development.

• Diploma Development Partnerships have developed phase four Lines of Learning.

• The development of extended Diplomas has begun.

Benefits for learners

Diploma learning allows learners to experience:

rich and varied learning environments

different ways of learning including the use of new technologies and collaborative, problem-based approaches

playing a central role in planning and reviewing their own learning

interactions with a variety of others, particularly those with experience of working in relevant sectors of contexts.

The Diploma and its pedagogy (QCA – Oct 08)

The Diploma

“ Students has some difficult decisions to make sure about whether to stick with traditional qualifications or try something new, and it has been good to see some of our more able students see the value of an academic and vocational mix in their portfolio.”

Headteacher of a school in a

Diploma consortium

“ The Diploma is fabulous learning for the students, is an advocate for learning, and students are able to see the advantages to undertaking a Diploma. There is genuine passion amongst the heads, and undertaking a Diploma encourages independence, and gets the student “thinking”. Students can also see their future in terms of educational learning”

38

Phase 4 Development timeline• Criteria complete in summer 2009• Awarding bodies develop specifications• QCA curriculum guidance available March

2010• Ofqual accredits principal learning qualifications

in summer 2010• Specifications available in centres in autumn

2010• (Add one year to timescales for Advanced

Diploma in science)

39

Develop Line of

Learning statement

Develop Line of

Learning criteria

Develop and

accredit new quals

Prepare to teach

Teach and learn

Assess learning

Award Diploma and constituent

quals

Establish structures

for developing

Line of Learning

Phase 1

curriculum support materials available

teaching has begun

Gateway: completeFirst teaching: 2008

Phase 2


Phase 3


Phase 4

Gateway: winter 2009First teaching: 2011

(2012 for Advanced science)

line of learning statements complete

criteria for all five lines of learning published on

Ofqual website

principal learning qualifications accreditation expected in early summer

2009

principal learning and project qualifications

accredited acrossfive Lines of Learning

curriculum support materials available evaluation underway

line of learning criteria development

underway

Project

• Range of outcomes e.g. report of an investigation, dissertation, artefact, performance

• All include written component that outlining research, justifying decisions and evaluating outcomes

• Students produce presentation of findings

Extended Project is a qualification that

• is equivalent in size to about half an A level

• will provide a ‘tool kit’ of skills that better prepare students for higher education and employment

• Carries UCAS points, i.e. A* 70 points, A 60 points, B 50 points etc

Teachers’ involvement in the delivery of projects

Teachers' involvement is:

• to deliver the taught element, including the teaching of research skills, critical thinking skills, ethical issues, etc, and advising on project management

• to support students in scoping the project to ensure that they will meet the criteria

• to monitor student progress to ensure that they remain on target to complete the project by the due date

• to mark the project (externally moderated by awarding body)

• to authenticate the work as that of the student

Examples of projects

• A cultural comparison of Japanese Manga and American superhero comics

• Are ASBOs an effective method of solving antisocial behaviour?

• Can science explain the nature of happiness?

• How important is body image in society today?

• Is digital switch over akin to decimalisation?

• Is graffiti art or vandalism?

• Is surgery the answer to cosmetic defects?

• Origins of animal life - God or Science?

• Performing - Elton John (The student planned and put on a performance of Elton John's work, writing his own arrangements for performance by various ensembles)

• What is the self-perception by Asians post 9/11?

Guidance on the extended project

QCA has commissioned the production of guidance on the introduction of the extended project

• Guidance for managers:– Guidance on Preparing for the Delivery of Level 1 and

Level 2 Projects and Level 3 Extended Projects

• Guidance for practitioners– an Introduction to Level 3 Extended Projects – an Introduction to the Level 2 Project – an Introduction to the Level 1 Project

Guidance at: www.qca.org.uk/qca_18461.aspxInformation leaflet at: www.qca.org.uk/qca_19044.aspx

David Harrison

Curriculum Adviser

[email protected]

Tel: 07872 676744

QCA Update NAIGS 2 July 2009 David Harrison - Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

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