2. Understanding Standards: Nominee Training Event
ESOL
National 2 – Higher

3. Aims of the Day
To support Nominees in their understanding of national standards by:
reviewing approaches to assessment and candidate evidence
discussing this evidence and associated Assessment Standards with colleagues
asking questions and seeking clarification about approaches to assessment and national standards
reviewing the Nominee role

4. Welcome and Introductions
The ESOL Quality Assurance team
Programme for the day
SQA support and resources
- Appointee Management
- Events Team
- SQA Academy – Nominee induction
- Appointee Portal
- SQA NQ ESOL web pages
- SQA Secure site

5. Key Documents for 2016-17 Update letters Unit Specifications
Subject Review Report – May 2016
Unit Assessment Support packages
Understanding Standards materials and packs
Course and Unit Support Notes
Audio presentation/Webinars/Common Questions
ESOL Verification Key Messages (VKMs)
National 5 and Higher Course Reports

6. NQ ESOL Overview Qualifications ESOL Overview
Please refer to framework and document lists within your delegate pack.

7. NQ ESOL Review Report: Key Issues
There is a perceived lack of clarity over the approach to combined unit assessment at National 5 and Higher.
Speaking and Listening - there is a need for further guidance around the interface of course and unit assessment.
The Course and Unit Support Notes to be enhanced to provide greater clarity and support to teachers and lecturers particularly around the promotion of good assessment practice.(Session 2016/17)

8. NQ ESOL Review Report: Guidance and Support
Increase the Nominee base to ensure that all delivering local authorities/centres have a representative.
Encourage, identify and share good practice in the use of naturally occurring evidence arising from teaching and learning to meet the requirements of unit assessment standards.
Exemplify the use and relevance of evidence generated for the Speaking and Listening requirements of unit assessment for the Internally Assessed Component of Course Assessment performance.

9. NQ ESOL Review Report: Guidance and Support (cont)
Continue to support practitioners in a flexible way such as the use of webinars and also with audio presentations. For 2016/17 the focus of webinars will be Speaking and Listening with the audio presentation providing a detailed overview of all unit and course assessment standards.

10. NQ ESOL National 2

11. Key messages: Assessment Approaches
Approaches to Unit assessment:
Unit Assessment Support Pack (UASPs) used by most centres effectively but now seeing more centre produced assessments
Prior Verification is strongly recommended for centre-produced assessments, if significantly different – again more assessments being submitted
Good practice evident in adapted assessments to take account of learning contexts, personalisation and choice
Overall candidate assessment records used effectively with comments where they support the judgement
Good practice in use of the drafting process for writing assessments

12. Key messages: Assessment Approaches
National 4 Added Value Unit – candidates in some centres would benefit from more support at each stage of the Assignment
Outcome 4, speaking – if candidates are giving presentations at National 5 or Higher, there should be sufficient time allocated to the question and answer session for candidates to meet assessment standard 4.3 Maintaining interaction, as appropriate
When using a combined approach to assessment across the units, centres should use a candidate assessment record or similar document which reflects this approach to clarify the unit, outcomes and assessment standards met for each unit.

13. Key messages: Internally Assessed Component of Course Assessment (IACCA) Approaches
Approaches to IACCA Assessment:
Most centres had used National 5 or Higher speaking task from a UASP
Personalisation and choice is good practice but assessment briefs must have an appropriate level of challenge for National 5 or Higher
Most candidates had clearly understood the importance of the listening element and attempted to develop their partners points
More discussions took place in groups and there were occasions when one candidate may have been disadvantaged
If it is difficult to distinguish between candidates, consider including some form of identifier when submitting for external verification

14. Key messages: Assessment Judgements
Most centres judged evidence reliably and showed how the judgement had been reached for Units and the Added Value Unit
In Unit assessment for both writing and speaking at National 5 and Higher, some centres had not appropriately interpreted assessment standard 2.1 and 4.1 in terms of using detailed or detailed and complex structures
Most centres had applied the Detailed Marking Instructions for the IACCA holistically and identified how the marks had been allocated

15. Key messages: Internal Verification
More centres have supportive internal verification procedures and submit evidence of professional dialogue taking place
Some centres need a greater understanding of the role of internal verification in supporting internal assessment
Sharing good practice in internal assessment supports approaches to assessment and understanding standards
For suggested approaches refer to the SQA Internal Verification Toolkit