Qualifications Update: People and Society Qualifications Update: People and Society.

Qualifications Update: People and Society Qualifications Update: People and Society

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

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

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

Unit Structure National 3National 4 Investigating Skills Comparing and Contrasting Making Decisions Added Value Unit: Assignment

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

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 standards an 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

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 judgements are 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

Assessment Support Schedule 2012/13 Oct 12 to Mar 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 1) Feb 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 2) Feb 13 N5 Specimen Question Paper Apr 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 3) Apr 13 N5 Specimen Coursework Apr 13 N4 Added Value Assessment Support

People and Society Unit Assessment National 3 to National 4

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

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

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

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

Assessment Package 1 Comparing and Contrasting Investigating SkillsMaking Decisions You can use the illustrative examples provided and adapt these to suit the contexts that your learners have studied or the kind of approach that would suit them best N3 Responses to questions Comparing and Contrasting Slavery – then and now Oral presentation Investigating Skills Local Environment and Change Visual product Making Decisions Human Rights N4 Visual product Comparing and Contrasting Capital Punishment Responses to questions Investigating Skills Local Issues – Replacing a School Oral presentation Making Decisions Human Trafficking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

Lunch Break Afternoon session: – Combined Assessment – Course planning – Added Value Unit

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?

General Update

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

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 3 rd June 2013, response in August. Thereafter, 6 week turnaround on submissions www.sqa.org.uk/cfepriorverification

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 www.sqa.org.uk/cfedelivery

People and Society Added Value Assessment: - National 4 Added Value Unit

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

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

Controlled Assessment Where the assessment method is not a question paper, SQA has introduced the concept of controlled assessment to ensure fairness and reliability 3 stages of assessment: Setting, Conducting, Marking the assessment Each will have a defined level of control: SQA-led activity, Shared responsibility between SQA and centres, Centre-led Subject-specific decisions, but mostly SQA-led activity in initial years

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

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

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