2. The National Improvement Framework - vision
• Excellence through raising attainment: ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy and the right range of skills, qualifications and achievements to allow them to succeed; and • Achieving equity: ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed. The Scottish Attainment Challenge will help to focus our efforts and deliver this ambition.
SG vision for education is….

3. The National Improvement Framework
Brings together key performance information to improve outcomes for every learner in Scotland.
Sets out Scottish Government’s renewed vision and priorities for Scotland’s children, particularly for the most disadvantaged and the drivers of improvement which support those priorities.
Builds on the best practice in Scotland in using a range of data and evidence to report and plan improvements for children.
OECD research on Synergies for Better Learning
We have based the Framework on the best practice which exists internationally on the use of data and intelligence to improve education at system, local, school and individual learner level.
Our work has been informed by the OECD research on Synergies for Better Learning
We have agreed, in consultation with teachers, local authorities and others, that the Framework needs to set out our key priorities and the five drivers of improvement that will support our continuing work to deliver them:

4. National Improvement Framework
NIF draws on 6 inter-related components , referred to as the key drivers in achieving our priorities and our ambition for children and young people, namely
The measures and actions underpinning each of these drivers will inform and influence our work within Education Scotland.

5. National Improvement Framework
 Our Priorities
Improvement in attainment, specifically in reading, writing and numeracy
Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children
Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing
Improvement in sustained school leaver destinations for all young people
The 6 key drivers for improvement will be instrumental to achieving our key priorities , currently described as:
Improvement in attainment, specifically in reading, writing and numeracy
Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children
Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing
Improvement in school leaver destinations
The priorities may change over time depending on what our intelligence and evidence is telling us.

6. National Improvement Framework
School improvement
All schools to self-evaluate and report annually on their work to raise attainment, specifically in relation to the priorities of the National Improvement Framework from 2016
Schools and parents to work together to agree School Improvement Plans which are linked to the National Improvement Framework by 2016/2017
All education authorities to report annually on raising attainment, specifically in relation to the priorities of the National Improvement Framework from 2016
This activity to realise a year on year increase in the proportion of schools evaluated as being “good” or “better” at “self-evaluation for self-improvement” and “raising attainment and achievement”.
Education Scotland will play a key role in supporting and evaluating self-improvement and self-evaluation.
Currently this driver will be taken forward through the following actions:
All schools to produce School Improvement Plans linked to the priorities of the National Improvement Framework by 2016/17
Through the School Improvement Planning process, all schools to self-evaluate and report annually on the effectiveness of their work to raise attainment, specifically in relation to the priorities of the National Improvement Framework.
All education authorities to report annually on their effectiveness in raising attainment, specifically in relation to the priorities of the National Improvement Framework.
Year on year increase in the proportion of schools evaluated as being “good” or better at self-evaluation and self-improvement
Year on year increase in the proportion of schools evaluated as being “good” or better at improving wellbeing, equity and inclusion and raising attainment and achievement
At school level, all future annual improvement plans produced by headteachers will need to link explicitly to the key priorities of the National Improvement Framework. Using the range of evidence available through the Framework, school staff will be able to plan improvement activity which is aligned with the particular needs and challenges of a school. Annual reports detailing progress with that improvement activity will also be produced and submitted to the local authority, with a summary also being provided to parents.
A similar reporting arrangement will be implemented at local authority level, with each authority being required to produce an annual plan which, building on the range of available data, describes intended action to support the realisation of the Framework’s key priorities. A subsequent annual report describing progress will also be developed. Both the plans and reports will be published and submitted to Ministers.

7. National Improvement Framework
School Leadership
All new headteachers to hold the Standard for Headship by 2018/2019
The Framework for Educational Leadership to provide learning opportunities in leadership for all teachers no matter their sector, subject or location by August 2017.
Within Education Scotland we will refresh and review our Associate Assessors to ensure they are highly skilled professionals with a track record of leading their schools effectively to ensure our inspection and continuing engagement activities support leadership of the highest quality.
Direct interventions will be planned and measures taken to improve performance at any level within the system where required.

8. National Improvement Framework
Teacher professionalism
The uptake and offer of quality professional learning at SCQF Level 11 (Masters) for teachers to be increased by August 2017
Support for teacher professional learning and evaluation of its impact to be strengthened during 2015/16
New resources and support for teachers to enhance data literacy skills and improve literacy and numeracy by September 2016 – to be used in professional learning opportunities (including in service days), teacher induction and initial teacher education.
Education Scotland will have a key role through our Teacher Education team to work closely with Initial Teacher Education establishments to secure improvements in data literacy skills and the possible development of a Using data to support improvement module.
To increase both the uptake and offer of quality professional learning at SCQF Level 11 (Masters) for teachers by August 2017.
New resources to be developed to enhance data literacy skills and improve literacy and numeracy for use in professional learning opportunities (including in service days), and
enhanced skills in data literacy and improvement in literacy and numeracy to be identified as priorities through professional review and development

9. National Improvement Framework
Assessment of children’s progress
Support for moderation and professional judgement to be increased by January 2016
Standardised assessment in reading, writing and numeracy, aspects of which will be piloted in 2016, to be used in all schools from 2017
Improvements to the range and quality of information for children and parents by 2017.
Within the BGE we understand the need to have a clearer, more consistent and transparent picture of children’s progress and achievement.
It is anticipated that schools and local authorities will report on children’s progress and achievement of the appropriate CfE level in reading, writing, listening and talking and numeracy at P1, P4, P7 and S3.
Education Scotland Area Lead Officers are already working closely with their local authorities to gather 2014/15 data at local authority level.
Area Lead Officers will also gather information on how local authorities monitor children’s progress in health and wellbeing.
This information will provide a clearer picture of practice across all local authorities and inform future work related to the range of assessment evidence and tools required to ensure data is consistent, transparent and robust.

10. Standardised assessment and dashboard
Support for moderation and professional judgement to be increased by January 2016
Standardised assessment in reading, writing and numeracy, aspects of which will be piloted in 2016, to be used in all schools from 2017
Teachers will continue to make judgements on the achievement of CfE levels, supported by a range of assessment evidence
Aim to streamline, clarify and reduce the burden of assessment
Need for adaptive and equitable assessment for additional support needs
Dashboard will bring together all the data needed for improvement, learning lessons from the development of Insight for the senior phase
Improvements to the range and quality of information for children and parents by 2017.

11. National Improvement Framework
Parental information
To realise year on year improvement in levels of parental satisfaction measured through annual inspection questionnaires
As part of this, to realise year on year improvement in positive responses to the following statements:
My child’s learning is progressing well
My child is encouraged to work to the best of their ability
The school keeps me well informed about my child’s progress.
What intelligence, data and evidence will we use to report on our progress towards achieving our priorities?

12. National Improvement Framework
Performance information
Annual report to set out overall performance against the key priorities
Proactive use of data and information to identify areas of good practice and areas of concern
Good practice disseminated and spread and plans developed to address concerns
Progress reviewed and support to schools and local authorities implemented in relation to all drivers of improvement.
What intelligence, data and evidence will we use to report on our progress towards achieving our priorities?

13. Development of the Framework Stage 1 : 2015 - 2017
Focus on school years
Setting out and ensuring that we can understand progress on our priorities.
Focus on learner assessment in BGE to support that understanding. (National Qualifications and leaver destinations provide a measure of senior phase activity.)
Commissioning a new Scottish standardised assessment in reading, writing and numeracy to provide consistency, transparency and rigour, supporting teacher judgement.
Developing activity across and measurement of all drivers in the draft Framework to ensure success.
Almost all local authorities use standardised assessment – but they use different approaches to this which make reporting at a national level difficult.
To ensure a greater degree of consistency in the information and data in the Framework the Scottish Government is considering the procurement of a new Scottish standardised assessment tool tailored to the Scottish curriculum.
This new, streamlined assessment on reading, writing and numeracy will also reduce the overall burden of assessment for teachers and children.
The new standardised assessment will provide a diagnostic pupil level assessment.
The purpose of diagnostic assessment is to drive forward improvement by identifying children’s strengths and areas for development.
The collation of this information on an individual, child-level basis, will provide a wealth of information which will ensure that:
Children can celebrate success and understand their areas for improvement
Parents have the information they need to provide more focussed support where it is needed;
Parents and communities will be better informed so they can better understand education performance in their local area
Class teachers can provide the help and support needed for individual children to achieve their aspirations; and
Schools, local authorities and national agencies can access information that will inform improvement activity and any interventions required
Important message this is not a ‘return to national assessment’ as the media might suggest, we have never had national assessment we had a national assessment item bank to support professional judgements, how local authorities and schools used the assessment bank drove a high-stake testing environment.
Important message that the national assessment will contribute to the range of assessment evidence used by teachers to inform professional judgement of achievement of a level.

14. Development of the Framework Stage 2 :2017 onwards
The Framework will be expanded across all drivers to include:
more information covering the full 3-18 age range
Activity and measures from the early years
Consideration of activity and measures of success adopted by the DYW programme
inclusion of other curricular areas and priorities

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