This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Reforms are 'fundamental shift' in learning
25/09/2003
Major changes to what and how pupils learn were signalled today.
In a keynote speech at the Scottish Education and Teaching with Technology conference, Education Minster Peter Peacock outlined plans to reform the curriculum, the assessment and testing system, and reports to parents.
The changes are designed to drive up standards in schools by putting in place a balanced, flexible and manageable curriculum which is appropriately assessed.
They include:
For the first time, a seamless 3-18 curriculum to ensure pupils move smoothly from pre-school to primary to secondary
Replacing the annual 5-14 survey of attainment with a new Scottish Survey of Achievement (SSA) to provide a more complete and robust picture of national attainment
Replacing the current system of 5-14 national tests with assessment procedures which place a greater emphasis on supporting and improving learning
More meaningful information for parents on how their children are progressing
Mr Peacock said:
"Taken together these changes represent a fundamental shift in the way we support children to learn and develop.
"The changes will be better for pupils, better for parents and better for teachers. And they are being driven not only by the Executive but by everyone who contributed to the National Debate on Education, which produced a remarkable degree of consistency when it came to views on what and how children learn.
"People wanted more time spent on properly assessing pupils and less time spent on what they saw as crude measures of performance.
"The current system of testing and assessment is not effective. National tests for 5-14 year olds were designed to test pupils when they were ready and to confirm teachers' own judgements about their pupils' development.
"Instead, the publication of the annual survey of 5-14 attainment, with its focus on a few narrow parts of the curriculum, has driven some schools and teachers to test, test and retest. There is a perverse incentive to teach to the test, and test results become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"We are therefore proposing to replace the 5-14 annual attainment survey with a new Scottish Survey of Attainment (SSA). We are also proposing to replace the 5-14 national tests with more effective, pupil-focused assessment procedures.
"Let me be clear - we are not abandoning testing and assessment, we are not going soft on standards and we are not losing the only national measure of attainment. We are putting in place a more effective assessment system, higher standards and more effective and rigorous ways to measure attainment across Scotland
"Testing and assessment will be an enduring part of the education system but we need to put the emphasis back on formative assessment, which focuses on improving learning in the interests of the child not on national data collection.
"Formative assessment gives better feedback to pupils, makes them aware of the next steps in their learning and ultimately raises their attainment.
"The SSA will provide broader curriculum coverage, deeper insights into pupil attainment and a much more robust picture of national attainment. By using external assessment, it will reduce the bureaucratic burden on teachers and allow them to get on with the job of teaching.
"We are also proposing new annual progress plans that will give parents more meaningful information on how their children are progressing at school.
"Whereas current end of year reports simply look back over the past year and offer parents scant information, the annual progress plans will tell parents what steps need to be taken next in order for their children to progress further.
"The new assessment and reporting system will be used alongside a new look curriculum. We need to increase pupil choice and make the curriculum more relevant to every pupil, no matter where their strengths lie.
"Reforming the curriculum starts today with the establishment of a steering group which will agree the underlying principles that will inform a consultation.
"Literacy and numeracy will remain fundamental to the curriculum but we need more flexibility and choice and ensure adequate provision for both academic and vocational needs.
"When we move to wider consultation next year, I hope everyone with an interest in the future of education will contribute in the same spirit and with the same dynamism as people did during the National Debate."
Mr Peacock concluded:
"This is not about change for the sake of change. It is reform that the system needs, reform that the system wants. And it is about creating a child-focused system that responds to every pupil's needs, helps tackle under-achievement and ensures the highest standards for all."
Ronnie Smith, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said:
"The EIS welcomes the steps now being taken to deliver on the commitment to simplify and reduce assessment by ending the current system of 5-14 testing. We all want to refocus on teaching and learning and get away from the assessment-driven curriculum which has been distorting good classroom practice for too long."
Iain McMillan, Chief Executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)Scotland, said:
"I very much welcome the Minister's decision to reform the curriculum. CBI Scotland contributed the views of employers to the National Debate on Education and we now look forward to working with the Minister to develop these reforms. Education must, of course, be about developing the whole person to contribute to society as a good citizen."
The consultation will run until December 19, 2003. and focuses on three areas:
Replacing reports with annual progress plans
Replacing the current provision of national tests with a national assessment bank
Measuring improvement in overall attainment through a Scottish Survey of Achievement rather than relying on the annual 5-14 survey
The first stage of the curriculum review began today with the announcement of a steering group. This will produce a draft outline of the underlying principles and framework for a 21 st century curriculum. The draft principles and framework will go out to consultation in the new year.
The steering group membership is as follows:
Philip Rycroft (Chair), Scottish Executive
Mike Baughan (Vice Chair) Chief Executive, Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS)
Sheila Tait, Scottish Executive
Keir Bloomer, Chief Executive, Clackmannanshire Council
Jim Anderson, Director of Education, Angus Council
Anton Colella, Acting Chief Executive, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
George McBride, Principal Teacher
Dick Staite, Headteacher, Beeslack High School, Midlothian
Jean Campbell, Primary Head, Glasgow
Linda Kinney, Early Education Services, Stirling City Council
Graeme Hyslop, Langside College
Pamela Munn, Edinburgh University
Wilma Murray, School Board Chair, Dumfries and Galloway
Judith Gillespie, Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC)
Brian Boyd, Strathclyde University
Iain McMillan, Chief Executive, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Scotland
Bill Maxwell, Chief Inspector, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)