Assessment
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) aims to ensure that all young people in Scotland achieve the high standards of achievement needed for life and work in the 21st Century. The standards and expectation for the assessment system reflect the experiences and outcomes for CfE and their equivalent within National Qualifications. This is important to ensure an integrated approach to planning the curriculum, assessment and qualifications which will improve learning and teaching.
The Assessment for CfE: Strategic Vision and Key Principles sets out the Scottish Government's strategic vision for assessment approaches. A Curriculum for Excellence building the curriculum 5: Framework for Assessment, published in January 2010, provides guidance for all teaching staff on the main areas of the assessment strategy for CfE. Its associated paper on quality assurance and moderation provides further information on developing a shared understanding of standards and expectations and applying this consistently. In conjunction with the National Assessment Resource these approaches will help support teachers and build expertise and capacity in the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children and young people.
On October 15, 2010, guidance on understanding, applying and sharing standards in assessment for curriculum for excellence : quality assurance and moderation was published. It has information on the support structures at national level to ensure that quality assurance and moderation is fair and consistent and that local and national practices are aligned. The guidance is intended to supplement and be read in conjunction with Building the Curriculum 5: a framework for assessment and its associated documents.
Assessment framework Key facts provides more information on assessment approaches. Frequently asked questions about the Assessment framework documents are available on the Curriculum for Excellence website.
Reporting
Guidance on reporting to parents, was first published on-line in June 2010, and then incorporated into the publication on recognising achievement, profiling and reporting to make clear the close links between these areas. The guidance provides advice for teaching staff on reporting to parents under CfE and information on reporting on progress within a level. Parents will continue to receive regular information about their child's strengths, progress and achievements to support and improve learning. Reports will also include information about progress in key areas of learning, such as literacy and numeracy, as well as performance across the curriculum.
Recognising Achievement and Profiling
Recognising achievement is an integral part of CfE. Achievement beyond formally assessed learning in the classroom can take a range of forms such as the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme, voluntary work and participation in sport, the arts or other activities in the community. During 2008/2009 the Scottish Government and its partners commissioned collaborative enquiry projects in schools in 12 local authorities to inform the development of policy in recognising achievement. View the research findings.
A profile is a snapshot of a learner's best achievements at a given point in time at key points of transition in learning at P7 and S3. They are developed by teaching staff in conjunction with the learner to identify strengths across the curriculum areas including literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing and other achievements in or out of school. P7 profiles are being introduced from 2011/12 and S3 profiles will be introduced in 2012/13.
Guidance on Recognising achievement, profiling and reporting, published in December 2010, provides further information for teaching staff to inform their learning and teaching practice.
Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy
The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) is a national sample based survey, involving all schools, monitoring pupils' performance in literacy and numeracy in alternate years, over time, at P4, P7 and S2. The SSLN has been developed to align with assessment approaches for CfE. The first numeracy survey took place in May 2011 and will be reported on February 2012. The first literacy survey will be in May 2012. The survey will also provide information which will inform improvements in learning and teaching practice within the classroom.
International comparisons
International comparisons consistently show that Scotland performs well.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) benchmarks Scotland against all other OECD countries as well as a large number of other nations, focusing on pupils at the end of compulsory education and their readiness for work and further education. Results from these surveys are published on the government's statistics website under the International Surveys, PISA heading.