Transcript Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms

Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Qualification, Exam and National
Curriculum Reforms
Richard Thomas
ASHE Executive Director
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
1. National Curriculum Reforms – Key Points.
•2013/2014 programmes of study suspended.
•Reporting requirement of Key stage 3 removed
•New programmes of study from Sept 2014
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At key stage 2 the subject title is ‘foreign language’; at key stage 3 it is ‘modern foreign language’.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
The structure of the national curriculum, in terms of which subjects are
compulsory at each key stage, is set out in the table below:
Age
Year groups
Core subjects
English
Mathematics
Science
Foundation subjects
Art and design
Citizenship
Computing
Design and technology
Languages
Geography
History
Music
Physical education
Key stage 1
5–7
1–2
Key stage 2
7 – 11
3–6
Key stage 3
11 – 14
7–9
Key stage 4
14 – 16
10 – 11
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Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Key stage 4 entitlement areas
The arts (comprising art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts),
design and technology, the humanities (comprising geography and history)
and modern foreign language are not compulsory national curriculum subjects
after the age of 14, but all pupils in maintained schools have a statutory
entitlement to be able to study a subject in each of those four areas.
•The statutory requirements in relation to the entitlement areas are:
•schools must provide access to a minimum of one course in each of the four
entitlement areas
•schools must provide the opportunity for pupils to take a course in all four
areas, should they wish to do so
•a course that meets the entitlement requirements must give pupils the
opportunity to obtain an approved qualification.
None of this applies to academies – except section 78 of EA 2002
1)The curriculum for a maintained school or maintained nursery school satisfies the requirements of this
section if it is a balanced and broadly based curriculum which—(a)promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural,
mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and (b)prepares pupils at the
school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
2. Accountability Measures
•In place 2015/16 and will be used for 2016 results.
•These measures will apply to your current Yr9 students.
•Five accountability measure to be published on your
websites and further accountability measures available in
the leagues tables.
•New public data portal by 2015 to allow anyone to
analysis a school’s performance
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
School Websites (using a standard format)will have to show :
•Progress across a suite of 8 subjects
•Attainment across 8 subjects
•The percentage of pupils achieving a C grade or better in English and maths
•The Ebacc
•A destination measure as a fifth headline indicator
See update January 2014
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/fi
le/269438/update_progress_8_measure_secondary_school_accountability_fra
mework_reforms.pdf
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Subjects in the Progress and Attainment 8 measure
Progress and Attainment 8 will be based on results in a suite of eight subjects.
Within these eight subjects will be:
•a double weighted English element -See update January 2014
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269
438/update_progress_8_measure_secondary_school_accountability_framework_refo
rms.pdf
•a double weighted maths element;
•three slots reserved for other EBacc subjects (sciences, computer science, geography,
history and languages);
•three slots that can be taken up by further qualifications from the range of EBacc
subjects or any other high value arts, academic, or vocational qualification. The
department will produce a list of approved, high value vocational qualifications every
year.
This measure, which we are calling Progress 8, is described in
full at Annex B. You MUST read annex B!
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Attainment across 8 subjects. This will show the school’s average grade across
the same suite of 8 subjects as the progress measure. This will show
achievement across a broad curriculum in a clear way. This will show, for
example, that pupils in a particular school typically average a high B grade or a
low D grade in their GCSEs. We are calling this measure ‘Attainment 8’.
The percentage of pupils achieving a C grade or better in English and maths.
This shows whether pupils achieve a good level in the most important
subjects. See update January 2014
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/f
ile/269438/update_progress_8_measure_secondary_school_accountability_fr
amework_reforms.pdf
The EBacc. This will continue to show the percentage of pupils who achieve
good grades in a range of academic subjects.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Performance tables
The performance tables will eventually show all five indicators mentioned above. In
addition they will continue to show pupils’ progress in English and maths as a further
headline measure. This will be a value-added measure, showing whether pupils have
performed better or worse than expected in these subjects at the end of Key stage 4,
taking into account their prior attainment.
Performance measures currently reflect pupils’ achievements in GCSEs, Level 1/Level
2 certificates (often referred to as iGCSEs) and other qualifications that meet specific
criteria for inclusion in tables. As GCSEs are reformed, measures will be based on
pupils’ achievements in reformed qualifications. We are considering the implications
of our reforms for the recognition of Level 1/Level 2 certificates and will set out our
decision in due course.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Performance tables
In addition they will continue to show:
•English and maths Progress This will be a value-added measure
•Similar schools measure
•The performance of different pupil groups on the headline indicators. They show
how well pupils with low, middle and high prior attainment perform on each
measure and the performance of disadvantaged pupils
•Schools will now be held to account for (a) the attainment of their disadvantaged
pupils, (b) the progress made by their disadvantaged pupils, and (c) the in-school
gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Using a three year
rolling averages
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Floor Standards
We will continue to set minimum requirements for schools. If a school’s
performance falls below this minimum standard, then the school will come
under scrutiny through inspection. In some cases intervention may be
required, and could result in the school becoming a sponsored academy.
The minimum requirement will be set on the Progress 8 measure. This
measure will be used because it takes into account each school’s intake, and
so is the fairest way to identify an underperforming school. It rightly focuses
attention on schools which are contributing least to the development of
their pupils.
Our intention is that schools will fall below the floor standard if pupils make
an average of half a grade less progress than expected across their 8
subjects. So, for example, a school is underperforming if its pupils were
expected to gain 8 Cs (because that’s what their peers, with similar prior
attainment, secure elsewhere in the country) but they actually achieve less
than 4Cs and 4Ds.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Figure 1: Performance of different pupil groups on Progress 8 measure
Figure 1: Analysis showing the likely performance of different pupil groups by eligibility for FSM,
SEN, EAL and gender on the Progress 8 measure
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Point score system.
•As the basis for the current value added progress measures, a G grade at GCSE is
awarded 16 points and an A* grade 58 points. We are exploring whether a simpler,
linear points score system, such as 1 point for a G grade up to 8 for an A*, would be
clearer, and give more credit to schools when pupils achieve high results. We are also
exploring how the point score system can be suitably flexible to accommodate reformed
GCSEs from 2017.
•Following further discussion with experts, we expect to finalise the method for
calculating Progress 8 in the Spring term of 2014.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
3. New GCSEs
•Following a consultation in 2012 on changes to key stage 4 qualifications
the Secretary of State wrote on 6 February 2013 to Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, Glenys
Stacey, setting out his intention to reform GCSEs so that they set expectations of
rigour and challenge that match those in the highest performing jurisdictions.
Reformed GCSEs will be respected qualifications in which pupils, employers and
further and higher education institutions can have full confidence. They will
provide students with more fulfilling and demanding courses of study. GCSEs will
continue to be universal qualifications, entered by the same proportion of students
as they are currently.
•Following discussions with Ofqual and GCSE awarding organisations, the Secretary
of State agreed to prioritise new GCSEs in English and mathematics, which will be
introduced for first teaching from 2015. This reflects the fact that these subjects
provide the foundation for students’ progression to further study and employment.
Other GCSEs, including in the subjects on which we consulted, will be introduced
for first teaching from 2016. This will allow schools to focus on preparing for
teaching of new English and mathematics GCSEs and provide them with more
preparation time for GCSEs in other subjects.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Key features of the new GCSEs in England will include:
•A new grading scale that uses the numbers 1 – 8 to identify levels of performance, with 8
being the top level (this will change after the introduction of the new GCSEs). Students will get
a U where performance is below the minimum required to pass the GCSE
•Tiering to be used only for subjects where untiered papers will not allow students at the
lower end of the ability range to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, or will not stretch
the most able. Where it is used, the tiering model used will be decided on a subject-by-subject
basis
•A fully linear structure, with all assessment at the end of the course and content not divided
into modules. This is to avoid the disruption to teaching and learning through repeated
assessment, to allow students to demonstrate the full breadth of their abilities in the subject,
and to allow standards to be set fairly and consistently
•Exams as the default method of assessment, except where they cannot provide valid
assessment of the skills required. We will announce decisions on non-exam assessment on a
subject-by-subject basis
•Exams only in the summer, apart from English language and maths, where there will also be
exams in November for students who were at least 16 on the preceding 31st August. Ofqual is
considering whether November exams should be available in other subjects for students of
this age.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
GCSE subjects to be introduced for first teaching in September 2015:
•English language: Untiered and fully assessed by an external exam with,
as now, a speaking assessment that will be reported separately.
•English literature: Untiered and assessed by external exam only;
•Maths: Tiered with an improved overlapping tiers model. A foundation
tier will cover grades 1-5 and the higher tier will cover grades 4-9.
Assessed by external exam only, as now.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Contents
Introduction 3
Overview of reforms 5
Summary of responses received and the government’s response 6
English language and English literature 6
Mathematics 8
Literacy and numeracy 10
Sciences 11
Geography 12
History 13
Modern and ancient languages 14
Equalities 15
Conclusion 17
Annex A: List of organisations that responded to the consultation 18
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Have your Heads of
Department had the
chance to discuss this
document?
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
7 Subject-specific features of the reformed GCSEs
7 Subject-specific features of the reformed GCSEs
In this section:
Subject-specific features of the reformed GCSEs
English language
English literature
Mathematics
The sciences (chemistry, biology, physics and double award science)
Geography
History
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Timeline of reforms(Ofqual)
On the timetable for the reform programmes. GCSEs in English and maths will be
developed for first teaching in 2015, and other subjects will be introduced the
following year. Most high volume A levels will be introduced to the same timetable,
although maths, further maths and languages will be introduced from 2016.
Current year 11 students will sit their GCSEs in June 2014, year 10 in June 2015,
year 9 in June 2016, year 8 in June 2017 and year 7 in June 2018.
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/toolsandinitiatives/cuttingburdens/b002161
33/need-to-know-schools/mandatory
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Proposals for A level coursework and new AS levels
Ofqual (Friday, October 25th) sets out for consultation further details of its proposals to
improve A level qualifications in England.
The proposals include subject-by-subject arrangements that put in place a better balance
between exam and non exam assessment, or coursework, for the 14 subjects being revised
ready for first teaching in 2015.
They also set out details of the new AS qualification, which the Government has decided
will be a stand-alone qualification, separate from the A level. However, exam boards will be
able to design the AS so that it can be taught alongside the first year of an A level course.
The proposals will be subject of a 12 week consultation, finishing on January 17th, 2014
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
The subject-by-subject proposals include:
•Re-introduction of non exam assessment of fieldwork in geography
•Retention of 100 per cent non exam assessment for art and design
•English literature, English language, history, geography and computer science to
be 80 per cent exam and 20 per cent non exam.
•For biology, chemistry and physics:
•Practical skills to be assessed and the results reported separately. The results will
not count towards grades. Understanding of experimental methods will be
assessed in exams.
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
The Role of the Examination Officer needs to
change to include:
 Checking that the option choices fit the approved
lists of subjects (2016)
 Checking the discounting and subject families are
correct
 Check that the subject department is using the
correct syllabus for the cohort
This is for the current Yr 9
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Section 96 is the section of the Learning and Skills Act 2000
that provides the Secretary of State with the power to
approve qualifications for delivery to young people aged
under 19 years. It enables courses that lead to qualifications
to be taught in funded institutions, and for public funds to
be used for these courses and qualifications. Each
qualification is approved in accordance with its suitability for
students in the following age categories: pre-16, 16-18 and
18+.
http://www.education.gov.uk/section96/index.shtml
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
•What is the best way forward for
your students?
•What is best way forward for
your school?
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
http://russellgroup.org/InformedChoi
ces-latest.pdf
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Implications and Agendas for Deputies
•Curriculum Planning
•Staff Development
•Recruitment and Training
•IAG
•Parents/Students Information
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Curriculum Planning
•Maintained schools Only - NC 2014 Sept Computer studies? Schemes of work?
Programmes of study? All subjects except En MA . Are you ready?
•All Schools - 2015 – English and Maths GCSE – more difficult- linear – students
having to sit En Lang and Lit. Syllabi out Autumn 2014
•How much time are you allocating to En Maths ? 40% of the performance
measures? How are you allocating that time? Over 3 years over two years? New
curriculum designs?
•Options systems GCSE and A Level
•New SEN systems from Sept 2014
•2014 new Applied and Tech A levels. 2015 Revised A levels – 2 year end exam,
with some exceptions. AS now a stand alone qualification. Affects your Yr10
cohort
•Sept 2016 other GCSEs and remaining A levels begin. 2015 development year for
these subjects
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Curriculum Planning
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Curriculum Planning
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Staff Development , Recruitment and Training
Info to staff re changes
Planning your CPD programme and INSET days .
Recruitment
Retraining
IAG
How are you currently delivering IAG?
Is it now up to date?
Parents/Students Information
Is that now up to date?
Is your curriculum plan in your website upto date?
Qualification, Exam and National Curriculum Reforms
Need to know - information for schools: January 2014
Mandatory timeline
Updated:15 January 2014
This timeline sets out important mandatory information to help headteachers,
principals and governors plan ahead, prepare for and implement mandatory
legal requirements during this academic year and beyond. We have tried to be
as precise as possible but some of the timings are indicative and may change.
Important useful information can be found on the timeline of useful information
for schools.