Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment - SG response: equality impact assessment

Summary of Scottish Government Response to the IRQA

This EQIA should be read alongside the ISBN/9781836013228">Scottish Government response. A summary of the main proposals in the IRQA and the Scottish Government's response are provided below.

IRQA Proposal: Scottish Diploma of Achievement (SDA)

Details of proposal: A Senior Phase Leaving Certificate with three mandatory elements: Programmes of Learning, Personal Pathway and Project Learning. Learners have an entitlement to experiences in all three elements. The SDA is awarded at point of exit from Senior Phase.

Scottish Government response:

• The Scottish Government understands the potential benefits of a leaving certificate as a means of recognising a broader range of a young person's achievements, with the award being flexible to reflect all levels of ability.
• A leaving certificate has the potential to create a more inclusive approach to qualifications and could provide particular benefits for young people with additional support needs and disabilities.
• The Scottish Government understands that more work needs to be done to determine the content of the leaving certificate and establish how it will operate.
• We will endeavour to undertake further testing with Scotland's teaching profession directly – on the best and most appropriate route forward which may support a leaving certificate in the future.
• The Scottish Government believes the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), often cited as a highly valuable element of Scottish education, will have a key enabling role in respect of the creation of an inclusive leaving certificate that meets the needs of all pupils.

IRQA Proposal: Programmes of Learning

Details of proposal:

• Courses should be designed in modules to allow accumulation of credits over time.
• There should be a diversification of assessment methods. No external exams at National 5.
• The Senior Phase offer should be rationalised.
• Digital methods of assessment should be introduced.

Scottish Government response:

Qualifications Scotland will work in partnership with teachers, pupils and other key stakeholders, to:

• Take steps to remove external written examinations in practical subjects where appropriate, with changes starting to be implemented from 2025/26.
• Work towards extending the range of approved assessment methods which could be used for national qualifications to better support changes in the balance of assessment.
• Pilot digital onscreen assessment across various subjects, including Computing Science given this is a subject area ripe for consideration. This work will start in 2025.
• Set out a longer-term programme of work to rebalance assessment methods across all national courses, which will align with curriculum improvement cycle activity where possible.
• Rationalise the qualifications offer in the Senior Phase, starting with the Creative, Hospitality and Sport and Technology, Engineering and Construction Sectors (which represents 800 qualifications and awards), the first phase of which is due to complete in December 2024 with other sectors and national courses to follow.
• Starting in 2024, explore models of how graded national courses such as National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher could be organised into 'modules', to allow pupils maximum flexibility to build credit as they go. Learning from the previous experience with unit assessments (which were ultimately removed) and research into different approaches to 'modularisation' in other jurisdictions, will be taken into consideration.
• Implement changes to assessment which are proportionate and take teacher workload into consideration. This partnership approach will be emphasised through the participative governance structures planned for Qualifications Scotland, the detail of which is set out in the recently introduced Education (Scotland) Bill.

IRQA Proposal: Project Learning/Inter-Disciplinary Learning

Details of proposal: Learners should undertake an Inter-Disciplinary Learning (IDL) project which is SCQF levelled.

Scottish Government response:

• Further work is required if IDL is to become a mandatory part of the Senior Phase curriculum in all secondary schools. We note the recent publication by HMiE of the National Thematic Inspection on Curriculum Design which states that IDL remains an underutilised element of curriculum design and that staff require a better understanding of the principles and benefits of this approach to learning.
• Building on the existing IDL co-design group facilitated by Education Scotland, a refreshed working group, chaired by a senior secondary school teacher experienced in the delivery of IDL, will bring together relevant partners already active in this space. This group will lead a new phase of work with the objective of better determining the place of IDL in secondary schools while ensuring an equitable offer for all young people.
• There are a number of organisations and schools already working in this area including Dollar Academy and Grove Academy (Dundee City Council), SCQF, the Wood Foundation, Daydream Believers and Powering Futures and we will ensure they are all involved in shaping our collective next steps. It is imperative that any new model is tested in a range of schools before wider adoption. This exercise will also help expand our shared knowledge as to the ways IDL could be embedded into a school's curriculum including in respect of timetabling while also considering the place of accreditation in this curricular area.

IRQA Proposal: Personal Pathway

Details of proposal: Pupils personalise their qualification profile by selecting aspects of their experiences that reflect their interests, the contributions they make to society and their career aspirations in employment and to discuss these in a reflective way.

Scottish Government response:

• Education is not just about the qualifications a young person achieves. The enduring aim of Curriculum for Excellence is that all young people develop the 'four capacities' to become: successful learners; confident individuals; responsible citizens; and effective contributors.
• Young people in Scotland have the opportunity to undertake a wealth of activity that builds their skills and confidence, and this breadth of achievement should rightly be recognised and celebrated.
• We are committed to continuing to explore how best to recognise such achievement with a range of stakeholders, including young people. In doing so, and before considering whether or not wider achievement could ultimately be included as part of any leaving certificate, we will need to work through significant concerns raised by a wide range of stakeholders – principally, that doing so risks entrenching and exacerbating social inequity.