2 items on the agenda were of our interest:
(1) How QCA deals with assessments on 21st century skills (which is very close to our hearts).
(2) Evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum.
Big Picture of Curriculum is broadly guided by 3 key questions:
- What are we trying to achieve?
- How do we organise learning?
- How well are we achieving our aims?
Discipline Curriculum Innovation aims to make an impact on learners. It is based on planning systematically for outcomes through an understanding of cause and effect
- Underpins effective curriculum design, implementation and evaluation
- Focuses on a full range of evaluation - learner's achievements across the whole curriculum
The broad strategies around the 3 key questions:
- Under what QCA tries to achieve: (i) Identify priorities (ii) Record the starting point (iii) Set clear goals
- On organising learning: (iv) Design & implement curriculum changes (v) Review progress
- To check on achieving the aims: (vi) Evaluate the impact (vii) Maintain, change or move on
It uses evidence of impact to spread best & next practice on the ground. The extent of impact is an evaluation of
- the proportion of learners affected
- the degree of difference seen in them
Some thoughts: It seems like, instead of identify "hard fact indicators", it is going towards gathering stories - qualitative evidences. On the other hand, in SEM, we go for numbers and use stories to support as examples. Just a couple of stories would often be regarded as anecdotal. Well, we are also wary of "subjectivity" and how well one puts the story across.
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Interestingly, we learnt that while learner is the Heart of the System (based on the framework), currently, assessment is used to assess the school's performance.
Some thoughts: Then, isn't it... how well to the school performs is in the mercy of the students' willingness to learn and cooperate? It ought to be high-stake not just for the school, but also the individuals as it's ultimately the experience that students bring & live with them.
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Assessing 21st Century Skills
Broadly, the 21st Century skills are categorised into 2 groups:
- Functional skills (English, Numeracy, ICT)
- Personal learning (Communication, Application, ICT, Working with others, Improving own learning and performance, Problem solving) & Thinking Skills (Creative thinking, Enquiry, Evaluation, Information processing, Reasoning)
The 1st group could be assessed through exams.
As of the 2nd group, we were informed that the system is still under development and the set of skills is unlikely to be tested formerly. Instead, possibly, description of key characteristics as seen in context of stage of developmnet and link to complexity of task or content. It would be seen in context and not as a continuum.
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Useful articles/websites (in QCA website):
- Curriculum Big Picture: http://www.qca.org.uk/libraryAssets/media/Big_Picture_2008.pdf
- National Strategies (Secondary): http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/secondary
- 10 Principles - Assessment for Learning: http://www.aaia.org.uk/pdf/AFL_10principlesARG.pdf
- ICT Resources for Literacy: http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primaryframework/library/Literacy/ict
- ICT Resources for Mathematics: http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primaryframework/library/Mathematics/ICTResources
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