Category: Curriculum for Excellence/new qualifications

Curriculum for Excellence – latest information

Lorraine Sanda, the National Parental Involvement Coordinator at Scottish Government, has circulated the following links to the latest information about the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE).

www.engageforeducation.org/cfefilms  – New short films on the CfE which illustrate in learners’ , parents’, and teachers’ own words the impact that CfE is having across the country.

The films contribute to the  Cabinet Secretary’s CfE Action Plan 2011/12  developed in co-operation with  the National Parent Forum of Scotland

Message from SQA regarding new qualifications

The following message is from Scottish Qualifcations Authority regarding the new qualifactions;-

Have you seen the new parent and carer section of our website?

It has a range of resources, including our new parent and carer leaflet, to help parents and carers to understand the changes to national qualifications.

Our Mythbuster videos answer some of the most common questions.

We have a jargon buster to help explain the terms we are using while developing the qualifications.  We also have a chartwhich tells you what qualifications young people will
study depending on the school year they are in now.

We are publishing draft documents on our website for feedback as we are developing the new qualifications.

We have now published draft Course Assessment Specifications for National 5.  These documents give more detail about how each National 5 Course will be assessed and
define the mandatory assessment requirements.

The documents are quite technical and are aimed at teachers and education specialists but we also welcome feedback from parents.

You can give us your comments via Have Your Say – www.sqa.org.uk/haveyoursay.

We have also recently published draft Unit Specifications for Higher.  You can find out more about these documents on our website.  Feedback on the latest
documents can be given until 31 January 2012.

Keep visiting www.sqa.org.uk/cfeforparentsfor all you need to know about the new qualifications.

 Sign up for MyAlertsto receive e-mail updates

Curriculum for Excellence Factfiles

On 3 Nov, a printer friendly version of all the factfiles went live at the following address. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Parentzone/cfe/

Also, a CfE Q+A was published on 2 Nov and can be found here   http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/resources/c/genericresource_tcm4676564.asp?strReferringChannel=understandingthecurriculum&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-627938-64

This is not exclusively for parents and has a lot of useful information and is a helpful document.

New National Qualifications – Information from Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

New National Qualifications – Support and information for Parents

Update from the Scottish Qualifications Authority

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has a number of resources for parents to help you understand the changes to Scotland’s qualifications.

The parent and carer section of the SQA website explains how and why Scottish qualifications are changing and what the changes mean for young people and their families.

Their new video introduction explains the changes and outlines the information available on their website.

Their Mythbuster videos answer common questions about the new qualifications to help parents understand what’s happening – these new clips are now available.  They also have videos explaining othe development process and the groups working with SQA to develop the new qualifications.

There is a leaflet especially for parents and carers which can also be downloaded from the SQA website or is available from schools.

SQA are also publishing draft documents on their website between now and April 2012 which show each stage of thethinking and plans.  SQA are looking for feedback at each stage of the development.

On 31 August 2011 SQA published Unit Specifications for National 4 and National 5, Course Rationales and Summaries for Access 2, Course Rationales and Summaries for Access 3, and Course Specifications for Higher.

The documents are quite technical and are aimed at teachers and education specialists but are also available for parents to comment on.

Comments on these documents can be made by 31 October 2011 using the SQA website’s Have Your Say facility.  A summary of feedback they have received so far is also on their website.

Keep visiting www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence for all you need to know about the new qualifications.  Sign up for MyAlerts to receive e-mail updates.

SQA Qualifications are Changing

Following the introduction of Curriculum For Excellence, the Scottish Qualifications are changing.

Click on the link SQA Qualifications  to view a leaflet which provides useful information regarding these changes and also links for further information.

Keep up to date with the latest developments at ;- www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence

Let SQA know what you think at;- www.sqa.org.uk/haveyoursay

Keep track of the latest milestones at;- www.sqa.org.uk/cfetimeline

Get in touch with the CfE Liaison Team at; www.sqa.org.uk/cfeteam

A Curriculum for Excellence

You will probably have heard much in the news, around school and in the school newsletter about A Curriculum for Excellence.

Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education in Scotland by providing a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum from 3 to 18.

The curriculum includes the totality of experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education, wherever they are being educated.

It is underpinned by the values inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament – wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity.

The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is found in four capacities – to enable each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor.

To find out more about A Curriculum for Excellence, click on http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp