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New assessment set to reflect CfE
There has been a lot of focus on defining and refining how CfE will impact on day-to-day classroom experiences of students and practitioners.
Ultimately, the 3-18 classroom journey culminates in the qualifications learners achieve which recognise the skills, attributes, knowledge and abilities they have acquired.
SQA has been working for a number of years with teachers, local authorities and its partners to develop new National Qualifications which will have equal status and credibility to those currently being used in schools across Scotland.
The Scottish Government, HMIe, LTS, GTC Scotland and representatives from unions and professional bodies are all involved in this crucial work.
Dr Gill Stewart, Director of Qualifications Development at SQA, believes CfE represents a once in a generation opportunity to take a fresh look at qualifications and assessments to ensure they provide future school graduates with the best possible chance of success.
She said the work SQA is doing to design new qualifications will "open up opportunities for children in the modern world".
Gill commented: "CfE will equip young people with the right balance of skills and knowledge, as well as appropriate skills for life, learning and work. Our work needs to ensure assessments support this learning."
The new National Qualifications will not come into play until 2013/2014 but SQA has made significant progress with their development.
Dedicated teams within SQA, comprising seconded teachers, representatives from further education and industry have been set up to devise, design and implement the new qualifications.
At the same time, SQA is working to update existing qualifications (e.g. making changes to courses in English and the Sciences).
SQA is also creating opportunities for young people to develop skills for life, work and learning with new courses such as Skills for Work, Leadership Awards, Personal Development Courses and new qualifications such as Vocational Group Awards.
Gill said: "We are working with our partners - the Scottish Government, HMIe and LTS - and other stakeholders including ADES, SCIS, Scotland's Colleges, the teaching unions and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils to progress our objectives."
Key to their success, Gill believes, is continually engaging with the teaching profession.
"We are making a lot of effort to be transparent with our progress," Gill said. "This not only helps to allay fears of the unknown but encourages teachers to engage and contribute.
"At each key milestone we are publishing details of our progress and actively seeking feedback from the profession. This helps us sense-check our thinking and expose and explore any issues before moving on to the next stage."
Gill is confident the dedication and expertise of the teams, along with the enlightened approach they are taking to their work, will lead to new assessments and qualifications that maintain the high standards set by existing qualifications.
She said: "Maintaining standards is a core role of everything we do at SQA and is key to the credibility of the qualifications for our young people."
How to get involved
There are several ways to track progress and get involved in the development of the new qualifications.
Regularly check for updates on our website - www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence
We want your feedback on the development of the next generation of qualifications as materials are published and milestones are reached - www.sqa.org.uk/haveyoursay
We are looking for teachers to volunteer for our Subject Working Groups and support the development of the new National Qualifications. For more information on taking part, visit the CfE pages - www.sqa.org.uk/subjectworkinggroups
Sign up to SQA's 'MyAlerts service' to receive e-mail alerts of the latest CfE news from SQA direct to your inbox - www.sqa.org.uk/myalerts