APPENDIX 13
Memorandum submitted by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
1. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
(QCA) was established by the Education Act in 1997 from the merger
of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the National
Council for Vocational Qualifications. Its remit includes:
— monitoring, developing and supporting
the curriculum, including the national curriculum;
— developing assessments and securing
the development of qualifications founded on national quality
standards;
— regulating external qualifications
and national tests.
2. This memorandum draws on evidence from
the work of the science team and others at QCA and the partners
with whom the Authority carries out its remit. It identifies key
issues and seeks to relate these to the Inquiry's terms of reference.
KEY ISSUES
3. The key issues from QCA's perspective
focus on:
— who should study science, and for
what purpose;
— what science students should study
from ages 14 to 19;
— how contemporary science issues,
practices and applications can be included in the courses students
study;
— how students can best be engaged
in the science they study;
— how assessment and qualifications
systems can be designed to support the aims of science teaching,
whilst guaranteeing credibility and confidence in the outcomes.
WHO SHOULD
STUDY SCIENCE,
AND FOR
WHAT PURPOSE
4. The national curriculum at key stage
4 (for 14-16 year olds) requires all students to study science.
There is no parallel requirement post 16.
5. The aims of the school curriculum as
set out in the national curriculum handbook for teachers[29]
are twofold: to meet the learning and achievement needs of pupils
and to address their personal development. The handbook describes
the importance of science[30]
in ways which underpin both of these aims. The programmes of study
for science include the knowledge, understanding and skills considered
appropriate for all 14 to 16 year olds. The emphasis on a common
entitlement means that choice is limited to three variants, all
providing a balance of content across the sciences. The Government
expectation is that the great majority of pupils will take double
science or three separate sciences[31]
at key stage 4. This expectation is largely realised in practice.
The very large majority of pupils take GCSE qualifications, while
a few take qualifications at Entry level.
6. There is provision in regulations for
students to be "disapplied" from the requirement to
follow the science programme at key stage 4 and instead to follow
a work-related learning course. Only a very small number take
this option. The opportunity to strengthen work-related learning
will be offered to more students with the introduction of the
new GCSE in Applied Science from September 2002. This programme
has its origins in GNVQ Science at foundation and intermediate
level. It sets learning in clear technical and work-related contexts.
7. The White Paper Schools Achieving
Success[32]
proposes a more flexible key stage 4 curriculum and greater coherence
post 16. The forthcoming consultation paper on 14 to 19 education
arising from this White Paper will offer a curriculum framework
and suggest outcomes. The introduction of the GCSE in Applied
Science will contribute to flexibility and coherence. In addition,
QCA is developing a pilot framework for GCSE in the sciences for
2003 which would include:
— a single GCSE with an emphasis on
"science for everyday life," which all students would
take;
— additional modules which focus on
either key ideas across the sciences or the application of science
in a range of contexts. It is expected that most students would
take a range of these modules, leading to one or two additional
science GCSEs and allowing progression to GCE AS/A level, Vocational
A level or work-based programmes.
8. In contrast to the common entitlement
at key stage 4, the diversity of courses available post-16 reflects
a wide spectrum of educational and employment needs. Thus, GCE
AS/A level particularly supports entry to higher education in
sciences and related areas (such as medicine) while vocational
qualifications focus more on skills for employment and further
technical learning. Increasingly, the Government is looking to
increase flexibility, notably by strengthening the progression
route from vocational qualifications to higher education. Further,
new general courses like the AS in Science for Public Understanding
enable more post-16 students to maintain an interest in science,
even if their main lines of study lie elsewhere.
WHAT
SCIENCE STUDENTS
SHOULD STUDY
FROM 14 TO
19
9. The scope and content of available courses
reflects the balance of purposes outlined above. Thus, the balance
pre-16 favours what is appropriate to the personal development
and future learning opportunities for all, whereas post 16 there
is a greater diversity of more precisely-focused courses. The
most recent revision of the National Curriculum was designed address
a perceived overcrowding of content and provide a broader interpretation
of the nature of scientific enquiry and scientific knowledge.
10. GCSE science content is required to
reflect and build on the national curriculum programme of study
at key stage 4. The requirements include the skills involved in
scientific enquiry, knowledge and understanding of topics relating
to common concerns (such as health) and key concepts such as energy
and the structure of matter. Those who expect to continue their
science studies follow either a double award or a three-science
programme, both of which include a more extended range of topics,
including plant biology and concepts such as chemical bonding
and electric charge. Nationally-required features are specified
in QCA's accreditation criteria, and individual GCSE specifications
can be viewed on the websites of the awarding bodies.
11. The new GCSE in Applied Science incorporates
a work-related emphasis through its three components of:
— laboratory procedures and scientific
skills;
— scientific understanding of living
organisms, materials, mechanisms and electrical devices;
— the use of scientific understanding
and skills to solve work-related problems.
Details are available on the QCA website.
12. The framework for QCA's pilot GCSE in
the sciences will permit alternative balances to be struck between
"science for all" and progression routes to scientific
and technical specialisations. The core course will place emphasis
on topics at the heart of individual well-being—such as
health and food—and on the evaluation of data and media
coverage of contemporary science issues. Students will be able
to choose additional modules incorporating more specialist content
appropriate to their interests and expectations. The approach
is designed to give a greater degree of flexibility and help prevent
the over-crowding which can result from presenting all science
topics to all students.
13. Post-16 science courses properly reflect
a diversity of purposes, with content designed to provide various
lines of progression from GCSE. GCE AS/A level courses include
the principles and concepts which characterise the subject, together
with supporting competences, notably in mathematics.
14. Mathematical competence underpins understanding
in many areas of science. The mathematical requirements of courses
pre and post 16 are clearly specified in QCA criteria and in individual
qualification specifications. At key stage 4, requirements are
in line with the expectations of national curriculum mathematics.
15. The specifications of science qualifications
also stipulate ICT requirements. Opportunities for ICT use are
highlighted in the national curriculum for science, and identified
in all qualification specifications. QCA is currently working
with the British Educational and Communications Technology Agency
(BECTa) to provide further guidance and examples of good practice
in the use of ICT in science.
16. Finally, science programmes at key stage
4 are designed to complement national curriculum design and technology
through, in particular, the problem-solving approaches included
in scientific enquiry and the technological applications of scientific
principles. The new GCSE in Applied Science, and the pilot GCSE
in the sciences will further enhance the links to design and technology,
through contexts such as food production, transportation and forensic
science.
HOW CONTEMPORARY
SCIENCE ISSUES,
PRACTICES AND
APPLICATIONS CAN
BE INCLUDED
IN THE
COURSES STUDENTS
STUDY
17. There is tension between the wish to
reflect the ever-changing face of science and the need to avoid
undue turbulence and uncertainty in learning programmes and progression
routes. Courses and assessment methods need regular, measured
review to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between
the fundamental and the contemporary. Some relevant initiatives
are outlined below:
— in the recent revision of GCSE science
specifications, care was taken to reflect up-to-date applications
of science (such as mobile `phones), current issues (the biotechnology
of cloning for example) and developing ideas about the nature
of science;
— in the GCSE in Applied Science, work-related
contexts have been drawn from current practice and linked to relevant
national occupational standards in consultation with the relevant
national training organisations;
— in the pilot GCSE in the sciences,
the criteria for evaluating data and public discussion of science
issues were tested against current media reports, to ensure the
course would provide suitable opportunities for pupils to engage
in science-based discussion;
— during the revision of AS/A level
specifications, several "project" courses were developed
and piloted by leading educational and scientific institutions,
including the Nuffield Foundation, the Salters Foundation and
the Institute of Physics. Such projects continue to inspire innovation
including, for example, ICT-based developments, context-led approaches
to scientific concepts and enhanced practical investigations.
A new Nuffield A level Biology programme is due to be piloted
in September 2002;
— science Year, in collaboration with
QCA, has commissioned a review and organised a seminar to discuss
ways of ensuring contemporary science is included in all post-16
science courses. Approaches range from devising additional qualifications
or units to providing professional updating for teachers.
HOW STUDENTS
CAN BEST
BE ENGAGED
IN THE
SCIENCE THEY
STUDY
18. Earlier sections of this memorandum
have noted how a refocusing on the purposes of science education
pre and post 16 can promote courses and qualifications which represent
modern science validly and are relevant to students' needs.
19. Suitable content is a necessary but
not sufficient condition for ensuring students' engagement. A
key additional factor is the quality of science teaching. This
is affected in turn by initial training, continuing professional
development, and the supply of curriculum advice and teaching
resources. QCA aims to use its specialist knowledge and the insights
gained through monitoring to support developments in these key
areas.
The following examples illustrate the range
of this aspect of QCA's current work:
— monitoring indicates that most teachers
and advisers consider the approach to scientific enquiry in the
revised national curriculum science programme well designed to
stimulate pupils' interest;
— monitoring also shows that almost
all schools have used the QCA/SEU schemes of work for key stages
1, 2 and 3 in some way and have found them particularly useful
in planning teaching programmes;
— QCA is advising the DfES on curriculum
planning and assessment in connection with the development of
training materials for the key stage 3 science strategy. The strategy
aims to raise pupils' achievement and thereby extend their post-14
options. The training programme is also likely to impact on teaching
at key stage 4 and, possibly, post 16;
— QCA provides teachers directly with
guidance on curriculum planning and examples of pupils' work to
illustrate good practice. The guidance includes planning for pupils
with different needs—for example, the gifted and talented
and pupils with learning difficulties. Good practice exemplars
focus on identifying levels of pupil performance, recognising
progression, responding innovatively to curriculum change, and
addressing the science-related issues raised by living in a plural
society. Resources are published on QCA's website and sent to
educational institutions as published booklets;
— QCA's innovative pilot GCSE in the
sciences is expected to prompt the development of teaching and
learning resources by independent agencies, as has been the case
with the curriculum projects mentioned earlier. Good teaching
and learning materials and appropriate assessment strategies help
to support effective change and the influence of projects often
spreads beyond those directly involved in the courses.
HOW
ASSESSMENT AND
QUALIFICATIONS SYSTEMS
CAN BE
DESIGNED TO
SUPPORT THE
AIMS OF
SCIENCE TEACHING,
WHILST GUARANTEEING
CREDIBILITY AND
CONFIDENCE IN
THE OUTCOMES
20. Assessment arrangements must be fit
for purpose. Outcomes need to be valid, reliable and manageable
if they are to support learning programmes. Each contains similar
pattern of objectives: knowledge and understanding, application,
and practical/investigative skills, but different weightings reflect
the different purposes of each qualification.
21. Confidence in assessment and qualifications
systems relies heavily on the maintenance of standards. This is
a major aspect of QCA's work. The Authority's science team contributes
to the monitoring of national curriculum assessment arrangements
and all accredited science qualifications to help safeguard validity,
reliability, comparability of standards and fairness across the
field.
22. QCA's regular scrutiny and monitoring
programmes and the extensive review of the "Curriculum 2000"
reforms have highlighted a number of issues. These include:
— the possible distortion of learning
programmes by an over-concentration on the external assessment;
— the implications for validity, manageability
and reliability of internal assessment;
— the amount of time required for assessment;
and
— examination timetabling problems,
notably for practical assessments in science.
23. Other issues arise wherever alternative
paths are provided. So, for example, all content and assessment
options raise comparability issues. Further, while the "staged"
assessment of units of content can motivate students and provide
useful feedback, it can equally raise concerns of assessment overload
and fragmentation. The latter problem, has been addressed in A
level by the requirement of a synoptic element of assessment towards
the end of the course. This component will be implemented for
the first time in summer 2002.
24. Vocationally-related qualifications,
including the new GCSE in Applied Science, typically have around
two-thirds of the assessment carried out internally with external
moderation. This enables teachers to set assessment tasks appropriate
to the student's situation—for example, in relation to a
particular piece of work-experience. Implementing the new GCSE
will provide challenges to many teachers, who will need professional
support and training if the assessment is to prove manageable
and fit for purpose.
February 2002
29 The National Curriculum Handbook for secondary
teachers DfES/QCA, 1999, p.11. Back
30
Ibid, p.102. Back
31
Ibid, p.17. Back
32
Schools Achieving Success, DfES, 2001. Back
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