Scottish Languages Baccalaureate

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Scottish Languages Baccalaureate

• Focus Interdisciplinary Project

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Overview

• Rationale
• Timeline
• Baccalaureates general information
• The Interdisciplinary Project
• Time for questions
• Sources of linguistic support

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Rationale for Baccalaureates

• The Baccalaureates aim to encourage more of
  our young people to study science and language
  courses in the later stages of secondary school,
  raise the status of S6 and assist our young
  people in making the transition from school to
  higher and further education and employment.
• Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education
  Lifelong Learning, speaking at the launch of the
  Baccalaureates on 5 June 2008, University of
  Stirling

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Design Implementation

• Scottish Qualification Authority is responsible
  for the design, assessment arrangements and
  quality assurance of the Science and Language
  Baccalaureates
• Scottish CILT supports SQA with the promotion and
  implementation of the Languages Baccalaureate
• Awards will be available to centres from August
  2009, first certification will be in August 2010

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How does the Scottish Languages Baccalaureate
meet stakeholder needs?

• It provides able linguists in S5-6 with
  qualifications that are valued for entry to
  higher education
• It promotes languages as valued and important
  areas for study and employment
• It encourages collaboration between schools and
  further / higher education institutions
• The Interdisciplinary Project will allow students
  to relate and apply their language knowledge in
  realistic contexts they will develop the generic
  skills needed for learning, employment and life
  and specific skills needed to compete in the
  international job market
• It is a partial programme of study for S5-S6
  opportunity to study additional subjects to
  broaden the learner experience

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Long-term benefits

• The Scottish Language Baccalaureate presents
  opportunities to
• raise the stakes for languages in schools,
  colleges, universities and the workplace
• promote collaboration amongst all stakeholders
• address the challenges ahead for Scotland in an
  increasingly globalised, networked, and
  increasingly multilingual world
• enable our most able linguists to become
  successful learners, confident individuals,
  effective contributors and responsible citizens
  in a multilingual world

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Timeline of developments

• 27 November 2008 Final Baccalaureate
  Specifications announced .
• Jan/Feb 2009 Update letter to all centres plus
  support event.
• March 2009 Information Events for Higher
  Education and Early Adopters. Arrangements and
  Specifications to be published on SQA website.
• End April 2009 Separate launch events for each
  Baccalaureate (for centre subject-specific
  delegates only)
• May 2009 Assessment Support Packs for
  Interdisciplinary Project within each
  Baccalaureate to be published on SQA website.
• Support Network events for centres intending or
  considering to deliver the Baccalaureate/s to
  provide networking opportunities and a forum for
  discussion e.g. on interpretation of standards
  (Centres to be notified).

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Composition of the Award
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Grading of Baccalaureate

• Baccalaureate awards will be Pass or Distinction
• Distinction requires a minimum of two As and two
  Bs in the four components
• One A must be in one of the Advanced Highers

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Interdisciplinary Project

• Worth two SQA unit credits (16 SCQF points at
  Level 7)
• Graded A, B or C
• Learner negotiation of context and theme for
  project
• Will encourage students to
• apply their language knowledge in relevant but
  unfamiliar contexts
• develop the generic skills needed for learning,
  employment and life
• develop specific skills needed to compete in the
  international job market

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Project Context

• Must show relevance of languages to
• Citizenship
• Enterprise
• Economic development
• Sustainable development
• Employability

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Project Stages

• Stage 1 Planning
• Negotiate and plan a languages based
  Interdisciplinary Project.
• Stage 2 Implementation
• Carry out and evaluate the Interdisciplinary
  Project.
• Stage 3 Evaluation
• Review and evaluate the process of his/her own
  learning.

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Evidence Requirements

• Project proposal
• Project plan
• Presentation of Project findings / product
• Evaluation of Project
• Self-evaluation of generic / cognitive skills
  development

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Resource Requirements

• Ensure that qualified staff and resources are
  available for learners to complete the project
• Consider whether partnership arrangements
  (school, college, university, employer) are
  required order to provide learners with access to
  the resources

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Approaches to learning teaching

• Planning phase (proposal negotiation and
  planning) likely to require significant tutor
  input
• Implementation phase conducted without (or very
  little) tutor intervention
• Interim Review for authentication purposes near
  end of implementation phase

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Assessment Quality Assurance

• internally assessed and verified by
• centre staff,
• in collaboration with other partner organisations
  or
• a combination of both
• external quality assurance by SQA.
• Assessment Support Pack and Marking Guidelines

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Time for questions
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Interdisciplinary Project Ideas

• Online sources of linguistic support
• Web based forums
• Websites
• YouTube

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Web based forums
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The Body Shop - UK version
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in German
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and in French
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YouTube Nuclear Energy Debate

• YouTube link