Functional Skills Update

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Functional Skills Update

• March 2007

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Can you answer these questions?

• A coat costs 80
• The coat is in a sale with 25 off
• What is the new cost of the coat?
• In the following sentence which word is spelt
  incorrectly?
• be careful, the kettel is hot.

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Background

• Pressure from employers to ensure that both
  young people and adults are able to fully
  function in English, maths and ICT basic skills
  has led to the functionality agenda being a key
  initiative in both the 14-19 Education and Skills
  White paper and the second Skills White Paper

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Qualification development and reform

• Functional Skills (FS) are part of an
  extensive educational reform programme which
  includes the following
• Specialised Diplomas
• Foundation Learning Tier (FLT)
• Existing 14 19 qualifications
• Key Stage 3 revision
• Modernisation of the exam process
• The aim is for a more rationalised curriculum
  which offers learners stimulating qualifications
  with appropriate, when ready, assessment.

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What are functional skills?

• The basic premise on which FS were written is
  that learners need to be able to function in
  literacy, numeracy and ICT in order to be
  successful in their personal and working lives.
• Those core elements of English, maths and ICT
  provide an individual with the essential
  knowledge, skills and understanding that will
  enable them to operate confidently, effectively
  and independently in life and at work.

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And so

• Functional skills will
• replace existing key and basic skills with a new
  qualification, suitable for both young people and
  adults
• link to GCSEs in maths, English and ICT so that
  noone can achieve an A-C without achieving the
  functional element
• represent an efficient way of assessing learners
  in the skills they need for work and life, which
  can be taken on demand
• form part of the specialised Diplomas and
  apprenticeships
• be stand alone qualifications
• link to vocational programmes

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Standards

• Draft standards for the qualifications are
  available
• Standards can be viewed on QCA website
• Available from Entry 1 to Level 2.
• Standards mapped to the National Curriculum
• All qualifications for functional skills will be
  based on these standards, which are expected to
  be revised as we pilot

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Unit titles

• English
• Speaking and listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Maths
• Making sense of situations and representing them
• Processing and analysing the mathematics
• Interpreting and communicating the results of
  analysis
• ICT
• Use ICT systems
• Find, select and communicate information
• Develop and present information

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Assessment

• Over-riding principles of assessment are that FS
  must
• Be available on-demand
• Be easy to administer
• Prove ability
• Cover the standards
• Cost effective
• and
• The assessment method does not need to follow the
  same model for all levels, all subjects

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Proposed models of assessment for the pilot phase

• Model 1. Functional skills as a stand alone
  qualification
• Model 2. Functional skills as a paper within the
  GCSE which does not contribute to the GCSE grade.
  This paper can also be used to certificate as a
  stand alone qualification
• Model 3. As model 2, but the marks from the FS
  contribute to the GCSE grade
• Model 4. Functional skills embedded within the
  GCSE

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Edexcels assessment model

• Edexcel is recommending the piloting of an
  e-assessment solution
• The results of the trials will be reported to QCA
  in March
• Qualifications will be developed during the
  summer
• First delivery of pilot phase functional skills
  in September
• First assessment of pilot phase functional skills
  from spring 2008
• Other ABs have trialled and are expected to pilot
  alternative assessment methods

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Feedback from the trials

• Issues with alternative methods of assessment
  from each AB
• Capacity building for e-assessment
• Extra burden of assessment (for schools in
  particular)
• Lack of clarity on the assessment methods and
  models
• Differing needs for each subject
• Pressure for achievement can conflict with
  ongoing development
• How the qualifications will be viewed by other
  influential stakeholders (universities, employers
  etc)

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Who can pilot?

• It is anticipated that all those in consortia
  that go through the Gateway will be invited to
  pilot functional skills
• We anticipate that 100 LAs will be successful in
  getting through the Gateway
• There will be other centres invited to take part
  in the pilots (from FE, adult learning etc)
• The pilot will focus on stand alone assessment
• and
• there are likely to be pilots for GCSE with FS

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How does this fit with other qualifications?

• GCSEs will be redesigned to fit with FS (English
  and ICT from 2009 and maths from 2010)
• Specialist Diplomas will incorporate teaching and
  learning of functional skills
• BTEC will continue to be offered alongside FS

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What is Edexcel doing?

• Developing a new computer based testing platform
  to enhance centre capability
• Supporting centres with ALAN qualifications
• Working with LAs and centres to look at models of
  delivery and assessment
• Preparing case studies and supporting materials
  to share best practice
• Disseminating information, as available (website,
  Insights magazine)

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How can centres prepare?

• Work in and extend partnership and collaboration
  with LA, consortium partners, employers where
  appropriate.
• Be pro-active. Audit readiness. Build capacity
• Start to engage key stakeholders i.e. SMT,
  colleagues, learners, parents, employers etc
• Plan, access and progression, harness strengths,
  seek out resources and support i.e. NSS, QIA, AB,
  DfES etc.
• Utilise network opportunities share good
  practice
• Deliver ALAN as part of the GCSE
• Consider embedding key skills delivery and
  assessment as part of vocational programmes

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Prepare staff

• Use training opportunities to support CPD for
  staff to think through the issues of how they
  will deliver functional skills
• Use of Results Plus Analysis and Results Plus
  Skills to raise current achievement and prepare
  for future success
• Use ALAN to prepare for on-demand assessment

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Time line

• Sept 2007 Three year pilots of functional
  English and ICT in GCSE and other contexts
  including stand alone. Sept 2008 Piloting of
  functional English, maths and ICT qualifications
  as part of first five Diploma lines
• Sept 2010 Functional maths, English, ICT and
  reformed GCSEs available
• Phasing out of existing key skills and Adult
  Literacy and Numeracy qualifications
• August 2012 First GCSE results for maths,
  English and ICT with GCSE

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How do I keep updated?

• Visit the Edexcel functional skills web pages
  edexcel.org.uk/functional-skills
• Register for Edexcel Policy Watch mailing list
  and email alert
• Look on the QCA functional skills website
  www.qca.org.uk/15891.html
• Look on the QIA website
• Contact your RDM
• a.org.uk

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What is ResultsPlus?

• ResultsPlus is a new suite of services from
  Edexcel.   
• Focused on raising attainment and delivering
  personalised learning. 
• It will provide powerful, logical reports and
  graphics giving centres an unprecedented level
  of information about their performance including
• Detailed analysis of performance by question
• Grade overview reports to track plan
  improvement
• Grade comparisons historically against national
  averages
• Skills map of strengths and weaknesses
• Individual student reports - for personal
  improvement plans
• Group reports - help identify departmental
  targets
• Access to exam paper
• Comparison of school and national data
• In 2007, all Edexcel GCE and GCSE centres will
  have free access to the ResultsPlus Analysis
  service.
•   

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The Suite of Services

• ResultsPlus Analysis will provide head teachers
  with clear information on performance in all
  Edexcel GCEs and GCSEs. It will generate simple
  reports that compare results against the national
  average and other types of centre.   
  ResultsPlus Analysis will show how students have
  performed in each subject, providing
  question-by-question level detail at both cohort
  and individual student level.
• ResultsPlus Skills (GCSE Maths Science)
  generates skills maps. Reveals how students (both
  cohort or individually) have performed according
  to the area of knowledge being tested.  This
  detailed information about students strengths
  and weaknesses, ResultsPlus Skills will enable
  teachers to provide a personalised learning
  environment.  
• In addition, Edexcel is offering all GCE and GCSE
  students the opportunity to receive detailed
  results information directly.  The online results
  service which centres may chose to opt-in to
  is called ResultsPlus Direct.    

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This means

• As a school, you can
• see at a glance how your students performed
  across all their Edexcel GCEs or GCSEs
• track and compare performance year-by-year
• compare performance by gender or see how you
  fared against other schools of your type
• identify where individual teaching strengths lie
  and share techniques of best practice
• As a department, you can
• see the overall grade performance in your subject
• compare grade performance for different classes
  and groups
• analyse how your cohort did on each question, and
  make comparisons with national average scores

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This means

• As a teacher, you can
• analyse how a class or a student did on each
  question
• compare performance on each question with
• other groups and with national averages
• download scores as a spreadsheet for further
  analysis
• And in GCSE Maths and Science, Skills Maps that
  link question performance to areas of the
  curriculum, making it easier for you to plan for
  improvement and raise attainment.
• Also ResultsPlus Progress
• Key Stage 3 Mathematics, Year 7 Entry Test End
  of Year 7 option test
• Key Stage 4 Topic tests to diagnose strengths
  weaknesses before major examinations
• Online (TBC) - with automated marking and
  detailed analysis
• Skills map reports help teachers to adapt SoW and
  revision plans

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Impact of ResultsPlus

• The impact on achievement
• engage students in how to improve grades in key
  subjects
• help increase D/C grade achievement
• provide early management data for analysis
• The impact on participation
• encourage greater student ownership of their own
  achievement learning
• increase greater participation of students
  learning to increase achievement
• greater personalisation and assessment for
  learning through the individual
• skills maps direct to the student
• The impact on teaching learning
• provide valuable analysis of individual strengths
  weaknesses of individuals/classes/cohorts
• Identify where teaching strengths lie and areas
  for improvement to develop to enhance attainment

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What do our customers say?
Fantastic! You can see what works and what
doesnt work. Over a period of time it will help
teachers teach better. Gareth Cole Kingsdown
School, Swindon
This will help raise achievement in our
school" Chris Montacute Wootton Bassett School,
Wiltshire
Absolutely brilliant. It is so immediate and
detailed It breaks everything down so staff can
see how students are performing and where we need
to improve as teachers. Lynda Roan, Hillcrest
School and Sixth Form College, Birmingham
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Next Steps

• Attend a Senior Manager Briefing to hear more
  about the ResultsPlus
• See attached flyer
• Visit the website www.edexcel.org.uk/resultsplus
• Contact Claire Graham
• Email claire.graham_at_edexcel.org.uk
• Tel [phone]
• Regional Office 0121 616 2576