Mednarodna prizadevanja za uskladitev kurikuluma, vrednotenja in kvalifikacij, ki bi mlade bolje pripravila na hitro spreminjajoči se svet, pogosto primerjamo z iskanjem »svetega grala«. Tudi Škotska je na tej poti od 2004, ko je predstavila okvir Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). Dvajset let pozneje, poučena z razkoraka med političnimi ambicijami in šolsko prakso, je znova zagnala reformo – tokrat z namenom odpraviti ključne neusklajenosti. Članek najprej oriše cilje in zasnovo CfE (2004) ter pokaže pomanjkljivosti, ki so prispevale k razkorakom. Nato analizira razmerje med kurikulumom in zaključnimi kvalifikacijami kot področje z velikimi posledicami, saj kvalifikacije omogočajo ali preprečujejo dostop do nadaljnjega izobraževanja ali zaposlitve, zato spremembe zahtevajo široko družbeno soglasje. Predstavi neodvisni pregled škotske vlade kot sooblikovanje politike z deležniki ter v zaključku kritično ovrednoti proces in izzive reform v demokratičnih okoljih.

By the 1990s, not only was attendance at school compulsory for the majority of children from the age of 5 until the age of 16 but, for much of the time spent there, the content of the curriculum had also become compulsory – at least in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. By the year 2000, the majority of children in England aged between 5 and 11 were compelled to attend school, compelled to follow a defined curriculum and compelled to be taught for part of the daythrough a centrally determined method – the literacy and numeracy strategies. Those who were not compelled to attend school were nevertheless to be educated ‘otherwise’ (see below) and those attending private schools were not required to follow the National Curriculum or the national strategies.

Attempts to change national education systems are recognized internationally as extremely challenging. This is particularly true when the success of a potential innovation requires support from wider society. Reform of high stakes qualifications and assessment is such a case; where success depends not only on the commitment of learners and teachers but also on the active support of wider groups such as parents, policy makers, employers, universities, and colleges. This article presents a case study of a policy process, the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment in Scotland, commissioned by Scottish Government. The methodology attempted to co-construct policy with all those whose support would be crucial to the successful enactment of policy proposals. First establishing the context for change, the article introduces the theoretical model that underpinned the policy process and how that influenced the development to the point when the report, ‘It’s Our Future’, was submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in Scotland. The Review advocates significant reform to qualifications and assessment in Scotland, moving from qualifications that are principally subject-based to “The Scottish Diploma of Achievement”, an inclusive, baccalaureate-style graduation diploma. The article concludes by reflecting on challenges in reform of national high-stakes qualifications and assessment and tensions inherent in deeply collaborative approaches to national policy development.

Disruption of the status quo caused by the pandemic in England provides a lens to view the priorities embedded in the qualifications system. The Government's initial priority was to avert grade inflation, followed by a populist turn to teacher assessment after a widespread backlash. Subsequent Government arguments for the return to examinations as the fairest way to assess re-introduced policies which emphasised excellence agenda. Learning loss, a consequence of the pandemic, compounded pre-existing patterns of inequality. Inclusive policies to address this in the qualification system would require fundamentally different ways of thinking compared to, for example, the current adaptations that are made for young people with special educational needs because the modern inclusion agenda is broader. The excellence agenda assumes a competitive system in which educational resources must be rationed; that there will be winners and losers. We question this logic, arguing for principles that would underpin a more inclusive qualification system. Since 2015, pupils must stay in education or training until they are 18. Thus, at very least, rationing educational access before this is unwarranted. A modern approach would be more flexible, putting learners first and embrace diversity rather than standardisation as the main principle for fair assessment.

Scotland, traditionally, has high levels of confidence in teachers. Fairness and justice are key concepts in policy and practice in Scottish education. For more than 100 years, the high-stakes assessment system in Scotland, with the Scottish Higher qualification at its heart, has been crucial to that sense of opportunity and justice. However, in 2019-2020, public confidence in high-stakes assessment in Scotland, as in other United Kingdom countries, was dented. In Scotland, the Covid-19 pandemic meant that schools were closed, teachers provided online learning opportunities for pupils working at home and, for the first time in 130 years, it was not possible to run national examinations. To ensure that learners were not further disadvantaged, alternative approaches to gathering evidence for qualifications were instigated. However, these results were challenged as socially unjust and the results that had been nationally moderated were replaced by results based on locally moderated teachers' professional judgement. As Scotland looks to qualifications beyond Covid-19, trust must be re-built. This article reports on a participative research project that sought to understand public perceptions of standards and fairness across a range of key communities following this experience. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, we analyse factors which affected trust in National Qualifications under the pandemic. The evidence suggests that when considering what matters for qualifications to be trusted, technocratic solutions are likely to be rejected by stakeholders. Understanding and responding to what led to the mistrust of qualifications in Scotland will be crucial to inform its future qualifications system.

Editing a Special Edition is always interesting but, on the whole, it follows a fairly similar pattern. The Editors identify a theme, debate how that theme might be explored through different lenses in different contexts, receive papers that reflect a variety of positions, and write the Editorial that is largely consistent with the original planning expectation and publish. The construction of this Special Edition was nothing like that. When, as Editors, we began thinking through what articles in this Special Edition on the impact of COVID on high-stakes assessment internationally might report, our starting point was to see COVID as a disruptor. Coming from Ireland and Scotland where, in both countries, the impact of COVID on our high-stakes assessment systems had been significant, we assumed that this would be an international phenomenon. High Stakes Assessment in the Era of COVID: Interruption, Transformation or Regression?, the title of the call we put out when commissioning papers, on reflection, is a good indication of the beliefs we held. Internationally, press coverage, spoke of the COVID challenges and the multiple ways in which societies, and within societies, education was being disrupted. We anticipated that the nature of that disruption would vary: in all societies, COVID would interrupt normal practices, but in some, that disruption would lead to transformation, to the creation of new practices in high-stakes assessment environments that are traditionally regarded as risk averse; whereas, in other societies, COVID interruption might drive practices back to territory that was regarded as safer ground, regressing to assessment approaches that were perceived to be more secure whether or not these practices were educationally desirable (IEAN, 2021). As Editors, we did not and do not challenge the position that COVID globally interrupted societies, in some societies in devastating ways. There is nothing positive about a global pandemic and we do not underestimate the impact that COVID has had physically and emotionally on educational experiences and the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the education system; young people, their parents, teachers and lecturers. Those whose work was in the specific area of high-stakes assessment were

This Executive Summary presents high level messages which emerge from the analysis and synthesis of the findings of surveys and interviews with members of every Area of Learning Experience Group (Section 1) and interviews with senior policy makers (Section 2). Section 3 of this report (using evidence to promote a Successful Future for the Curriculum for Wales) provides more detail on ideas that are important for The Curriculum for Wales to be successful in future. In the spirit of co-construction, all readers are invited to consider this Section 3 and to discuss within their own communities possible implications for sustainable long term change: • what contributions they might make to ensure that currently successful aspects within an existing programme are sustained and • how participants might work collaboratively to address areas likely to raise the level of risk to programme success. Findings The worldwide COVID pandemic has resulted in unprecedented levels of change in education systems internationally. However, the purposes-led approach that Curriculum for Wales seeks to build has never seemed more relevant. These purposes are relevant not only for learners but for everyone involved in the Curriculum for Wales. Building a successful future for a Curriculum for Wales: so far so good • There is much that is positive in the findings that emerge from this report. • There remains strong commitment to critical engagement with Curriculum for Wales amongst all communities What is it crucial to sustain in the next phase of development? • A clear focus on the purposes • The use of evidence from policy, practice and research to inform thinking • A focus on learning with curriculum, pedagogy and assessment promoting and supporting progression in learning • All programme participants as learners • Co-construction and subsidiarity as the modus operandi of Curriculum for Wales. What might need further thinking or greater emphasis? The authors of this report acknowledge that the research focus may have led to a concentration on particular aspects of the programme. However, six themes emerged for either further thinking or greater emphasis • Shared understanding of key ideas • Progression • Assessment • Co-construction and subsidiarity • Coherence, policy and systemic integrity • Professional learning. Given its potential impact on education in Wales, it can be argued that the Curriculum for Wales represents exceptional value for money.

This paper presents arguments for placing the concept of learners’ progression at the centre of thinking about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

This short brief is targeted to policy makers in governments and school districts who may be thinking about learning progressions and the implications for curriculum, teaching, and assessment.

Studies of comparative classroom practice in the teaching of secondary English are limited, especially when it comes to exploration of the day-to-day practice of English teachers in the secondary classroom. This book presents a case study analysis of secondary classroom practice in three countries: Canada, England and Scotland. Each country has had different degrees of state involvement within the secondary English curriculum over the last twenty years. England has had the highest degree of state involvement in that it has had several statutory national curricula and a variety of assessment regimes. Scotland has had a non- statutory curriculum and no national tests and Canada has had no national curriculum at all, with education being determined at province level, and each province varying its policies. The research adopts a case study approach involving both classroom observation and interviews with teachers. Through this, the authors explore the impact of state involvement on the reality of what happens in secondary English classrooms. The book invites readers to consider the applicability of the findings to their own contexts, to examine their own practice in the light of this and to consider the nature of the relationships between policy, personal belief and practice in the teaching of English.

The Curriculum JournalVolume 29, Issue 1 p. 1-3 EditorialFree to Read Reclaiming education: ‘fake news’, research and social justice Louise Hayward, Corresponding Author Louise Hayward Louise.Hayward@glasgow.ac.uk University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKLouise.Hayward@glasgow.ac.ukSearch for more papers by this authorSteve Higgins, Steve Higgins University of Durham, Durham, UKSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay Livingston University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKSearch for more papers by this authorDominic Wyse, Dominic Wyse UCL Institute of Education, London, UKSearch for more papers by this author Louise Hayward, Corresponding Author Louise Hayward Louise.Hayward@glasgow.ac.uk University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKLouise.Hayward@glasgow.ac.ukSearch for more papers by this authorSteve Higgins, Steve Higgins University of Durham, Durham, UKSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay Livingston University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKSearch for more papers by this authorDominic Wyse, Dominic Wyse UCL Institute of Education, London, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 January 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2018.1436252Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume29, Issue1March 2018Pages 1-3 RelatedInformation

‘Learning about Progression’ is a suite of research-based resources designed to provide evidence to support the building of learning progression frameworks in Wales. ‘Learning about Progression’ seeks to deepen our understanding of current thinking about progression and to explore different purposes that progression frameworks can serve to improve children and young people’s learning. These resources include consideration of how this evidence relates to current developments in Wales and derives a series of principles to serve as touchstones to make sure that, as practices begin to develop, they stay true to the original aspirations of A Curriculum for Wales – A Curriculum for Life. It also derives, from the review of evidence, a number of fundamental questions for all those involved in the development of progression frameworks to engage.

Studies of comparative classroom practice in the teaching of secondary English are limited, especially when it comes to exploration of the day-to-day practice of English teachers in the secondary classroom. This book presents a case study analysis of secondary classroom practice in three countries: Canada, England and Scotland. Each country has had different degrees of state involvement within the secondary English curriculum over the last twenty years. England has had the highest degree of state involvement in that it has had several statutory national curricula and a variety of assessment regimes. Scotland has had a non- statutory curriculum and no national tests and Canada has had no national curriculum at all, with education being determined at province level, and each province varying its policies. The research adopts a case study approach involving both classroom observation and interviews with teachers. Through this, the authors explore the impact of state involvement on the reality of what happens in secondary English classrooms. The book invites readers to consider the applicability of the findings to their own contexts, to examine their own practice in the light of this and to consider the nature of the relationships between policy, personal belief and practice in the teaching of English.

The Curriculum JournalVolume 25, Issue 1 p. 2-6 EditorialFree to Read Creating curricula: aims, knowledge, and control Dominic Wyse, Dominic WyseSearch for more papers by this authorLouise Hayward, Louise HaywardSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay LivingstonSearch for more papers by this authorSteve Higgins, Steve HigginsSearch for more papers by this author Dominic Wyse, Dominic WyseSearch for more papers by this authorLouise Hayward, Louise HaywardSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay LivingstonSearch for more papers by this authorSteve Higgins, Steve HigginsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 January 2014 https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2014.878545Citations: 3Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume25, Issue1Special Issue: Creating Curricula: Aims, Knowledge, and ControlMarch 2014Pages 2-6 RelatedInformation

‘Learning about Progression’ is a suite of research-based resources designed to provide evidence to support the building of learning progression frameworks in Wales. ‘Learning about Progression’ seeks to deepen our understanding of current thinking about progression and to explore different purposes that progression frameworks can serve to improve children and young people’s learning. These resources include consideration of how this evidence relates to current developments in Wales and derives a series of principles to serve as touchstones to make sure that, as practices begin to develop, they stay true to the original aspirations of A Curriculum for Wales – A Curriculum for Life. It also derives, from the review of evidence, a number of fundamental questions for all those involved in the development of progression frameworks to engage.

The Curriculum JournalVolume 29, Issue 4 p. 445-447 EditorialFree to Read Supercomplexity in the curriculum as relational knowing Steve Higgins, Corresponding Author Steve Higgins [email protected] University of Durham, Durham[email protected]Search for more papers by this authorLouise Hayward, Louise Hayward University of Glasgow, GlasgowSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay Livingston University of Glasgow, GlasgowSearch for more papers by this authorDominic Wyse, Dominic Wyse UCL Institute of Education, LondonSearch for more papers by this author Steve Higgins, Corresponding Author Steve Higgins [email protected] University of Durham, Durham[email protected]Search for more papers by this authorLouise Hayward, Louise Hayward University of Glasgow, GlasgowSearch for more papers by this authorKay Livingston, Kay Livingston University of Glasgow, GlasgowSearch for more papers by this authorDominic Wyse, Dominic Wyse UCL Institute of Education, LondonSearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 October 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2018.1527536Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume29, Issue4December 2018Pages 445-447 RelatedInformation