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Chapter 10: A New Basic Skills Curriculum and a New System of QualificationsA new basic skills curriculum 10.1 One of the crucial elements of the proposed strategy must be clarity about the skills, knowledge and understanding that anyone needs to be literate and numerate in the modern world. These skills need to be enshrined in a new curriculum, with well-developed and understood standards. 10.2 At present the position is somewhat like that for schools before the introduction of the National Curriculum. Teachers do teach much the same skills whatever the context, and wherever they work. But there is no coherent, publicly available, written curriculum covering all basic skills teaching programmes. What is needed is a curriculum which makes clear what specific skills need to be learned and taught. Alongside this, there should be a new system of qualifications based on the curriculum. Without a mandatory curriculum, learners may leave programmes without the skills they need to be competent and confident in essential basic skills. 10.3 The proposed curriculum should set out, in a logical order, the literacy and numeracy skills every adult needs. Although there will be similarities between this and the National Curriculum for schools, there are some clear differences. For example, much of the English National Curriculum in schools is, rightly, about what is read rather than about the skills needed for fluent reading. 10.4 There are major differences between curricula for adults and children. For both, clear frameworks are needed, but in the case of adults, the background and starting point is a key factor. Adults bring differing experience and knowledge to the process of learning and study. And, unlike children in primary school, adults often look back to earlier attempts to acquire basic skills, and perhaps of failing in their efforts. Some may have been taught using a particular approach, such as breakthrough, a phonic only method, and so forth. Others may have missed critical periods of schooling through illness, or may have had learning problems, or were simply left behind in class. 10.5 In general both children and adults become good readers by using a range of learning approaches, not necessarily struggling with one method. Teachers need to be prepared to use a range of techniques. In all, the standard curriculum will be the uniform base. 10.6 This is not the place to set out the details of the curriculum we have in mind, but the examples provided below indicate the approach. 10.7 The new basic skills curriculum must operate at three levels. It will describe basic skills at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2. The curriculum would include:
10.9 In addition to the levels, range and skills, there should be exemplar activities to support each of the elements of the curriculum. These skills and activities will then be drawn together into a number of integrated tasks that demonstrate both knowledge and application. For example, in literacy:
10.10 As far as possible, the proposed curriculum for adults should be "context free". The core should set out the skills to be taught. The context in which they are taught is a matter for the teacher and learner to decide, particularly as different adults have different motivations. In short, the curriculum is not a series of rigid lesson plans to be taught by every teacher and followed by every learner. Adults will be encouraged, and hopefully excited, by reading a wide range of texts in a wide range of contexts. The range and nature of materials for a family literacy programme will differ from that for a trainee in a workplace programme. Learners should be able to develop the skills common to them all, using the interests, the materials and the activities that most closely match their needs. A new system of qualifications 10.11 Although many adult learners use basic skills courses for personal satisfaction or to equip themselves for courses leading to mainstream qualifications such as GCSE and A Level, others want certification of their achievements. We propose qualifications that certify possession of literacy and numeracy skills in accordance with agreed national standards, as set out in the new national curriculum. 10.12 At present there are too many qualifications available in literacy and numeracy for adults. The FEFC, for instance, provides funding for 60 qualifications of this type. This is confusing and unhelpful. We need to know what someone with a particular qualification can actually do, what level of literacy and numeracy has been reached. This is vital for the learner, and vital to ensure credibility for employers. Existing qualifications often lack credibility; many employers do not accept them and use their own tests. So we propose that the FEFC, TECs and other funding bodies should recognise for funding only those qualifications based on skills set out in the new curriculum. 10.13 We recommend a new system of qualifications based on the skills set out in this curriculum. As the National Strategies to improve school performance take effect the problem with adults will diminish, and in time even the new qualifications may prove to be redundant. But this is far off in the future, and for some time ahead there is a clear need to incorporate in the National Strategy a new system of qualifications. Criteria 10.14 Qualifications serve five purposes:
(ii) they provide feedback to teachers telling them whether teaching aims have been achieved; (iii) they provide evidence for employers and educational institutions that national standards have been achieved; (iv) they give information to funders which can be used in their choice of providers and in their funding arrangements; (v) they give information on the extent of low literacy and numeracy and the effectiveness of programmes to improve literacy and numeracy standards. 10.16 Credibility - The system of qualifications must give a reliable measure of an individual's skill. It must certify to those who wish to use the qualification (learners, employers, educational institutions etc.) that skills matching national standards have been acquired. It will provide a benchmark of how well providers of courses are doing, and - as qualifications become more credible - employers will value them more and potential learners will want them more. 10.17 Ease of access - Many adults want to improve their literacy and numeracy without doing a formal course. They may have fairly minor weaknesses and can deal with them without formal teaching or through distance learning and the University for Industry. Information technology will be of crucial help to them at work, at home or elsewhere. In any case, it should always be possible to get a qualification without attending a course. At the same time, one must bear in mind that many potential learners, especially if they have serious problems, may want face-to-face teaching. The curricula, qualifications and standards should apply at all levels and to all learners. And at each level they should be obtainable through the accumulation of credits in separate components of the curriculum. It must be possible to get these credits whenever the learner wants to, and in 'bite-size' chunks, or modules. 10.18 Incentive for learners - The new qualifications must be such as to motivate learners, to boost confidence and self-esteem. People should want them. Even the best qualification will be useless if the potential learners - the people whose needs we have tried to make centre stage - do not want to gain them. 10.19 As regards the methods of assessment to be used in leading to the qualifications, two methods are used at present: a 'portfolio' based on coursework assessment, which may include test results, and externally set and marked tests. 10.20 The majority of existing basic skills qualifications are awarded through the assessment of coursework. Almost always, assessment is externally moderated. The most popular qualification of this type is Wordpower for literacy and Numberpower for numeracy. They are moderated externally by City & Guilds and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 1997, roughly 30,000 learners were studying for Wordpower and a similar number for Numberpower. 10.21 Another common delivery system based on coursework is available through Open College Credits. Providers design their own curriculum and get it accredited by the Open College Network. Much of the provision under this heading started off as providing access routes to higher education, but increasingly it has been taken up by learners operating at the most elementary education levels. Many of them take Foundation (Entry Level) courses with strong basic skills components, including English as an Additional Language. In 1997, the London Open College Credit Network was registering some 30,000 learners for credit, almost one fifth of whom were at Entry Level. 10.22 A different form of qualification is that based exclusively on tests that are externally set and marked. The most common are the Associated Examining Board (AEB) tests in Literacy and Numeracy. In 1997 almost 30,000 learners were entered for the literacy tests and a similar number entered for the numeracy tests. The way forward 10.23 Both portfolio and test-based methods of assessment have their strengths and weaknesses. Coursework assessment is attractive to learners who would be put off by having to take a test. Also, teachers can use the assessment as a feedback to students, which can help to motivate. On the other hand, with coursework it may be harder to ensure uniform standards. 10.24 Tests have the advantage of greater objectivity, and are often thought to lead to greater credibility with employers and others. They are also attractive to adults who cannot, or do not want to, attend regular face-to-face classes. 10.25 All methods of assessment are open to abuse and some have been abused in the past. The funding methodology of various funding bodies has over-encouraged programme providers to get people through the qualification. Coaching - or insufficiently rigorous standards in assessment of coursework - has been a problem. Similarly some programmes have 'taught the test', people have sometimes passed specific entry tests for very specific occupations in this inadequate way. 10.26 In the proposed system, all qualifications offered at Entry Level and Level 1 will be based on the proposed new curriculum. For qualifications to be credible, they have to inspire confidence that the skills they certify have been acquired. This is why any external moderation needs to be rigorously applied, in accordance with national standards. External tests similarly need to be standardised. 10.27 Existing coursework-assessed qualifications can continue to be offered as long as they are based on the skills enshrined in the new curriculum. They will continue to go under a variety of names, but will in future make clear, perhaps through a simple logo, that they are nationally recognised. They can continue to be offered by a number of awarding bodies. 10.28 Alongside, we recommend the introduction of a new National Literacy Test and a new National Numeracy Test at Level 1 and Level 2. These will allow adults to demonstrate, through the passing of a test, that they have acquired the basic skills by means of a single test-assessed qualification available on demand. Whenever learners are ready, the teacher could arrange for them to sit the test. Individuals should also be able to enter at any centre operating a proper system of invigilation. In due course the UfI might provide the tests on-line. There should be only one national test, also available in 'bite-size' chunks. 10.29 Although the focus of our report, and the targets we have proposed, is the achievement of Level 1, we envisage that the new test will also apply to Level 2. There should be an opportunity for adults who wish to demonstrate that they have achieved Level 2 basic skills. Many of these will not have attended formal basic skills programmes, but will learn at home, at work or through a friend or relative. The option to take a test at Level 2 should be available to them. 10.30 The new set of qualifications would be self-standing, and it is worth considering whether qualifications in literacy and numeracy should be required elements in the Key Skills qualifications at the corresponding level, unless people have at least grade C in the relevant GCSE. 10.31 The recommendation we make on curricula and qualifications should bring about a credible framework within the proposed National Strategy. The key concept is a new curriculum, and rigorous standards to determine and demonstrate that people really have the required skills. RECOMMENDATION 16 - Curriculum and Qualifications
(ii) Only basic skills qualifications based on this new curriculum should be funded from the public purse. Whether assessed by coursework, test or a mixture of both they should use a common set of standards laid down by QCA. (iii) Existing qualifications should be revised to meet these new national standards. (iv) Existing qualifications based exclusively on tests should be replaced by a new National Literacy Test and a new National Numeracy Test both available at Levels 1 and 2.
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