Developing functional skills qualifications November 200

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• Developing functional skills qualifications
• November 2006
• Jill Stokoe
• Framework Development and Skills Team
• QCA

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What are functional skills?

•  
• Functional skills are core elements of English,
  Mathematics and ICT that provide an individual
  with essential knowledge, skills and
  understanding that will enable them to operate
  confidently, effectively and independently in
  life and at work.
•  

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Why are we introducing them?

• Strong functional skills in English, mathematics
  and
• ICT are essential at every stage of learning, for
  
• employment, to be able to engage in society and
  to
• enjoy adult life.
• Employers and educators have identified these
  skills
• as vital for enabling young people and adults to
• succeed in further learning, work and life in
  modern
• society
• They have been called for by the 14-19 and Skills
  white
• papers, by the post-14 Maths Inquiry
  recommendations
• as well as by a range of key stakeholders.

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What do we need functional skills to do?

•  
• Have content that is accessible and relevant to
  candidates of all ages
•  
• Be deliverable in the full range of settings -
  with assessment on demand where possible
•  
• Present no unnecessary barriers to achievement in
  terms of access or equality of opportunity
• Reflect the needs of employers, further and
  higher education, as well as the wider community.
•  

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Purpose of the standards

• The functional skills standards are technical
  documents
• that define and differentiate the skills
  requirements for
• these qualifications, forming the basis for
  qualification
• development work.
• They have been developed across the three subject
  areas
• from entry level to level 2.
•  

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Purpose of the standards contd

• They will be used as the underpinning statements
  for
• the development of standardised 
• assessment criteria
• qualification specifications and associated
  regulatory criteria
• curricula and approaches to teaching and
  learning.
• The standards in themselves are not intended to
  act as
• any of these three types of documents. They do
  not
• describe the requirements of a qualification, an
• approach to assessment, or a programme of study.
  

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Audience and status

• Audience
• The standards are intended for use by those
  responsible
• for designing qualifications and developing
  assessment
• material and curricula
• awarding bodies
• those responsible for developing support and
  guidance for teaching and learning.  
• Status
• The working standards will be used by those
  involved in
• testing and trials of functional skills
  assessments,
• qualification development and related activity.
  The trials
• phase will determine whether the standards are
  fit for
• their intended purpose.

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What is required of the standards?

• The standards must be
• accessible to all candidates (including those
  with particular requirements)
• consistent with requirements for National
  Curriculum, KS3, GCSE subject specifications
  (English, Mathematics, ICT) as well as key skills
  and Skills for Life
• written to demonstrate what a candidate is
  expected to know, understand and be able to do,
  but make no assumptions about how this process of
  learning should be undertaken?
•  

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Trials phase standards and assessment

• 14 awarding bodies taking part in the trials
  phase - each will be working with 5 10 centres
• Trials will take place in all centre types
  schools, FE, training providers, the workplace
  etc.
• First phase will test the working standards
  fitness for purpose as the basis of assessment
  criteria, and examine assessment models
• Second phase will explore options for the
  assessment of the functional skills standards and
  gather evidence to evaluate acceptability,
  validity and manageability of assessment models
• Additional research and modelling around the
  proposed link between functional skills and GCSE
  English, Mathematics and ICT continues as well as
  the specialised Diploma.

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Progress

• We consulted on the standards and reported back
  in July 2006
• The awarding bodies began the trials phase for
  the standards and assessment approaches from
  October 2006
• - Phase 1 Oct-Dec 2006
• - Phase 2 Jan-Mar 2007
• By September 2007, we will have a qualification
  package ready for piloting in schools, colleges
  and other settings.

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Timeframes and future work

• Trials phase of functional skills standards and
  assessment models (Autumn 2006 Spring 2007)
• Evaluation phase interim report (Jan 07) and
  evaluation report (Mar 07)
• Recommendations to ministers (Mar 07)
• Piloting the qualifications in GCSEs and
  standalone contexts (Sept 07)
• Piloting the qualifications in specialised
  Diplomas (Sept 08)
• Functional English and ICT available (Sept 09)
• Functional Mathematics available (Sept 10)

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What would success look like?

• Learners, employers and other key stakeholders,
  including HEIs, recognise the relevance of these
  qualifications
• Skills developed can be applied across a range of
  contexts relevant to the learner
• Progression routes are explicit and learners
  utilise them
• Learners find the challenge and achievement of
  functional skills worthwhile and interesting
• Qualification, guidance and support material are
  ready well in advance of the first teaching
• Capacity has been built into the system at all
  levels centres are prepared and understand the
  requirements of functional skills and are ready
  to implement them
•  

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FS relationship with other qualifications
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What lessons should we bear in mind?

• What lessons have been learnt, and what
  experience can be drawn upon, from Skills for
  Life and key skills development and
  implementation?
• What do we need to do now to prepare centres,
  practitioners, and learners?
• How flexible do we need to make assessment models
  (access, application and contextualisation)?
• How do we ensure a constructive relationship
  between GCSE/level 2 requirements?
•