NQF BTEC Level 1

1
Getting Started - Understanding BTEC Making
Quality Count

• NQF BTEC Level 1 2 Awards in Mathematical
  Applications

2
Why BTEC?

• Vocationally related qualifications
• Progression between BTEC Level 1 2
  qualifications
• Assessment methodology
• Support
• Recognition

3
Matching qualifications to learner needs - BTEC

• Work related qualifications
• Retention and achievement through the range of
  qualifications
• Overall achievement measured as Pass, Merit or
  Distinction
• Individual unit grades recorded on NoP
  certificate
• Progression opportunities

4
BTEC Mathematical Applications on the NQF

• Qualification NQF Level Units GLH Equivalence
• Level 1 Award 1 2 90 1GCSE D - G
• Level 2 Award 2 2 90 1GCSE A - C
• First Certificate 2 3 180 2 GCSE A - C
• First Diploma 2 6 360 4 GCSE A - C
• National Award 3 6 360 1 GCE A - E
• National Certificate 3 12 720 2 GCE A - E
• National Diploma 3 18 1080 3 GCE A - E

5
Timelines - Overview
Check exact dates for 2006-7 with your Quality
Nominee
Date Action
By 1st November Centres register for programmes that started in Sept/October
By December Quality nominees (QNs) informed of external verifiers (EVs). EVs contact QNs to negotiate selected units for National Standards Sampling and arrange for assignment briefs to be sent
Jan 1st 31st May NSS takes place for all First Diplomas, National Awards, Certificates, Diplomas and BTEC Short Courses including any re- sampling
End March QNs check the NSS arrangements are in place to ensure sampling has been or is taking place
By end May QNs check that all programmes have been sampled and all remedial action undertaken promptly
By early July When programmes have achieved a release on NSS on all units and assessment is complete, SRFs with grades for all units submitted to Edexcel by early July
6
Programme Teams

• Importance of staff development for whole team
• Key roles of Programme Manager and Internal
  Verifier
• Planning the programme as a team
• Understanding the links between assignments and
  unit grading criteria
• Understanding how the NQF assessment model works
• Importance of Edexcel deadlines

7
Programme Planning

• Unit sequencing
• Unit delivery single units and/or integrated
  units
• Teaching and learning styles
• Assignment planning and unit/criteria coverage
• Assessment planning
• Internal verification and standardisation
• Vocational links and/or work placement

8
Teaching and Learning

• Experiential
• Active
• Vocationally relevant
• Group and individual activities
• Independent learning
• Teacher facilitated

9
Induction Process

• Importance of the induction process to learners
• Meeting all assessment deadlines
• Explaining the assessment model
• Give the learning for work message

10
Unit Delivery

• You are autonomous!
• Map unit criteria coverage to ensure that there
  are opportunities for evidence to be produced
• Plan - long thin, short fat, integrated,
  individual
• Plan assessment times - minor/major,
  formative/summative

11
The Basic Structure of Units
12
Unit Abstract, Learning outcomes

• The unit abstract summarises the context of the
  unit within the qualification
• The learning outcomes give an overview of what
  the learner is expected to do to achieve the unit

13
Grading Criteria, Essential guidance for tutors

• The grading criteria are set out in the grading
  grid of the unit specification
• Essential Guidance for tutors
• Delivery
• Assessment
• Links
• Essential resources

14
Unit Content (1)

• The unit content provides the programme of
  learning for the successful completion of the
  learning outcomes
• Each learning outcome has prescribed content, key
  phrases or concepts listed in italics
• Sub lists preceded by e.g. are indicative and
  therefore not all listed items have to be
  delivered

15
Unit Content (2)

• Sub lists without e.g. are prescriptive and must
  be delivered
• Assessment is based on evidence to meet the
  grading criteria and will include relevant areas
  of the unit content as described in essential
  guidance for tutors on assessment

16
NQF BTEC Assessment Model

• Evidence is assessed through the application of
  contextualised grading criteria
• Assignment briefs are used as a means of
  providing an evidence generating opportunity
• The assessed material may be used to form a
  portfolio of evidence
• The portfolio of evidence is used to demonstrate
  achievement of the unit grading criteria and
  learning outcomes

17
Points to consider when devising assignment briefs

• Will one assignment cover all grading criteria?
• If not how will you divide the unit criteria
  across a number of assignments?
• Will units be individually assessed or will you
  have integrated assessments across units?
• How will you track criteria assessed and achieved
  across integrated assignments?

18
Points to consider when devising assignment briefs

• How will you schedule assignments across the
  course so that learners have a balanced
  programme?
• How will you use formative assessment sessions to
  encourage learners achievement?
• Remember to refer to Essential guidance for
  tutors on delivery and assessment
• Break down the assignment brief into bite-sized
  tasks

19
Designing Tasks

• Tasks should allow the learner to fully achieve
  the grading criteria at pass, merit or
  distinction
• Note differentiation in grading criteria
• Pass demonstrate, identify, describe, select,
  use
• Merit explain, analyse, monitor, compare
• Distinction assess, evaluate, interpret,
  justify
• Tasks should not just repeat the grading criteria
• As a general rule an individual grading
  criterion should not be split between different
  assignments

20
Assessment Evidence

• Can take many forms
• written - formal essays, evaluations, notebooks
• verbal - recording, viva
• records - logbooks, timesheets, plans, tutor
  observation and witness statements,
  photographic/digital
• practical work within the specialist area of the
  qualification

21
Unit Grading

• Assignments that do not address all the unit
  grading criteria should not be graded - only
  award the individual grading criteria achieved
• Unit grading should be carried out ONLY when all
  unit assignments are complete and the opportunity
  has been given for learners to meet all unit
  grading criteria
• Pass ALL Pass criteria achieved
• Merit ALL Pass and ALL Merit criteria
  achieved
• Distinction ALL Pass, ALL Merit and ALL
  Distinction criteria achieved

22
Quality Assurance - What does it mean?

• Internal Verification (IV)
• External Verification (EV)
• Safety of certificated outcomes for individual
  learners
• Guarantee to end users that these outcomes are
  common nation-wide
• Audited by QCA

23
IV - What does this mean for you?

• IV is the responsibility of the programme team
• Ongoing and continuous process, sampling
  assessors learners
• Have a lead IV to co-ordinate and manage
  processes, timings etc
• Is supportive of assessors and guarantees fair
  practice for learners
• Should advise and guide where decisions are
  questioned
• Squares the quality circle

24
IV Assignment Briefs

• Internally verify centre-devised assignments
  briefs before issue to the learner
• Tasks and evidence should allow the learner to
  address the targeted criteria
• Language and level should be appropriate
• Learner roles and tasks should be vocationally
  relevant
• Check any recommendations are carried out
• Sign and date all paperwork
• Keep records audit trail

25
Standardising Assessment Decisions

• When to do it
• If more than one assessor on same unit
• More than one team/site
• New assessor
• New standards
• Issues following external verification

26
IV Assessment Decisions

• Internal verification schedule
• Formative sampling
• Summative sampling
• Sign and date all paperwork
• Keep records secure in Quality files

27
External Verification - What does this mean for
you?

• External Verifiers (EV)
• verify the quality of your assessment decisions
• release or block certification
• report on the quality of your assignments
• report on the quality of your IV systems
• uphold the national standard and the reputation
  of the qualifications
• offer a balanced, specialist and professional
  approach

28
NSS External Verifiers

• Allocated external verifiers will
• Contact centre BTEC Quality Nominees/Programme
  Co-ordinators
• Liaise with BTEC Quality Nominee/Programme
  Co-ordinators Negotiate which unit will be
  sampled
• Agree dates and provide templates for despatch of
  postal sampling

29
National Standards Sampling

• 4 assessed pieces of learner work for each unit
• Should have ALL relevant material with sample
• One unit for the BTEC Awards in Mathematical
  Applications
• Should be done as early as possible to carry out
  any necessary remedial action
• Sample is negotiated with programme team
• Date of sample and unit selected should not be
  changed
• Expect feedback at the end of the process plus
  report

30
Reporting Grades

• Unit grades reported on the SRF as P, M or D
• U must be entered if the assignments for that
  unit have been completed but not all Pass
  criteria met
• Both units must be passed to achieve the full
  award
• Qualification grade calculated from unit grades

31
Unit Grades and points
Unit Grade Units 1a/2a Units 1b/2b
U 0 0
P 5 4
M 10 8
D 15 12
32
Qualification Points and Grades
Boundaries Overall Grade
0 - 8 U
9 - 16 P
17 - 24 M
25 - 27 D
33
Qualification Grades SCAAT Points
BTEC L1 Award in Mathematical Applications BTEC L1 Award in Mathematical Applications BTEC L2 Award in Mathematical Applications BTEC L2 Award in Mathematical Applications
Qualification Grade SCAAT Points Qualification Grade SCAAT Points
P 19 P 40
M 28 M 49
D 34 D 55