Question reference: S6W-00158
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 21 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the approach by the SQA for pupil assessment gives teachers the appropriate freedom required to mark pupils fairly, in light of the situation and difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
The professional judgement of teachers is the key feature of this year’s National Qualifications assessment process. SQA has provided the key evidence requirements and associated national assessment standards that are critical to ensuring the fair and consistent application of standards across the country.
This guidance includes reduced evidence requirements in recognition of the disruption to learning this year, and schools have been given flexibility around the timing and nature of which assessment tools to use to inform teacher judgement of individual learners’ results.
The National Qualifications 2021 Group has agreed a later certification contingency for those who have experienced severe disruption to learning and teaching and have been unable to complete their assessment evidence within the flexibilities already provided. This is for learners who have completed the learning for their course but have not been able to complete their assessment as they have experienced extreme disruption during the centre’s evidence-gathering process.
Under these arrangements, there will be a limited opportunity for those learners to undertake assessments later and submit provisional results by 3 September 2021. These arrangements are separate and distinct from the appeals process, which learners undertaking the later certification will still be able to access.