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Functional Skills Pilots

Functional Skills Pilots. April 2007. What are Functional Skills?. A key initiative in both the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper and the second Skills White Paper in response to pressure from employers

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Functional Skills Pilots

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  1. Functional Skills Pilots April 2007

  2. What are Functional Skills? • A key initiative in both the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper and the second Skills White Paper in response to pressure from employers • A set of standards that establish a benchmark of ‘mastery’ in English, maths and ICT that all learners should achieve • Available from Entry 1 to Level 2

  3. How the standards will be used Functional skills will be: • embedded GCSEs in maths, English and ICT so that learners can not achieve an grade C without achieving the functional element (known as the hurdle) • stand alone qualifications which will be externally set and marked by awarding bodies – eventually replacing key skills and adult literacy and numeracy • part of the specialised Diplomas.

  4. Current position • Final decisions on assessment of functional skills still being made at QCA • Finalised standards due mid May • National pilots will commence in September 2007 • Approx 1000 centres will take part in the pilots • Each awarding body will be offering different functional skills qualifications to ensure that there is coverage across levels and subjects

  5. Unit titles • English • Speaking and listening • Reading • Writing • Maths • Making sense of situations and representing them • Processing and analysing the mathematics • Interpreting and communicating the results of analysis • ICT • Use ICT systems • Find, select and communicate information • Develop and present information

  6. Progression Hoped that: • Learners will progress from an initial level at pre-16 (at Entry, Level 1 or 2). Level 2 remains the target achievement for all learners • it is expected that progression above that level will be seen as desirable • GLH of around 50, this is still under review

  7. Time line April 2007: Edexcel start collecting expressions of interest from interested centres May 2007: awarding bodies receive finalised standards and assessment design information from QCA June 2007: successful pilot centres notified Sept 2007: first teaching for standalone pilots and GCSE English pilot June 2008: first assessment opportunity Sept 2008: Functional skills will be included in the Diplomas Sept 2010 functional skills for maths, English and ICT as a hurdle to achieving GCSE grade C 2010 phasing out starts of existing key skills and adult literacy and numeracy qualifications

  8. Which centres will be in the pilot? • Each consortium should have nominated 4 centres to be part of the Functional Skills Pilots • It is likely that centres with a 1 or 2 in the gateway will be selected to offer Functional Skills in the first year of the pilot • More centres will be invited to join in 2008 and 2009

  9. What about centres that are not through the Gateway? • We will be keeping you updated about ways to be involved on our website • ‘BTECalaureate’ • Committed to supporting centres offering Adult Literacy and Numeracy as a preparation of Functional Skills • Anticipated that we can expand the pilots for 2008 and 2009 to centres not in the Gateway

  10. Which stand alone qualifications will Edexcel be offering? • Likely to offer Level 1 & 2 in maths, English and ICT • Will be either 1 test or 1 set of tasks per qualification (except English with a speaking and listening component) • Tests likely to be 60-90 mins long • Tasks could be longer but will be done in one ‘sitting’ • Everything will be marked by Edexcel, there will be no internal assessment and no portfolio • No information about planned assessment models available yet until QCA ratify our plans • Entry level planned for 2008

  11. What about GCSEs? • Edexcel is offering GCSE English with Functional Skills • Level 1 & 2 Functional Skills will be nested as a unit within the qualification • Centres will be able to see how the hurdle will work for their learners prior to it being activated for the C grade • We are keeping an eye on developments in maths and ICT and preparing the new GCSEs for 2010

  12. Information expected soon…. • What exactly is meant by ‘mastery’? It’s likely to be a percentage pass rate but we don’t know how high yet • How will the functional skills will be funded and attributed to the attainment tables? If load banded, funding will remain for adults • The proportion that functional skills hurdle will make up of the GCSE? - 50% is suggested • How many and which centres will be in our pilot?

  13. How do I get involved? • Visit the Functional Skills section of the Edexcel website www.edexcel.org.uk. We are updating this daily • Visit the functional skills pages of the QCA website www.qca.org.uk/functionalskills/

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