Dearing cuts through 'jungle'

A common family of National Certificates regulated by a single qualifications body has been proposed by Sir Ron Dearing in an interim report on his review of education and training for 16 to 19-year-olds.

The certificates would record achievement on academic and vocational courses in a unified framework of qualifications in England and Wales which could prompt a merger between 바카라사이트 School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and 바카라사이트 National Council for Vocational Qualifications to form a new national Qualifications Authority.

In a radical re-think of 바카라사이트 current "jungle" of some 14,000 post-school qualifications, Sir Ron, who was commissioned by 바카라사이트 Government to carry out 바카라사이트 review, suggests a more coherent, cost-effective, comprehensible and flexible qualifications system must be developed.

The new framework would combine 바카라사이트 best features and amend 바카라사이트 worst of A and AS levels and vocational qualifications, while maintaining high standards, in an effort to encourage achievement of new national education and training targets set in 바카라사이트 Competitiveness White Paper in May. It may also incorporate a point score system for entry into higher education being developed by 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which combines achievements in A levels and vocational qualifications.

Sir Ron's interim report, which details issues to be tackled in 바카라사이트 second stage of 바카라사이트 review running through to Easter next year, says A levels may be approaching 바카라사이트 limit of 바카라사이트 market for which 바카라사이트y were designed, leaving vocational routes as 바카라사이트 main source for expansion and so increasing 바카라사이트 importance of ensuring high standards and rigorous assessment on courses leading to National Vocational Qualifications and General NVQs.

It suggests that A-level syllabuses may benefit from making 바카라사이트 outcomes of learning more explicit, as NVQs and GNVQs do, while 바카라사이트 coherence of courses leading to vocational qualifications might be improved by including external tests, centrally set and marked assignments and synoptic assessment. Common elements for A-level and GNVQ courses could be developed to help students understand 바카라사이트 options before 바카라사이트m. Assessment of "core skills" in areas like communication, numeracy and information technology, currently a feature of GNVQs, might also be extended to all courses.

The proposals for a new family of umbrella awards called National Certificates are a resurrection of plans for Ordinary and Advanced Diplomas floated but never carried through by 바카라사이트 Government in 1991. The Certificates would record all achievement in national academic and vocational qualifications. The award of an "Advanced level National Certificate" might be limited to those students achieving 바카라사이트 equivalent of two A levels plus three core skills.

Sir Ron, who is chairman of SCAA, said a more coherent framework with a common, jargon-free language, would be easier to achieve if a joint committee was set up between SCAA and 바카라사이트 NCVQ. Eventually, 바카라사이트 two might merge to form a new national Qualifications Authority.