A REVIEW is to be held into the troubled implementation of Scotland's new school examinations.
A working group is being set up to look at the difficulties schools have experienced in introducing National Qualifications, which have replaced Standard Grade this year.
The team, to be chaired by Ken Muir, the chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, has been convened to ensure lessons are learned in time for the implementation of new Higher exams next summer.
Last year, Education Secretary Michael Russell announced that the OECD would hold a wider review of the new Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), with a report due in 2015.
However, it was felt schools needed a more prompt evaluation of the exam changes focusing on the role of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the curriculum body Education Scotland, and other key players.
Members of the group will include representatives of teaching unions, parents, councils, the Scottish Government as well as the SQA and Education Scotland. The move has no impact on this year's exams, which go ahead as planned.
Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, said: "We know that all those involved in education have been working hard to prepare pupils for the new National Qualifications and everyone has been determined, as ever, to ensure young people get the best possible education.
"I am pleased that Mr Muir has agreed to chair a group which will reflect on the first year of the Nationals.
"This will provide valuable feedback to build on the best practice in the second year of Nationals and the first year of the revised Highers."
Mr Allan said the Government would continue to work with pupils, parents, teachers and others with an interest in education to ensure CfE delivered maximum benefits.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union welcomed the development.
He said: "The positive response suggests Mr Russell is willing to listen to our concerns and to ensure that any lessons which can be learned from this first year are applied to next session.
"Teachers have worked very hard this year to support the current S4 pupils, who should be positive as they approach their exam diet, but the workload burden is simply unsustainable."
CfE is a major reform that aims to update subjects, free up teachers' time and develop more relevant skills among pupils such as problem-solving.
It was also an attempt to move away from a system overly based on pupils rote-learning to pass exams toward more classroom-based assessments.
However, teaching unions have argued the implementation has been rushed and confused by a lack of targeted information to schools and different approaches across the country.
Teachers also believe it has led to more assessment and a significant rise in workload for school staff.
Kenneth Muir said: "It is recognised that, as we near the end of the first year of the new qualifications, this is an ideal time to reflect on and consider the experiences of the past year and to consider what help and advice we can provide to the system as it enters the next year.
"Everyone in Scottish education remains committed to ensuring that young people get the best possible qualifications and this group will be seeking to find out what might be done to support learners, teachers and parents next year and beyond."
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