A level Mathematics 2013-14 in detail
September 2014: Submission of responses to Department for
Education and Ofqual consultations completing A level reform for
mathematics
ACME submitted responses in September 2014 to the
Department for Education subject content consultations for AS/A
level Mathematics and Further Mathematics and the
Ofqual consultation that had proposals on issues such as
assessment of mathematics. The Department for Education
consultation was informed by the ALCAB
panel discussions and the
report they published (see sidebar).
ACME's response to the AS/ A level Mathematics and Further
Mathematics subject content consultation can be found
here. The ACME response to the Ofqual consultation can be
found
here.
In order to facilitate discussions on these consultations
amongst the mathematics education community ACME convened a
roundtable on 28 August 2014 with representatives from across
mathematics education. ACME's response to the two consultations
therefore reflected on the advice of the Outer Circle aand also the
discussions at the A level round table.
In its responses ACME advised that many of the changes that were
proposed, such as including more problem solving and modelling in
teaching, would require significant investment in professional
development.
ACME also advised that care needed to be taken to ensure that
teachers and students do not perceive the new mathematics
qualifications as more difficult, which could have a potentially
detrimentally effect on AS/A level Mathematics and Further
Mathematics participation.
August 2014: ACME convened round table on A level reform
On 28 August ACME convened a round table for representatives
from the mathematics education community to enable discussion on A
level reform. The round table showed that there was a great deal of
agreement amongst those who participated as to what was needed for
successful A level reform. The group cautioned about the need for
good investment in professional development for teachers to ensure
that there were confident in teaching new material and teaching
this material in a new way, i.e. emphasising problem solving and
modelling. The participants also highlighted the need for great
care to be taken to ensure that that participation in A level
Mathematics and Further Mathematics was not detrimentally
affected.
July 2014: ACME statement on A level reform
Today the A level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB) published its report on the
content required in new AS/ A level Mathematics and Further
Mathematics. Consultations have also been published by the
Department for Education and Ofqual, looking at content and
assessment respectively.
ALCAB was established in late 2013 by the Russell Group
universities to provide advice on the core content requirements
considered desirable in A level facilitating subjects. ACME is
supportive of the transparency in the process that ALCAB undertook
in setting up the mathematics subject panel and its engagement with
the mathematics education community and other communities in
formulating its report. What the process showed was the coherence
of voices in mathematics with regard to A level content.
Professor Steve Sparks FRS, ACME Chair, reflected on some of the
concerns of
Professor Richard Craster, Chair of the ALCAB panel on
mathematics, such as potential threats to the uptake of further
mathematics and the need for changes to be implemented in a staged
manner to avoid decreases in uptake and continued scrutiny of A
level mathematics in the years ahead. He said:
The increase in numbers taking mathematics and further
mathematics in recent years has been a great success story. The
content of these subjects has been looked at in great depth by
ALCAB as was their remit. However, assessment and funding are just
as significant as content. The changes proposed may make A and A/S
level Further Mathematics less attractive to students and schools
and colleges. ACME will monitor the take-up of the new A levels
closely in case the recent strong increase in numbers should
reverse.
ACME has argued for retaining the transferability between AS/A
level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, to allow students who
are unsure about their chosen path to have a stepping stone between
qualifications. AS and A level qualifications have been decoupled,
which means that AS does not count towards A level but can be taken
as a separate qualification. Given that this is the case, it is
ever more important that the AS qualification is valuable and
valued by universities, as pointed out by Professor Nigel
Thrift, Chair of ALCAB and Vice-Chancellor of Warwick
University.
ACME supports the Government's policy goal of increasing the
number of students taking mathematics qualifications at A level.
ACME welcomed the delay in reforming mathematics until 2016 and the
importance that is attached by this Government to post-16
mathematics. However, in the future the curriculum should be
considered over a longer period than just six to eight months. High
performing jurisdictions take years to adjust their syllabuses and
consult widely, including with text-book authors to ensure
high-quality resources. A standing subject committee for
mathematics is needed to review curriculum and assessment across
all phases of education to ensure coherence in reform and to bring
transparency and expertise to all changes.
January 2014: Correspondence between Prof. Steve Sparks, ACME
Chair, and Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
for Education and Childcare
Prof. Steve Sparks wrote
to Elizabeth Truss on 9 January 2014 regarding A level reform of A
level Mathematics and Further Mathematics. A
response was received dated 30 January, which outlined the
Department for Education position on the review process, the role
of the A level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB), as well as the role
of the independent expert subject group, led by Charlie Stripp,
Chief Executive of Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI).
They outlined their plans to host a formal consultation on the new
A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics subject content
criteria in the summer and a parallel Ofqual consultation on the
new subject criteria assessment and other regulatory
arrangements.
January 2014: ACME's response to the Ofqual consultation on new
A level regulatory requirements
ACME published a
response to the Ofqual consultation on new A level regulatory
requirements in January 2014.
In this response, ACME set out:
- priorities and objectives of AS and A level qualifications in
mathematics
- the need to improve the validity of assessment at A level
- the need for flexibility within AS/ A level Mathematics and
Further Mathematics
- concerns with the timescales and transparency of the A level
reform process
- detrimental impacts that reform could have upon the uptake of
AS and A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics
December 2013: Department for Education consultation on 'New A
levels: subject content'
ACME published a
response to the
Department for Education consultation 'New A levels: subject
content', which was informed by Committee deliberations and
Outer Circle advice.
In the response, ACME:
- stressed the importance of coherence and transparency in reform
processes across all A level subjects
- underlined the need for qualification reform process in
mathematics looking at the qualification system as a whole,
including GCSE, Core Mathematics and A level qualifications
- cautioned about the potential detrimental effects that reforms
could have on the uptake of AS/A level Mathematics and Further
Mathematics
- welcomed the emphasis upon mathematical and quantitative skills
in the subject content of many A level subjects, but highlighted
the need for further reflection.
May 2013: Review of A level subject content
ACME responded to a letter regarding the
A level reform process. ACME's response can be found here. ACME has
submitted the following evidence
ACME offered to:
- meet with the Awarding Organisations to discuss the evidence
from their HE subject advisory groups before it is passed to the
review committee
- discuss with Ofqual the role ACME could play in its review
process
- advise the Department for Education on the risk to
participation in mathematics that may result from any changes to
the qualification system.
ACME received a
letter from Ofqual in response.
September 2012: ACME's response to the Ofqual Consultation on
A-level reforms
ACME responded to the
Ofqual Consultation on A-level reforms in September
2012. The response was informed by members of our
Outer Circle of advisers.
ACME's response can be found here.
Some arguments related to the process of reform were
highlighted:
- The Committee pointed to the need to ensure that the reform
process was considered and incremental.
- The need for National Subject Committees to facilitate HE
engagement was emphasised.
In relation to A level structure, the Committee highlighted the
importance of a modular structure. The Committee also emphasised
that rather than the core content being problematic, instead it was
the validity of assessment that needed to be looked at in more
detail.