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This article explores two case studies of the literacy practices of assessment in the vocational curriculum. Previous studies have identified learning in the vocational curriculum as being assessment-driven and that subjects often associated with limited levels of literacy actually require multiple literacy practices from students. Drawing upon studies of the literacy practices of assessment in the teaching of Hospitality, the study explores the academic and occupational forms of reading and writing required of students. These literacy practices are often invisible to both students and staff and yet are central to the success of students in relation to attainment. The article suggests that vocational subjects may actually be more demanding in the range of literacies required for assessment than is often considered to be the case. (Contains 1 figure.)

Free tuition in Scotland is frequently linked to principles of equal access and fairness. But just how 'fair' do young people think access to higher education is? And what concepts of fairness are their views based on? This article reports the findings of semi-structured interviews with 121 young people aged 15-18 in Scotland. The paper outlines the position of those who felt access was equal for all, where meritocratic ideas of hard work, motivation and individual ability were paramount, versus those who believed that access is inherently unequal and based on socio-economic background and school attended. The majority of young people conceptualised fairness on the basis of equality of procedure, with many perceiving contextual admissions to be an 'unfair' form of discrimination. Findings point to the need for better communication of the rationale behind contextual admissions and greater discussion of social justice issues in schools more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent worldwide trends in curriculum policy have re-emphasised the role of teachers in school-based curriculum development. Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence is typical of these trends, stressing that teachers are agents of change. This paper draws upon empirical data to explore school-based curriculum development in response to Curriculum for Excellence. We focus on two case studies – secondary schools within a single Scottish local education authority. In the paper we argue that the nature and extent of innovation in schools is dependent upon teachers being able to make sense of often complex and confusing curriculum policy, including the articulation of a clear vision about what such policy means for education within each school. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to achieve their desired aims, evidence-based, theory-driven drug education programmes need to be implemented as intended. Measurement of 'fidelity of implementation' is now included increasingly as part of programme evaluation, although measures and methods are sometimes limited. A more sophisticated approach to assessing implementation fidelity, based on Dane & Schneider's (1998) five dimensions, was used to examine the classroom curriculum element of the Blueprint programme. Blueprint was the largest and most rigorous evaluation of a multi-component drug prevention programme to date in the United Kingdom. Lessons were, overall, delivered with reasonable fidelity, although teachers did not always understand the thinking behind particular activities, suggesting that training needs to focus not only on content and methods but why particular approaches are important. Different dimensions of fidelity could conflict with one another: under pressure of time, generic elements and processes designed to reflect on learning were sometimes sacrificed in order that core drug education activities could be completed. Future drug education curricula need to build in more flexibility for discussion without compromising core evidence-based elements. Even with substantial training and support, individual variations in delivery were found, although few differences were found between teachers with prior expertise and teachers new to drug education. The methods and measures applied in the Blueprint study all represent attempts to improve on previous measures in terms of both reliability and sensitivity. In this respect the Blueprint study represents a valuable contribution to the science of implementation fidelity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]