‘Exactly what do you mean by consistency?’ Exploring concepts of consistency and standards in Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland

Scotland, in common with many other countries internationally, has paid considerable attention to the development of assessment for learning. Currently, schools in Scotland are engaged in a major programme of curriculum and assessment reform, entitled Curriculum for Excellence. As part of the reform process, there is concern amongst practitioners, researchers and policy-makers about ‘consistency’ and ‘standards’. In this article, we explore international issues of consistency and standards through a Scottish lens. In particular, we focus on how standards, and the idea of consistency of judgements and standards, are understood and applied in practice. We draw on international research and policy, and reflect on how that evidence relates to the findings from a recent government-funded research project in Scotland, ‘Assessment at Transition’. We conclude by identifying what the different communities need to do to help build an integrated, assessment-capable system that will be sustainable in the longer term.