Case study: Scotland

Scotland.s Adult Literacy and Numeracy (ALN) programme, initiated in
2001, is the responsibility of two Ministers . the Deputy Minister for
Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and the Minister for Communities. The
Scottish Executive.s Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning
Department (ETLLD) advises Ministers on policy for the ALN strategy and
support for the ALN Partnerships is provided through the Learning
Connections (LC) Adult Literacies Team. Lifelong learning for all is seen as
an important approach to community regeneration and social inclusion.
The Scottish ALN strategy places a strong emphasis on learner selfdetermination.
Learning is to be relevant to the individual.s lives as family
members, workers, citizens and lifelong learners. Learner goals are set out in
individual learning plans, and are balanced with learning goals set out in the
ALN Curriculum Framework. Formative assessment approaches are used to
track learner progress toward goals set out in the individual learning plan.
The case study also describes the ALN approach to summative
assessment and qualifications. There are no end ¡°tests¡± of either formal or
informal learning in the ALN programme. Rather, demonstration of the
achievement of these learning outcomes can be done in a range of settings
and contexts and, when all the outcomes are achieved, lead to a specific
qualification. The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework also sets
out a clear route for progression across all qualification levels that covered
both ¡°vocational¡± and ¡°academic¡± qualifications.
The three programmes featured in this case study show how the ALN
principles and approaches to formative assessment are being put into
practice in different settings. The first programme, Haven Products, Ltd.,
is set in a workplace in a rural area near Inverness. The second
programme, Jewel and Esk Valley College, is in a further education
college in Edinburgh, Scotland¡¯s capital. The third programme, Buddies
for Learning, is in a community-based setting in a disadvantaged housing
area on the outskirts of Renfrewshire, a densely populated area in central
Scotland. As the case study authors describe, all the providers face
somewhat different challenges in their practice.