Resumen de The "Curriculum for Excellence": a major change for Scottish science education

Sally Brown

• The Curriculum for Excellence and new National Qualifications offer innovative reform, based on widely supported ideas and aims, for Scottish preschool, primary and secondary education levels. "Objectives and syllabuses" for science are replaced by "experiences and outcomes". Most strikingly, central prescription makes way for teacher autonomy in preparing young people to be responsible citizens as well as successful learners. This leads to diversity of provision and some uncertainties, with schools and parents recognising practical implementation problems. The success of the innovations should be enhanced by collaboration between different education sectors and the introduction of independent evaluation. The Government has, so far, resisted the latter.