The benefits for centres and employers

The schools and colleges in which Appointees are employed benefit greatly from the experience and insight which Appointees gain in the course of their work for SQA.

At the most basic level, candidates who are taught by Appointees are certain to benefit from the increased knowledge and understanding which the teacher or lecturer will gain of assessment standards and of SQA procedures.

In addition, an Appointee's colleagues can learn, either informally or in formal training sessions, of important aspects of assessment as well as innovative approaches to the delivery of the curriculum.

For example:

Markers will consolidate and develop their assessment skills, and will gain from seeing different ways their subject is being taught across the country. They will be well placed to evaluate different approaches to teaching and assessment. They will also be able to pass on this knowledge and help their colleagues to apply the standards. All of this will help with the quality of the centre’s internal assessments and assessment decision-making. This will be particularly helpful with Estimates, Absentee awards and Appeals.

Examiners will gain further insights into the checks and balances of SQA's rigorous Quality Assurance procedures. They will become valuable resources for colleagues, candidates, parents and centres, by being able to explain and maintain national standards, and to recognise and remedy actual or potential deviations from national standards.

Verifiers (or Moderators, as they were called until recently) will develop the breadth and depth of their subject knowledge and will maintain up-to-date expertise in internal assessment. They are invaluable resources for colleagues and centres regarding innovation, creativity and variety in good professional practice, as well as in the explanation and maintenance of national standards.

Senior Verifiers and Principal Assessors have the vital task of maintaining standards, and frequently prepare responses to stakeholders' assessment queries or provide advice on strategic development. With their in-depth subject knowledge and substantial expertise in all aspects of assessment for SQA, they are an invaluable professional resource for colleagues and centres, and can share their experience with colleagues to improve professional performance across their own and other areas.

Release from work

For most traditional 'Home' Markers, release for a single day or half day to attend a Markers' Meeting is normally all that is required – usually at a relatively quiet time when many candidates are on exam leave.

For many other Appointees, the demand on centres' time can be greater (normally between five and 20 working days) and in recognition of this, compensatory payment is made for each working day an Appointee is released from a centre. (The figure is pegged to scale point 4 of the un-promoted teachers' salary scale from 2006/07 onwards.) Many Appointees also carry out SQA work in their own time, at evenings, weekends or during holidays. The exact mix is a matter for negotiation between all the parties concerned.

SQA recognises that releasing staff for a number of days to attend procedural meetings can cause difficulties for centres. Nevertheless, in addition to the benefits and advantages outlined above, centres should consider:

  • Without the services of our Appointees, we would not be able to deliver the assessment and certification for National Qualifications.
  • Extensive use is made by centres and local authorities of SQA results and component marks data in analysing trends and identifying possible development needs. Since the reliability of this information is entirely dependent on the work of Appointees at all levels, it is in everybody's interest that the most suitable people are available to carry out the work.
  • Development work such as that provided in SQA's Professional Development Workshops for Appointees is now recognised as an important feature of improving professional competence; the preparation and delivery of these events relies on the experience of exam team members and enhances their ability to offer similar development to colleagues at centre or even authority level.
  • When a centre has several Appointees, it improves the confidence of the other staff in the centre and reassures candidates and their parents of their overall professional competence. This 'halo effect' can be particularly marked where a centre has senior Appointees such as Examiners, Setters Principal Assessors or Senior Verifiers.
  • Appointees involved in work requiring release are typically giving up in addition large amounts of their own time (at weekends and during holidays); the burden is not just on the centres.
  • The feelings, expressed by so many Appointees, are that the work is refreshing and stimulating and that it makes them feel valued and will enhance their overall contribution to the work and atmosphere of the centre.