Page 98 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

APPENDIX B 83

Table 1 The First Four QCA Standards

The QCA standards are grouped in 12 Areas of Study, out of which a number are selected,
depending on the level (AS, AS2, or A-level). One standard is provided for each level. The
terminology used is limited to “understand,” “investigate,” “select,” “read,” “evaluate,” “apply,”
and “identify.” Note that the often-used word “understand” is not very operational, that is, it
does not provide clues as to how to assess it. “Understanding”' is an inner or tacit quality of a
person that must somehow be made external.

The subject criteria are elaborated in the syllabi produced by the commercial providers of exam
materials, such as the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA). In the AQA materials, we
find tables titled “Assessment Evidence,” which describe actions candidates must be able to
perform (“At this level candidates have . . .”). This resembles what are called standards in the
United States. All of these actions are described for three “bands” that show increasing levels of
competence. In general, verbs are used to indicate actions that candidates should be able to
perform. Although the AQA material does not exactly follow the 12 Areas of Study in the QCA
document, there is a close resemblance.

In the Edexcel material, we find another list of areas of study, here called “units”: Engineering
Materials, Processes and Techniques; The Role of the Engineer; Principles of Design, Planning
and Prototyping; and Applied Engineering Systems. Similar to the AQA, Edexcel also provides
tables with “assessment criteria” arranged in three bands, or levels. In the language, we find

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