Functional+Skills+in+ICT

The functional skills vision for ICT
The introduction to Functional skills standards: ICT (QCA, June 2007) states that: //‘The term functional should be considered in the broad sense of providing candidates with the skills and abilities they need to take an active and responsible role in their communities, in their everyday life, in their workplace and in educational settings. Functional information and communication technology (ICT) requires learners to be able to use technology in ways that make them effective and involved as citizens and able to operate confidently in life and work in a wide range of contexts.//

The standards for functional ICT
The aim of the ICT standards is to encourage people to demonstrate their ICT skills in a range of contexts and purposes. They are essentially concerned with developing and recognising the ability of learners to apply and transfer skills in ways that are appropriate to their situation.

The standards for functional ICT are set out in a document published by QCA that covers the levels from Entry 1 to Level 2. The main body of the document sets out the standards for the following three components at each level:
 * Use ICT systems
 * Find and select information
 * Develop, present and communicate information

The standards themselves are laid out in tabular form with:
 * the level
 * the skill standard – this is the crucial statement and should be the overall focus of teaching and learning
 * the coverage – this indicates the technical demand of the ICT skills and techniques that are likely to be used by learners performing at that level. Learners at a particular level should also be able to do everything expected in the coverage specified in the earlier levels
 * examples/applications that ground the statement of the skill standard in specific aspects of ICT.

Progressing through the levels
The level of functional ICT – as with the other functional skills – is determined by a combination of:
 * the //complexity// of the situation
 * the //familiarity// to the learner of the situation
 * the //technical demand// of the skill required
 * the //independence// of the learner in identifying

The standards for ICT can be found on pages 27-45 within the revised [|QCA functional-skills standards.pdf].

**Summative assessment in ICT**
An overview of what summative assessment is on offer for Functional ICT is provided here, courtesy of John Pering. [|FS ICT Awarding Bodies.xls].

Teaching and learning resources to support functional ICT
The Secondary National Strategy has the remit to support the QCA functional skills pilot and the resources it has produced to support the 4 Day CPD can be downloaded here.

A useful resource for supporting functional ICT can be found in the QIA document [|T&FunctionalLICT.pdf]