With the advent of a new school curriculum, Scottish education is attempting a major shift of approach away from narrowly dissected attainment. It is seeking to foster personal capacities, integrate learning experiences and embed 21^st century modes of learning. The process itself is designed to be collaborative, as part of a visionary implementation strategy entitled building the curriculum. But in a major paper for the leading international journal of school evaluation Niall MacKinnon demonstrates how the current accountability system is frustrating the process. It is founded upon a schedule of graded audit indicators deriving from the former curriculum model.  The use of  these in ‘snapshot’ inspection audits is hindering the shift of approach, since they are based on a different underlying model of learning and imposing commentary which is misinterpreting the basis of incoming practice. This conflict is subverting the collaborative action implementation process of  the new framework.

The paper points to the route out of this impasse by shifting away from specifications and applying a different definition and model of evaluation. It demonstrates the need to focus on principles and purposes through formative assessment and systems thinking. This would enable local ownership of process,  essential for the initiative to succeed. The paper concludes with commentary from the journal editors setting this issue in a wider international context.

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