Connecting Steps Assessment Frameworks for Schools in Scotland

Connecting Steps has a range of assessment frameworks designed to fit alongside your school’s curriculum. Our frameworks work with a wide range or ages and abilities. Connecting Steps also has a range of specialist frameworks like Autism Progress.

Our Frameworks are split into 4 areas. Click on an area to find out more about the frameworks within:

• FREE frameworks
• Academic frameworks for students with ASN
• Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) frameworks
• Specialist assessment frameworks for students with ASN

FREE Frameworks

All our FREE frameworks can be activated on the Manage Assessment Frameworks screen in My BSquared.

SQA Nationals 1 – 6

We have created an extended structure for each of the National Standard Levels 1 – 6.

We have added over 100 different courses or modules to our extended structures. We have only added courses or modules that have been requested by schools. If you are running a course or module and it is not in the extended structure, please contact us and we will add it into the system.

The content is not broken down, it is as specified by the SQA. The SQA Nationals 1 – 6 content works really well with Evisense, our evidence system. With Evisense you can link evidence to the different criteria in the course or module. You can then create PDFs or print out all the evidence for a course or module for each child.

Education for Sustainable Development Goals

Based on guidance from the UN. A single level, covering all 17 areas. The content is split into cognitive learning objectives, socio-emotional learning objectives and behavioural learning objectives. 

Academic Frameworks for Students with ASN

Steps to Excellence

Using the experience and expertise of the teaching body at the two educational settings, we designed an assessment framework based on the CfE. The framework allows staff to use a common language of achievement throughout a child’s schooling. Teachers use this to support their robust assessment judgements and report on curriculum level achievement. Reinforced by a range of powerful reporting tools, this framework enables schools to represent detailed progress and achievement information to pupils, parents, staff, governors, local authorities and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). Steps to Excellence breaks down the content from the eight curriculum areas:

• expressive arts
• health and wellbeing
• languages
• mathematics
• religious and moral studies
• sciences
• social studies
• technologies

Steps to Excellence identifies success criteria to help learners achieve the benchmarks for across all levels of the CfE:

• pre-early (numeracy and literacy milestones)
• early level
• first level
• second level
• third level
• fourth level

Milestones

The Milestones assessment framework allows schools to show progress for pupils with complex needs working below Early level. Our Milestones content is organised in to the following areas;

• Communication
  • Attention Skills
  • Preference and Choice
  • Interaction
• Making Connections
  • Cognitive
• Self and Expression
  • Awareness
  • Regulation
• Functional Movement

Preparing for Adulthood Frameworks

Steps 4 Life

Steps 4 Life is our framework for pupils with ASN who are working towards independent living. It is primarily designed to be used from S4 onwards. Some individuals will be working towards independent living and employment while others will be working towards semi-independent living and others will be in supported living.

Steps 4 Life covers a wide range of areas and a wide ability range, it includes 7 levels below Entry level 1 which replace the old Milestones, Entry Levels 1, 2 and 3 and RQF Level 1 and 2.

The Steps 4 Life assessment content is available in 3 packs and covers the following areas:

Specialist Frameworks for Students with ASN

Autism Progress

Autism Progress is based on SCERTS. It is designed to be used alongside your academic assessment to help profile a pupil’s autism. Autism Progress has a set of progressive levels in the following areas of autism:

• Communication
• Flexibility of Thought
• Social Interaction
• Emotional Regulation

Each area goes from level 1 (around birth) to level 17 (early adulthood). A significant benefit of Autism Progress are the strategies that it contains, we have worked with experts to create a list of strategies for each area and each level to help support your students.