Certificate in Integrated Education

The suite of Integrated Education qualifications are derived from the international Acknowledging Creative Thinking Skills (ACTS) Project: a team of educators, especially Steiner Waldorf teachers, from around Europe and world who recognise that assessment by exams does not necessarily give an accurate or complete picture of students’ achievements and abilities.

Each module of this qualification is recognised by UCAS as equivalent to one GCSE. (IE Prinicples).

Module One: Independent Project

The  Independent Project module is modeled on the traditional Class 8 Projects, which are part of the Steiner Waldorf curriculum in many schools in the UK and worldwide, including Edinburgh Steiner School for the past 25 years.

The criteria for a successful applicant are the same as those for an excellent Class 8 project. Hence extra work should not be required of the pupil – just more rigour in submitting enough evidence of the process.

It is not only the final project which is important, but the thinking and doing process that leads to the result, and all this needs to be evidenced. Hence it is crucial that anyone considering joining the pilot take their journal very seriously and make regular reflective entries which will serve as evidence. Also it is crucial that they meet their mentor regularly and collect evidence in other ways: photos, videos, sketches, drawings, reports, conversations, lists and so on.

Module Two: Creative Thinking Skills

The CIE is also a recognition of the value of creative thinking skills – that is, taking skills, knowledge and experience from diverse subjects and settings, and applying them in other contexts and combinations. The second module is Creative Thinking Skills.

The Certificate can be done with the projects alone but it is quite possible that evidence from other subjects and lessons will be necessary to complete the second “Creative Thinking Skills” module. This can continue on into Class 9 – 10.

Its aim is to develop a suite of alternative qualifications that will give pupils the same passport to access further education and work as current national exams.