The Council for monitoring the implementation of education reform has adopted a position on the new format of the core curriculum. After analysing the comments and discussions at the meeting on February 19, the experts gave a positive opinion on the way in which the core curriculum, proposed by IBE PIB, should be constructed to facilitate changes in education. “This is a great day for Polish education, when we show that we can think about education together. This is a good prognosis for the changes to come,” assessed the Vice-Chairperson of the Council, Deputy Director of IBE PIB Dr. Tomasz Gajderowicz.
During the second meeting of the opinion-giving body of the IBE PIB director, experts presented recommendations on the direction of further work on the format of the core curriculum. In particular, the Council considered it necessary to increase the emphasis on shaping social and personal competences in the teaching of individual subjects and to distinguish in the core curriculum the categories of educational experiences that will help students better acquire knowledge.
The Council also recommends that the existing core curriculum for preschool education should remain the reference for the development of its new concept.
Further recommendations concern:
- ensuring consistency in the requirements for the various stages of learning
- developing clear guidelines for the level of detail in the requirements
- increasing the emphasis on developing pupils’ verbal communication skills.
Organisational changes, support materials, assessment beyond the core curriculum
The Council proposed dividing the construction of the core curriculum into three stages: grades I–III, grades IV–VI, grades VII–VIII. This separation of educational stages in primary school will, in the Council’s opinion, be beneficial for the quality and consistency of education.
In addition, the Council recommends the development of support materials that:
- compare the new core curriculum with the existing one
- make it easier for teachers to prepare curricula
- help experts evaluate teaching materials
In the opinion of the Council, this could facilitate the effective implementation of the new core curriculum into school practice.
The experts also call for the rules of assessment to be governed by a separate regulation, rather than being part of the core curriculum.
Today, something really big happened in education. The Council for monitoring the implementation of educational reform, which includes very diverse circles that usually argue with each other, today practically unanimously, with only three abstentions and no dissenting votes, adopted a position on changing the format of the entries in the core curriculum. This document is a guideline for textbook authors and teachers on what and how to teach. These changes go a long way towards achieving in practice the graduate profile, achieving proficiency.
About the Council
Operating at the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, the Council for Monitoring the Implementation of Educational Reform is a team of experts that evaluates and supports the process of changes in the educational system. It analyses the progress of reforms, makes recommendations and ensures that they are consistent with the needs of students and teachers. Its goal is to ensure the high quality of education and the effective implementation of new curriculum solutions.
The Council is made up of key representatives of the teaching community, academics, non-governmental organisations working on education, business and employer organisations, local government units, ministries and IBE PIB.