Curriculum Standards

Helping Teachers and Students Meet Expectations

“Curriculum standards” is a term used in the education field to specify what students should know, understand and be able to achieve at each grade level. For example, first graders studying science should be able to collect and classify simple sets of data; they might be asked to group, identify, and label pictures of native animals and plants.

The Supreme Education Council's Education Institute has developed curriculum standards in four subjects: Arabic, English, mathematics and science. Other subjects will also be taught at the Independent Schools but may vary from one school to another.

These standards are internationally benchmarked, based on academic expectations of countries where students achieve at high levels. Students who meet the standards will be competitive for college admission and jobs throughout the world.

Provided they adhere to curriculum standards, Independent School administrators have considerable latitude in determining how teachers help their students learn, with the freedom of using a variety of materials and learning resources.

Each student’s mastery of the knowledge, concepts and skills will be evaluated through mandatory annual assessments. In fact, in spring, 2004 and 2005, 80,000 Qatari students participated in the first-ever assessments– one test each in Arabic, English, mathematics, and science. Assessments are not intended for determining promotion or graduation. Rather, the assessment provides educators, parents, and the government with a clear picture of educational progress.

Qatar will be the first to develop standards for Arabic language, setting an international precedent for others to follow.

What Curriculum Standards can achieve

Why Curriculum Standards are important

Integrating Curriculum Standards into Independent Schools

What can the Curriculum Standards achieve?

Arabic standards

The Arabic standards aim at enabling students to comprehend and communicate in the language effectively with emphasis on the importance of grammar in language teaching and learning, and application of the grammatical rules in written and spoken Arabic.

English standards

The aim of the English standards is to enable students to comprehend and communicate in the English language through listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Mathematics standards

The main objective of Mathematics standards is to allow students to become mathematically able to solve problems in many different contexts and environments. Students should experience the ways that mathematical approaches to issues and problems can help them think through topics and problems in their other classes

Science standards

The Science standards define what a student should understand and be able to apply as they grow towards scientific literacy. The guiding principle of these standards is the understanding of fundamental scientific principles, life, earth, space and physical sciences and the development of science-related and critical thinking skills. Top>>

Why Are Curriculum Standards Important?

Curriculum Standards promote:

Differentiated learning - Teachers can take the standards and develop suitable learning programs and tailor them to the needs of the individual student. They do not rely strictly on using specific text books but require diversifying learning resources. Materials available to the teachers can be used from all over the world and be adjusted so they reflect the standards and the learning needed to meet them. This provides greater flexibility and choice for the teachers to meet needs and generate materials that are of greater student interest.

Student-focused classrooms- Independent Schools mainly offer smaller class sizes with more personalized instruction and specialty programs. Many have strict disciplinary standards - and waiting lists. The curriculum in the Independent Schools makes a shift from the teacher and puts the student at the center of the learning process. Individualized teaching, group work and pair work is encouraged to improve the student’s understanding and engagement.

Active learning - Students are required to take an active role in learning through research, analysis, experimentations, collaborations and reflective thinking. The curriculum also encourages teachers to base instruction on real world situations, using authentic materials as much as possible.

Self-Assessment - Assessment will be a part of instruction and will help the students evaluate their own learning and rectify whenever necessary. Use of self evaluation tools are also encouraged to help students evaluate their own learning.

Universal skills - Students develop skills and knowledge needed to survive in the world they live in. International benchmarks ensure that students will have equal opportunities in admissions to competitive universities anywhere in the world.

Parental involvement and participation – Parents directly involved in their children education promote the social, emotional and academic growth of the children.

The SEC’s Education Institute supports the Independent Schools through

• professional development programs that provide the knowledge and skills that teachers need to make good decisions as well as development for teachers who require new skills for assessing student learning
• School Support Organizations that offer on-site hands-on support, produce illustrative material, allow venues for teachers to exchange experiences (Teachers Network) and encourage site visits by Curriculum standards specialists. Top>>

Integration of Curriculum Standards into Independent Schools

To ensure smooth incorporation of the curriculum standards into all the Independent schools, the Curriculum Standards Office prepared three key resources for teachers:

Curriculum Standards Implementation Guide

The guide is a detailed manual that explains the curriculum standards’ philosophy and principles and elaborates on how schools should use these standards in the classroom. It gives them practical ideas, suggestions and tools on how to implement the standards and how this implementation is interlinked with other aspects of the Education process like teacher roles, language policy and assessment.

Schemes of Work

The Scheme of Work for Grades 1-12 is a long-term plan to help schools and teachers understand the new curriculum standards in the four subjects. It enables teachers to translate these curriculum standards into coherent, manageable teaching units. Independent Schools may use as little or as much of it as they find helpful, and adapt them where appropriate to meet their students’ needs. The scheme of work shows how units and topics can be distributed within each grade and across grades in a sequence that promotes continuity and progression in students’ learning.

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans help teachers of the four subjects (Arabic, English, math and science) to translate the curriculum standards in these subjects into actual learning materials and teaching activities. The aim is to give teachers an idea on practical ways in which lessons can be structured. They give teachers some guidance on different ways of organizing a class so that students have balanced opportunities to work as a whole class, in teams, in small groups, in pairs or individually. They also provide teachers with a range of classroom techniques for eliciting, checking, correcting, monitoring and giving feedback. Top>>