1. An Introduction to the Curriculum Standards Dr Jan Wilson Acting Director of the Curriculum Standards Office

2. Overview of this presentation  The reform  Background to the Standards  Structure & components of the Standards  Role of the Curriculum Standards Office

3. The Reform – Education for a New Era  Qatar has embarked on comprehensive programme of reforms, educational, social, financial & economic and political  Qatar has the goal to become the leading nation in education in the Middle East and one of the key educational players in the world  Qatari students will have access to world standard education at school which will give them access to higher education within the world’s most prestigious universities

4. The four principles of Education for a New Era – these underpin all aspects of the educational reform process  Autonomy: schools are publicly funded but independently run by Principal/Operators, subject to contracts  Accountability: objective and transparent assessment system that holds schools responsible for students’ success – Evaluation Institute  Variety: different kinds of schools and instructional programmes  Choice: over time parents will be able to select the schools that best fit their children’s needs

5. Background  The curriculum standards are goals for students’ learning, based around the principles of the Reform;  They set out what Qatari students should know, understand and be able to do by the end of each grade from K to Grade 12;  They are intended to help each Independent School to plan its curriculum, to guide writers of teaching and learning materials and to inform the design of tests and examinations.

6. The standards cover 4 subjects at this time  Arabic  English  Mathematics  Science  The schools also use the Ministry of Education’s guidelines for Social Studies, Islamic Studies and Information Technology whilst these are being devised and designed by the CSO during this academic year

7. The Curriculum Standards are made up of:  The standards for English, Arabic, Mathematics, Science  The Schemes of work  The Lesson Plans  Training materials for SSO’s and schools to use for school-focused professional development

8. The Curriculum Standards have been designed to:  Assist students to develop a high degree of competence in the subject;  Ensure that students can benefit from higher education;  Meet international benchmarks and standards;  Retain the feeling of identity with Qatar and a deep understanding of Qatar’s traditions, achievements and culture.

9. The standards from K to G9 are for all students and are structured into strands for each subject:  Arabic & English – word knowledge, listening & speaking, reading & writing;  Mathematics – reasoning & problem solving, number & algebra, geometry & measures, data handling;  Science – scientific enquiry, physical processes, life science, materials, Earth & space.

10. The standards for grades 10 to 12 follow 2 different pathways  All students continue to study four subjects but not necessarily at the same depth or level.  The standards are at two levels – Foundation and Advanced:  Foundation – revision and consolidation of standards for earlier grades as well as some new material;  Advanced – cover the foundation standards as well as learning more complex skills and knowledge

11. The strands of a given subject do not necessarily involve equal amounts of teaching time, and are not necessarily given equal emphasis in the national tests.

12. For example: the English standards assume that the approximate time needed to teach them in a school year of around 900 hours is as follows:  grades 1 to 6  grades 7 to 9  grades 10 to 12 advanced  grades 10 to 12 foundation 16 to20% of overall teaching time of 900 hours about 145 – 180 hours per year 16 to20% of overall teaching time of 900 hours about 145 – 180 hours per year 13 to 15% - 13 to 15% - (120 – 135 hours per year) (120 – 135 hours per year) 15 to 16% (135 – 145 hours per year) 15 to 16% (135 – 145 hours per year) 10% of overall – (90 hours per year) 10% of overall – (90 hours per year)

13. The standards are made up of:  The standards themselves – which are illustrative statements that aim to provide enough detail to give teachers a clear understanding of :  What students should learn by the end of each grade in each of the four subjects;  The emphasis to be placed on higher order skills, such as critical thinking, enquiry, reasoning and problem solving.

14. The standards are illustrated with examples to show what is expected  The examples should help teachers to interpret the standards and to develop their own lesson plans, resources and assessment materials.  Notes in the margin are also intended to help teachers to interpret the standards. For example a margin note might add further detail about what to include or not or refer to a linked standard  The standards also have end of grade descriptors, which can be used to support both formative and summative assessment and illustrate the scope and sequence of the subject.

15. The mathematics and science standards are provided in both Arabic and English versions Mathematics and science are expected to be taught through the medium of the English language

16. The Arabic standards are provided in Arabic & the English standards are provided in English  The spelling conventions adopted in the English standards, and the English versions of the mathematics and science standards, are based on standard British English (NOT USA standards)

17. The standards are intended to help schools to meet students’ learning needs but are not, in themselves, a syllabus.  There are no prescribed teaching methods or text books or work sheets;  There are no prescribed methods of assessing and recording students’ progress. The only requirements on Independent Schools is that every student participates in the national tests based on the standards, that they implement the standards and carry out formative assessments.

18. Schemes of work  Decisions about how best to teach the curriculum standards are left to schools – therefore there is no requirement to use the schemes of work, however:  The SoW provide a long term plan to help schools to achieve the aims of the curriculum standards; they interpret the standards and translate them into coherent, manageable teaching units – typically of 5 to 10 hours of work.

19. Schemes of work  Indicate the number of teaching hours or lessons for each unit;  Order the units across the two semesters – so that they build on preceding work, link with other units and prepare students for the next grade,  Develop sufficient detail in each unit for teachers to be able to create their lesson plans from it.

20. Sample Lesson Plans  These are teaching notes for one or more lessons, showing how the work will unfold to achieve its intended objectives;  They are developed to match individual class requirements – e.g. students’ differing abilities and the resources available;  Typically lesson plan will:

21.  Indicate the objectives for the lesson or block of lessons;  Stress the relevant vocabulary, skills and language structures associated with the work of the unit;  Outline the lesson in stages and show how work will be developed from teaching input to learning output, with suggestions for differentiation where appropriate;  Indicate how lessons will be summarised and rounded off;  Indicate/suggest what homework will be set;  Identify links with other subjects;  Refer to relevant resources, such as audio visual equipment;  Include where relevant – worksheets, answer keys, cues for oral practice, etc.

22. It is expected that each school will:  Develop its own policies for lesson planning, teaching and learning, and assessment – so that as many of its students as possible achieve the standards expected for their grade, (based on the guidance and advice from the CSO).  Select the very best resources (including textbooks, worksheets & cards, equipment & manipulatives) to suit the needs of its students.  Appoint a subject coordinator for every subject.  Appoint an assessment coordinator, individual needs coordinator and a professional development coordinator.

23. The Curriculum Standards Office  Provide advice, support and guidance on the selection and use of resources – a new handbook of guidance on “Resources to Support Curriculum Standards” will be circulated to schools in the next two weeks.  Provide a range of practical workshops for subject coordinators and teachers;  Coach, mentor, assist and guide teachers and coordinators through a programme of school visits;

24. Provide policy frameworks for  Assessment;  E-education;  Individual needs;  Teaching and learning;  Performance management of teachers;  School self review  And the implementation of the curriculum standards.

25. The Curriculum Standards Office are responsible for:  Ensuring that all schools are in compliance with the Curriculum Standards;  Monitoring the quality of the work of the subject AT’s in each SSO team;  Monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching, learning, standards of student progress and the implementation of the curriculum standards;  Developing new/additional standards for other subjects.

26. Key areas for you to develop in your school  Improving teachers’ planning, standards of teaching, their ability to use a range of teaching methods, assessment and differentiation;  Improving classroom organisation and management;  Enabling teachers to become more interactive and creative in their teaching and the learning that they aim to deliver;  Developing teachers’ subject knowledge;  Moving the focus away from the repetition of knowledge to the development of skills, critical thinking, problem solving and understanding.

27. Key areas that the curriculum standards team are working on:  Improving the quality of the teachers’ confidence and ability to use English as the medium of instruction in math and science;  Integration between subjects;  Planning and assessment;  Differentiation;  Meeting individual needs;  Improving use of ICT as a tool and a subject;  Developing standards for Islamic Studies, Social Sciences and ICT;  The type, range and use of resources to support effective teaching and learning.

28. We are there to help Just contact any of the subject specialists or coordinators if you have queries, questions or need our assistance. We share the same core goal – to improve the quality of teaching and learning and therefore, the standards of student achievement. THANKYOU