At the end of November, the Ministry of Education announced changes to the Georgian national curriculum.
According to the changes:
What is meant by student-oriented, in-depth teaching and learning was clearly defined.
The principles, on the basis of which the teaching-learning results and intermediate learning goals are formed, were determined.
The principles, based on which teachers should conduct formative and formative assessment, were specified.
The function and importance of the school curriculum was specified.
The goals of the national curriculum were formulated in a new way (based on the national goals of general education, the framework of qualifications and the competences of the 21st century).
Newly formulated goals for each subject group according to the steps. Private schools were allowed to determine for themselves what subjects they teach (what learning outcomes they define) to achieve these goals.
Methodological recommendations were removed from the national curriculum (the third door, where advice was presented – how annual programs could be planned, was canceled).
Formative assessment components (classroom, homework, summative) and models were abolished. Schools themselves can create an original formative assessment system and principles, according to which the marks written in the school system will be converted into the 10-point system defined by the national curriculum.
Private schools are allowed to set thresholds for grades and not grades.
If a student has an annual grade point average below 5.0 in any subject in the class, the school is required to offer the student a remedial program prior to the fall exam.
A remedial program, in the form of a remedial and accelerated curriculum, should also be offered by the school to students who are out of school or at high risk of dropping out. The content of the curriculum is determined by the school itself based on the national curriculum.
The school itself can determine the school timetable with appropriate justification, taking into account the needs and interests of the students, as well as the human and financial resources of the school. The hourly grid given in the national curriculum is only a recommendation.
The functions of subject chairs and tutors are no longer described in the national curriculum. Schools can decide for themselves what functions the members of the school community will perform and what the structure of the school will be.
For foreign nationals enrolled in a foreign language program of a private school, the levels of state language teaching are determined according to the years of teaching (based on the common European language recommendation framework).
In the Georgian sector/school, the restriction for students representing ethnic minorities was removed, which implies the requirement to study the mother tongue in the case of 10 applicants. Therefore, individually, in the case of studying in the Georgian sector, each student will be given the opportunity to learn their native language.
It is worth noting that the rule for agreeing textbooks was also approved, on the basis of which private and public schools can use non-marked textbooks agreed with the Ministry in the educational process.
By Mariam Gorkhelashvili
