Introduction Quality students as a result of quality

learning are not possible without high quality curriculum.

Current quality curricula in the world are competency-based.

Competences and standards have become a must because the new trend in curriculum design worldwide is “ competence and standard-based curriculum” and “ content and knowledge-based curriculum”

1. Competences

What are competences?

Emphasize life skills and evaluate mastery of those skills according to actual leaner performance.

Competences consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours required for effective performance of a real-world task or activity.

Competences describe the student’s ability to apply basic and other skills in situations that are commonly encountered in everyday life.

It is defined as “ A measurable pattern of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviours, values and other characteristics that individual needs to perform successfully”.  

Competences specify the “HOW” of performing job tasks , or what the person needs to do the job successfully.

Competences

Attitudes KnowledgeSkills

They enable Students to effectively perform activities to the standard expected .

They provide a framework for distinguishing between poor performances and exceptional performance.

Competency Based Education (CBE)

AssessParticipant

Needs

EvaluateCompetencyAttainment

SelectCompetencies

TargetInstruction

Kuwait National Curriculum

is based on the competences children and students aged 3 to 18 are supposed to acquire and the learning achievement standards that indicate to what extent this process effectively happens over the school years and/or at different stages of the process.

What type of Curriculum is the Kuwait New National Curriculum?

The Kuwait National Curriculum operates with three types of competences:

Key Competences

General Competences

Specific Competences

What are the Competences?

key competences(NON-SUBJECT )specific

represent a transferable, multifunctional package (system) of knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, beliefs, and personal/social attributes that all individuals need to acquire for their personal development, inclusion and employment

(i.e. for being successful in their personal and social life, as well as in their professional career).

key competences are supposed to be achieved by the end of the Secondary Education period. They are cross-curricular (i.e. non-subject specific), transferable and multifunctional competences – so that, in principle, all subjects can/should contribute to their development.

What are the Key Competences?

The Key Competences students should master by the end of Grade 12 are:

1. Islamic Religious and Ethical Competences2. Communicative Competences in Arabic Language3. Communicative Competences in English and other

Foreign Languages4. Mathematical Competences5. Social and Civic Competences6. Scientific, Technological and Digital Competences7. Personal Development and Learning to Learn

Competences8. Life and Work, Economic and Financial Competences

Key Competences by the end of Grade 12

What are the General Competences? As compared to the key competences

General competences are subject-specific.

They define the most general subject-based knowledge, skills and attitudes/values embedded/integrated in students’ expected outcomes by the end of Grade 12.

General competencies developed through the study of English Listening to oral messages by means of different

strategies in a variety of contexts for effective comprehension

Speaking by using strategies of individual and interactive speech in a variety of communicative contexts

Reading and viewing a range of texts by means of different strategies in a variety of contexts

Writing a range of texts adapted to a variety of communicative purposes

Examples of general competencies:

Specific Competences The specific competences are structured and developed in students during a school year. As compared to the General Competences: Specific Competences define more specific systems of integrated knowledge, skills and attitudes/values. They can even cover specialized, topic-based competences students are supposed to display by the end of each grade.

The specific competences are clustered in the following four dimensions:

A range of realities specific to the subject (knowledge); A range of operations (skills and strategies) A range of personal and social responses (attitudes, values) A range of connections with other subjects and domains.

What are the Specific Competences?

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Specific competences

2. Speaking by using strategies of individual and interactive speech in a variety of communicative contexts

A range of language realities 

2.1 .Using simple words, expressions and sentences to express themselves about self, family, food and other items in small conversations or individual speech A range of operations 

2.2 .Responding to simple communicative situations in mini dialogues related to everyday topicsA range of attitudes

2.3 .Building up positive personal motivation to speak with peers and adults using simple phrases and sentences

A range of connections 2.4.Using the knowledge and abilities acquired in other

subjects when producing sounds of English or speaking about their family or school  

Overview of the specific competences for English – Grades 1 to 5

SACK

Specific Competences

Competences

knowledge Skills

They enable Students to effectively perform activities to the standard expected

They provide a framework for distinguishing between poor performances and exceptional performance

Connections Attitudes

The main idea of competency-based curriculum illustrates: 1. Instead of objectives, think “competencies”;2. Instead of content, think outcomes;3. Learner activities will be based on performance of learner and accomplishment of criteria;4. Teaching activities are learner centered;5. Formative evaluation is necessary.

Competency-based Curriculum

Competency-Based Disciplined-Based Content

Objectives Norm referenced grade

Subjective assessment Teacher centered Passive Learning

Pedagogy Summative evaluation Instructional delivery

Knowledge/theory focus Structural /process focus

Assessed by counting Exposed to specific content

for pre- assigned time

Compare and contrast discipline based and competency-based curriculum design

Competency-Based Disciplined-Based Outcomes Content

Competencies Objectives Criterion referenced grade Norm referenced grade

Objective assessment Subjective assessment Learner centered Teacher centered

Integrated learning Passive Learning Andragogy Pedagogy

Formative formulation Summative evaluation Learner performance Instructional delivery

Skills/performance focus Knowledge/theory focus Outcomes focus Structural /process focus

Assessed by performance Assessed by counting Time and sequence derived

by assessment Exposed to specific content

for pre- assigned time

Compare and contrast discipline based and competency-based curriculum design

Listening Competences

I. General Competences:1. Learners develop applying skills and strategies for

listening to information in a variety of situations communicated from a variety of sources and speakers for specific purposes.

II. Specific competences: 1.1 Learners will listen attentively to gain, comprehend,

interpret and communicate information.

1.2 Learners will listen and respond to instructions to finish a variety of tasks.

1.3 Learners will apply skills and strategies of the process

of listening to build up comprehension to listened-to-text.

• Learning objectives should be specific, measurable statements and written in behavioral terms. In short, objectives say what we want the learners to know and competencies say how we can be certain they know it.

Learning objectives

• Competencies are identified behaviours, knowledge, skills, and abilities that directly and positively impact the success of " employees and organizations" . Competencies can be objectively measured, enhanced, and improved through coaching and learning opportunities.

Competencies

Competencies Versus Learning Objectives

Competences and ObjectivesHow are they different?Specificity Learning

LevelsMeasurement

Objectives Usually several are identified for a course however, one or more can be identified for a lecture (or a specific learning activity).

Can reflect low or high level learning.

Student achievement regard the objective should be measured.

Competence Usually stated as student will be competent to (verb) . . . Or demonstrate competence in (verb) . . .

Usually reflect higher level learning

Student achievement regarding the competence is always measured

2- Standards

Standards

Standards are statements about what is valued IN LEARNING.They describe expectations and are used to judge the level of performance in a field or domain.

An operational decision, requirement or regulation related to the quality level to be achieved by a certain aspect of the education system”, (in our case, student’s learning)

Standards are the WHAT of education while curriculum and instruction are the HOW.”

The need for standards. Why?

Clarify expectations for the expected results and performance. Help educators plan and carry out instruction and assessment. Provide a clear focus. Are a tool for accountability and quality assurance. Promote equity :every student can achieve high results. Ensure quality instruction through professional development. Provide guidance for teachers. Provide common criteria to assess learning and professional

performance. Standards are useful to establish criteria for selection, for

certification and for recognition of high levels of performance.

Kinds of Standards in

KNC

CurriculumStandards

PerformanceStandards

Performance standards They refer to the quality level to be achieved by students’ in

performing their general competences by the end of each of the school stages – i.e. Primary, Intermediary, and Secondary. The measurement of the performance standards is a matter of different forms of national summative assessments or examinations.

Curriculum standards They refer to the quality level to be achieved by students in

attaining the specific competences. Curriculum standards describe to what extent the specific competences should be achieved by the end of each grade. In the Kuwait Curriculum, curriculum standards are related to specific competences defined in the subject curriculum. Curriculum standards are a matter of school- and class-based formative and summative assessment.

Performance Standards

 General

Competences

 Performance Standards

1. Listening to oral messages by means of different strategies in a variety of contexts for effective comprehension

 

By the end of grade 5, students who have fully developed their competence to listen to oral messages by means of different strategies in a variety of contexts for effective comprehension, as described in the primary curriculum, are able to: Understand simple, standard speech when spoken slowly, clearly

and carefully articulated; Understand everyday English language expressions and

recognize familiar words, basic phrases concerning themselves, their family, and school, simple facts about their country and immediate concrete surroundings or needs when people speak slowly and clearly and include pauses to allow them to get the meaning;

Identify the topic of discussion when it is conducted slowly and clearly and catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements;

Understand simple directions and instructions to fulfill a variety of tasks.

 

Performance standards

By the end of grade

12

By the end of

grade 9

By the end of

grade 5

Measurement Process

ELT General Supervision

General Competences/strands

Specific Competences/Sub-strands

Examples of Learning activities Curriculum standards

1 2 3 4

II. Listening to simple language forms in a variety of contexts

1. A range of language realities

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Can react appropriately to a spoken massage

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Standards Table

General Competences / strands

Specific Competences/Sub-strands

Examples of Learning activities

Curriculum standards

1 2 3 4

Listening to simple language forms in a variety of contexts

2. A range of operations 2.1. Using what is already known to understand a text.3. A range of personal

responses

3.1 Listening respectfully to other

speakers…………

4. A range of connections -Math : -Music :

-Science : -Social studies :

Religion :

Performance Standards measure how

well a student's work meets the content standard. A performance standard has levels (4,

3, 2, and 1; or advanced, proficient, novice, and basic) and frequently examples of student work are provided for each level.

Performance Standards

ELT General Supervision

III.STANDARDS STANDARDIZING MEASURING

Achievement standards by the end of grade 5

Levels of achievement1 2 3 4 5

ENGLISH1.1.1.1.1.2.

1.1.3.

S1.3.1 read information texts (e.g.observation reports explanation, instructions, and process narrative) (a) about 7 lines (b) about a certain topic from the text book (c) using reading strategies learned in grades 1-5 ( d) in not more than 3 minutes

D1 The student reads with great difficulty a simple text ; about a)about 7 lines b) about certain topic from the text book c)not using any reading stretgies learned in previous grades , with no concentration d)in more than 6 Minutes

D2 The student reads with difficulty an information text(e.g.simple text (a) about 7 lines (b) about a certain topic from the text book (c) unable to use reading strategies learned from grades 1-5 ( d) in more than 5 minutes

D3 The student reads with some difficulty an information text(e.g.explanation, instructions, ) (a)about 7 lines (b) about a certain topic from the text book (c) using some of the reading strategies learned from grades 1-5 ( d) in about 5 minutes

D4 The student reads accurately to some extent an information text(e.g.explanation, instructions, and process narrative) (a)about 7 lines (b) about a certain topic from the text book (c) using reading strategies learned from grades 1-5 ( d) in not more than 4 minutes

D5: The student fluently and accurately reads an information text(e.g.explanation, insitructions, and process ,narrative) (a)about 7 lines (b) about a certain topic from the text book and other texts (c) using reading strategies learned from grades 1-5 ( d) in less than 3 minutes

General Competencies

To be achieved by the end of grade 12

subject specific

Specific Competencies

To be achieved by the end of each

grade

Performance

standardsLevel of

achievement by the end

of each stage5,9,12

Curriculum standards

Key CompetenciesTo be achieved by the end of grade 12- cross

curricula

Performance indicators are concrete measurable performances students must meet as indicators of

achievement. They are developed from program

outcomes. They are used by an organization to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity in which it is engaged.

3.Performance Indicators

Examples of Performance Indicators:Increase in rate of learners' success not less than 75% in the three stages of education.50% reduction in number of repeatersParticipation of 90% of gifted and talented learners in the approved annual competitions

An outcome is a desired state of well-being - a set of conditions, experiences or behaviours – that is the goal for change or improvement. They are anticipated or achieved results of programmes or the accomplishment of institutional objectives, as demonstrated by a wide range of indicators (such as student knowledge, cognitive skills, and attitudes)

4. Performance Outcomes

Students will comprehend and communicate orally, using

English vocabulary for personal, social, and academic

purposes. Students will acquire English vocabulary and apply knowledge

of correct syntax to comprehend written text. Students will write in English for a variety of purposes with

clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.

4. Outcomes

e.g.

CBLT is gaining strength internationally. As Rylatt and Lohan said:

“It can confidently be said, as we enter a new millennium, that improving learning competencies and skills will remain one of the world’s growing concerns and priorities’’.

CONCLUSION