New Dutch and Mathematics learning targets become law as schools reopen

THE NETHERLANDS--Schools in the northern Netherlands are returning from the summer holidays under a new set of legally binding learning targets for Dutch language and mathematics, as the government moves to address declining basic skills among students.

The updated core curriculum objectives, known as kerndoelen, were written into law this month and establish more clearly what pupils are expected to know and be able to do in primary education and during the first years of secondary school.

The previous objectives had been in place since 2006 and faced criticism for being outdated, broad and insufficiently specific. Under the new framework, the number of objectives for Dutch has been reduced, but expectations have been defined in greater detail.

Literature will also have a clearer place within the curriculum, while language development is expected to extend beyond Dutch lessons and be incorporated into other subjects.

Junior Education Minister Judith Tielen has said the reforms are necessary because of the significant decline in basic language and mathematics skills among Dutch students.

The Netherlands was once considered one of Europe’s stronger performers in reading, but student performance has fallen considerably in recent years. Tielen recently informed MPs that no other European country had experienced a comparable decline in learning performance.

School inspectors have also repeatedly found that many children are not reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and basic mathematics.

The government has previously introduced measures aimed at reversing the decline. These included a basic skills masterplan launched in 2022 and a national program intended to help students recover learning lost during school closures associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Tielen, however, those initiatives have not produced the intended results. The government is now developing a new approach in which language development will receive greater priority.

Further changes to the national curriculum are also planned. Updated objectives for the remaining subjects are expected to become law next summer, including new curriculum areas covering digital literacy and citizenship.

Schools will have until 2031 to fully incorporate the revised objectives across all subjects into their teaching.

Education researcher Ilja Cornelisz of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam said setting ambitious learning objectives is important at a time when basic skills are under pressure, but warned that curriculum targets alone will not be enough to improve education.

He stressed that teachers will also need professional freedom, reliable knowledge and adequate support to translate the national goals into effective classroom teaching, while schools should retain flexibility in determining how those objectives are achieved.

The new Dutch and mathematics requirements mark the first stage of a broader curriculum overhaul aimed at strengthening basic skills and providing schools with clearer national expectations for student learning.

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