Proposal for a Curriculum Review Cycle Fitting the Moldovan Context

Executive summary

The Republic of Moldova considers education a national priority. The launch of the Education Development Strategy 2030 in 2023 renewed momentum for education reform in Moldova. The Strategy calls for a comprehensive curriculum review to ensure students develop the competencies needed for success in the 21st century. It also emphasises the need to strengthen system capacity for curriculum design and implementation so that high-quality curriculum resources translate into meaningful change in classroom practice.

This report provides analysis and recommendations for Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research (MoER) to consider as it puts this strategy into action. It was prepared by the OECD under the EU-funded technical assistance project “Support for the review of Moldova’s school curriculum”. It presents a proposal for a curriculum review cycle that reflects good practice internationally and fits the Moldovan context. Drawing on international research and experience, as well as Moldova’s own efforts in curriculum reform it addresses six key questions for designing and implementing a curriculum review. The proposal was presented to the MoER and the by the ministry-established Curriculum Working Group, allowing for validation and refinement based on their feedback.

What are the main purposes of the curriculum review?

• The MoER should clearly define and prioritise the key purpose(s) of the curriculum review to ensure focus and to align ambitions with the education system’s capacity for curriculum design and implementation.

• The MoER should consider making the improvement of curriculum resource quality a key purpose of the current curriculum review. Enhancing the rigour, focus, coherence and clarity of subject curriculum frameworks and other curriculum resources could significantly increase their quality and usability.

• The MoER should ensure strong leadership to determine and prioritise the purpose(s) of the review.

What is the scale of the review?

• Moldova should consider adopting a sequential approach to curriculum review by levels of education. This would make the process more manageable than an integrated review, improve quality assurance, and spread costs over time — an important consideration given limited resources.

• Ad hoc, subject-based curriculum reviews could still be allowed when necessary. As Moldova strengthens its curriculum monitoring and evaluation, emerging evidence may justify timely, targeted revisions to specific subjects without waiting for the full review cycle to conclude.

What are the main curriculum outputs of the review?

• Moldova should define the main curriculum outputs at the start of the review cycle to focus and plan the review effort.

• For the current curriculum review, Moldova should simplify and clarify the subject curriculum frameworks, and develop separate, non-mandatory pedagogical guidelines and assessment guidelines.

• Digital curriculum resources should form an integrated part of Moldova’s curriculum review cycle and action plan.

How should the curriculum review cycle be planned and operationalised?

• Moldova’s curriculum review cycle should ensure ample time and other resources for activities that support curriculum analysis and planning, redesign, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

• Moldova should develop a costed action plan covering the entire curriculum review cycle to guide the process and monitor progress against review purposes and milestones.

• Moldova should continue to engage in expert consultations for the redesign of curriculum resources and their piloting in future curriculum review cycles.

• The MoER should establish a rigorous quality assurance process for all new draft textbooks, which may require updating current approval procedures to ensure a robust review. To expand the pool of qualified developers, the MoER could open the competitive textbook development and publishing process to international providers.

• The MoER should ensure student assessments and examinations are aligned with the curriculum. It should consider:

  • Develop and implement the planned online student assessment platform, ensuring it captures 21st-century competencies embedded in the curriculum, such as digital literacy, critical thinking and creativity.

  • Investing in capacity development and communication activities, targeting teachers, school leaders, students and parents, to promote the effective use of the online assessment platform.

  • Developing and disseminating a coherent national assessment framework that integrates the various assessment instruments and ensures their alignment with the intended learning outcomes of the curriculum.

• Curriculum-based professional development initiatives should form the core of the implementation phase. The mentor system, a large-scale professional development initiative, has significant potential to help teachers improve their practice in line with the new curriculum. To address concerns regarding consistency of mentor quality, Moldova should consider:

  • Establishing clear expectations for mentors and ensuring a consistent selection process.

  • Providing continuous training and self-learning resources to ensure all mentors have a deep understanding of the new curriculum and possess the skills to support teachers in adapting their teaching.

• The measures MoER has taken to strengthen curriculum monitoring and evaluation should be sustained and built upon in future curriculum review cycles.

• While recognizing that monitoring and evaluation serve multiple purposes – throughout the entire curriculum review cycle, Moldova should initiate the monitoring of curriculum implementation early in the implementation phase to identify good practices and enable timely adjustments.

What could be the duration of the review cycle?

• The MoER could consider establishing a curriculum review cycle lasting approximately 10 years. However, a flexible approach is advisable. A slightly longer cycle may be appropriate for lower secondary education than for primary and upper secondary levels if a grade-by-grade curriculum roll-out is maintained. More complex and ambitious curriculum reviews may likewise warrant longer cycles.

How should the review process be governed?

• The MoER should consider establishing a curriculum review body. A semi-autonomous body could provide a neutral platform for curriculum analysis and design, helping to manage the often-political nature of curriculum reform and enhance quality assurance of curriculum resources. The MoER would retain responsibility for the overall vision, goals, and implementation of the review, while the new body would focus on analysis, curriculum redesign, and planning support. The body could be hosted by the National Agency for Curriculum and Evaluation (NACE) or the National Institute for Education and Leadership.

• Moldova should continue a strong stakeholder process in future curriculum reviews as this can help enhance their understanding of the desired curriculum changes and support for the curriculum review process.