A national curriculum is a common programme of study in

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...

s that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

. It is usually legislated by the national

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

, possibly in consultation with

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

or other regional authorities.

National curriculum assessment The National Curriculum assessment usually refers to the statutory assessments carried out in primary schools in England, colloquially known as standard attainment tests (SATs). The assessments are made up of a combination of testing and teacher ...

generally means testing of students as to whether they meet the national standards. Notable national curricula are: * Australian Curriculum is a planned curriculum for schools in all states and territories of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, from

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

Year 12 Year 12 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is sometimes the twelfth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-compulsory educ ...

. Its first stages were planned to start in 2013.ACARA: Australian curriculum
*

National Curriculum and Textbook Board The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) ( bn, জাতীয় শিক্ষাক্রম ও পাঠ্যপুস্তক বোর্ড) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education in Bangladesh, respo ...

for Bangladesh. * National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005) for India * in the United Kingdom: **

National Curriculum for England The National Curriculum for England was first introduced by the Education Reform Act 1988. At the time of its introduction the legislation applied to both England and Wales. However, education later became a devolved matter for the Welsh government ...

, in force in part since 2014 and in full since 2016 ** Northern Ireland Curriculum **

Curriculum for Excellence Curriculum for Excellence is the national curriculum for Scottish schools for learners from the ages 3–18. It was developed out of a 2002 consultation exercise – the 'National Debate on Education' – undertaken by the-then Scottish Execu ...

in Scotland **

National Curriculum for Wales (2008 to 2026) The National Curriculum for Wales may refer to; * National Curriculum for Wales (2008 to 2026) - the curriculum currently being phased out * Curriculum for Wales (2022 to present) - the curriculum currently being phased in {{Disambiguation ...

, in force since 1999 The United States notably does not have one. The establishment of a national curriculum was explicitly banned in 1965, in Section 604 of the

Elementary and Secondary Education Act The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-r ...

(since moved to Section 2302 and codified at ). This act provided federal funding for primary and secondary education ('Title I funding') as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's

War on Poverty The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a nationa ...

."The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 forbids federally determined curricula.
Hoover Institution – Daily Report Archives – Secretary Riley Reignites the Math Wars
However, most states in the United States voluntarily abide by the

Common Core State Standards Initiative The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, is an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conc ...

, which provides certain uniform standards. See

Education in the United States Education in the United States is provided in public and private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems and s ...

References

Curricula Former disambiguation pages converted to set index articles {{SIA

See also

References