Combining international standards with local relevance in Oman to raise standards in Mathematics and Science
Simple in concept, difficult in practice, contextualisations need an exceptionally high degree of organisation if they are to satisfy all stakeholders and arrive in the classroom on time. The strategies employed by Cambridge created high-quality books for Oman and ensured that they are properly used and understood by the wider community.
Background
The Oman Ministry of Education (MoE) aims to transform the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in state schools by incorporating international best practices and modern pedagogy, while reflecting Oman’s distinct culture and values.
Cambridge’s response to the challenge
Cambridge worked closely with specialists from the MoE, tackling multiple areas of reform, including:
Curriculum
- Adapting the Cambridge Primary, Lower Secondary, and IGCSE curriculum for Science and Mathematics
Teaching and learning materials:
- Adapting the Student Books, Workbooks, and Teacher’s Guides to the new curriculum and translating them into Arabic, to embed the Omani context, culture, and values.
- Designing test specifications and developing sample test papers based on the curriculum, teaching and learning materials
Teacher training:
- Providing capacity development training for the MoE’s assessment team to support them in coordinating and quality assuring the writing of test papers.
- Providing professional development for the MoE’s team of supervisors to change the approach in classroom practice, embedding active learning and promoting the development of scientific inquiry skills and mathematical problem-solving skills
Assessment:
- Designing test specifications and developing sample test papers based on the curriculum, teaching and learning materials.
Stakeholder engagement:
- Designing a multi-channel communications strategy and providing content for a website hosted by the MoE to help explain the rationale for the change and answer common questions from principals, teachers, and parents
Impact
The new curriculum was launched in 1,125 schools in August 2017, with new grades coming on stream each subsequent year. The adoption of the Cambridge curriculum by Oman was highlighted in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2019, where there had been a slight improvement in performance from TIMSS 2015 after just one year of the adoption of the Cambridge curriculum at Grade 4.
The first cohort of Grade 10 students began in late August 2021. The reform has reached around 500,000 students to date.
