An Evolution of Mathematics Curriculum

As policymakers globally navigate the evolving societal, economic, and technological landscape, modernising mathematics curricula is crucial. A future-oriented curriculum equips learners with necessary competencies for both personal and professional realms without overloading students and educators. This report:

• introduces the current state of mathematics curriculum design, identifying transformation challenges and opportunities (Chapter 1);

• reviews the evolution of mathematics curricula over 25 years, highlighting competency integration and identifying curriculum gaps (Chapter 2);

• analyses findings from the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, exploring implications for mathematics curriculum development (Chapter 3);

• proposes principles for curriculum design to meet 21st-century needs, emphasising the integration of critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy (Chapter 4).

Chapter 1 discusses the 21st-century needs driving transformation in mathematics curricula, drawing on findings from the E2030 Curriculum Content Mapping (CCM) exercise. It reveals how lower secondary mathematics curricula in various countries integrate competencies compared to other subjects. Core competencies like numeracy, critical thinking, and problem-solving are widely embedded in mathematics curricula, vital for cognitive development and real-world applications, while others, such as empathy, trust, responsibility, and co-agency are less emphasised. Chapter 1 also highlights challenges governments face reforming mathematics curricula, including the discipline's hierarchical and progressive nature.

Chapter 2 reviews the evolution of mathematics curricula in different countries over 25 years, using data from the E2030 Mathematics Curriculum Document Analysis (MCDA) study. It highlights the growing focus on mathematical reasoning and statistics in modern curricula, particularly in the first eight years of schooling. The data explores how countries structure and distribute content across grades, with some high-performing systems choosing a focused curriculum (fewer topics for deeper learning) while others adopt broader curricula. The chapter identifies gaps between curriculum standards and textbooks, especially regarding fostering higher-order thinking, which may undermine policy intentions.

Chapter 3 exemplifies considerations for mathematics curricula based on five thematic reports on curriculum analyses by the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, exploring:

• What Students Learn Matters: Towards a 21st Century Curriculum: Emphasising future-oriented competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, and student agency in mathematics, and the potential of digital curricula for personalised learning.

• Curriculum Overload: A Way Forward: Addressing curriculum overload through principles of focus, rigour, and coherence, ensuring that students are not overwhelmed while reinforcing key mathematical concepts.

• Adapting Curriculum to Bridge Equity Gaps: Exploring inclusive pedagogies to support students struggling with mathematics, promoting teaching methods that enhance engagement.

• Embedding Values and Attitudes in Curriculum: Highlighting the role of values such as respect, collaboration, and persistence in reducing mathematics anxiety and fostering a growth mindset.

• Curriculum Flexibility and Autonomy: Examining how pedagogies can be adapted to diverse student needs, ensuring instruction remains flexible and responsive.

Chapter 4 concludes with 12 principles for redesigning mathematics curricula to help policymakers and designers meet emerging societal and technological demands. It highlights strategies for balancing content depth and rigour without overloading students and educators, resourcing teachers’ professional development, and methods for catering to student diversity. It also addresses the importance of aligning high-stakes assessments with redesigned curricula to ensure assessment reflects content mastery and new competencies.

• Mathematics is central to technological innovation, economic growth, and social cohesion. It is essential in fields like data science and artificial intelligence for developing algorithms, statistics, and pattern recognition. Additionally, the modern mathematics curriculum is increasingly emphasising statistics, data literacy, and digital literacy, reflecting their importance in our data-driven and technologically rich societies.

• Modernising mathematics curricula is critical for preparing students for a dynamic future, balancing a strong foundational understanding with the introduction of new competencies like data literacy and computational thinking.

• Mathematics, often considered a "hard to change" discipline, is undergoing transformation. In addition to traditional content areas, such as quantity/operations, geometry, and measurement, developing students' mathematical reasoning has become a key goal for many education systems.

• The emphasis on core cognitive and meta-cognitive foundations - such as numeracy, problem-solving, critical thinking, and literacy – in lower secondary curricula is evident, with a notable focus on data and digital literacy, reflecting the importance of helping students navigate a technologically rich environment.

• Some so-called 21st century competencies – e.g. empathy, trust, responsibility, and co-agency - are often less emphasised in lower secondary mathematics curricula and more integrated into humanities, national language, and physical education curricula.

• Design choices differ across education systems: some high-performing countries and jurisdictions focus on fewer topics to allow for deeper learning, while others adopt a broader curriculum leaving space for greater teacher autonomy.

• Curriculum design must ensure that mathematics remains focused, challenging, and aligned with real-world applications to meet the evolving demands of the workforce and society.

• Curriculum reform in mathematics requires alignment across designed, implemented, and achieved curricula. Disparities between policy intent and classroom implementation—such as gaps between curriculum goals and textbook content—must be addressed to ensure effective reform.

• Holistic curriculum design should integrate digital tools, cross-curricular themes, and student agency, equipping learners with the skills to navigate a rapidly changing world.

• Curriculum, pedagogies, the learning environment, teacher training and assessment are all essential to promoting equity, ensuring that all students, including those struggling with mathematics, have opportunities to engage meaningfully with mathematical concepts, in particular, addressing math anxiety, nurturing persistence and an exploratory mindset, and fostering confidence and resilience. Integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in math curriculum supports this goal by providing varied and flexible ways for students to access, interact with, and demonstrate their understanding of mathematical ideas. Balancing content depth with avoiding overload is a significant challenge for policymakers, who wish to ensure students’ thorough understanding of essential mathematical concepts without feeling overwhelmed.

• Resourcing is critical to successful curriculum reform - teachers need ongoing professional development, curated resources, and appropriate tools to deliver high-quality mathematics education.

• Assessments, and high-stakes exams in particular, should align with future-focused curriculum goals, ensuring that exams not only reflect content mastery but also the emerging competencies required for success in the 21st century.