Abstract:

Year after year, persistently low performance in national assessments raises serious concerns among educators and educational decision-makers about the effectiveness of our educational systems. Our analysis takes a longitudinal approach to analyze trends and root causes behind persistent underachievement in national assessments. We focus on curriculum construction as a possible factor influencing these low scores. 

Despite significant investments in digital education and technological innovation through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), have not yet brought concrete results in terms of learning outcomes. Our article investigates how well the current curriculum, in both its design and implementation, aligns with the skills and knowledge actually tested in National Assessments. Furthermore, the research will look at whether the curriculum gives students what they need to overcome the problems our schools keep facing, including the lack of effective methods for boosting overall quality. Our research presents a detailed longitudinal analysis of the situation and causes of poor performance in national assessments, focusing on the identification and regulation of curriculum construction problems. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of national assessment data with qualitative examination of curriculum materials and interviews with education experts.

Key research findings include identifying specific curriculum design issues that contribute to poor performance on national assessments; analyzing the temporal evolution of these problems to understand their persistence and impact on student outcomes; developing outcomes-based regulatory strategies to improve curriculum quality and student achievement and the correlation between the implementation of regulatory strategies and changes in student achievement. The research findings highlights the crucial role of curriculum construction in shaping student performance in national assessments, emphasizing the need for focused attention on curriculum quality and relevance. Also, it provides a longitudinal perspective on the temporal evolution of identified curriculum issues, informing long term educational policy and practice and highlighting the importance of sustained efforts in curriculum improvement. In the same time, the regulatory strategies developed offer practical solutions for addressing specific curriculum construction issues, with the potential to guide policy decisions and resource allocation in the education sector. In addition to that, correlations between the implementation of regulatory strategies and changes in student achievement suggest that targeted, research-informed interventions can lead to measurable improvements in educational outcomes.

Nevertheless, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics between curriculum, teaching and learning, providing a framework for future studies and interventions in education. Our paper highlights the importance of addressing issues of curriculum construction through well-grounded regulatory strategies supported by empirical evidence to ensure continued improvement in educational outcomes in the context of national assessments.

Keywords:

National assessments, modern education, educational policy, teaching methodologies, curriculum regulation, low performance.