Abstract:

Poland’s primary and secondary education have been experienced organizational changes for a dozen of years. The organizational modifications were also followed by changes related to basic curricula of respective subjects. Some of these changes significantly affected the shaping of academic courses. In particular, a syllabus of mathematics was influenced as it is a primary course in many fields of studies.

When developing syllabi of mathematics for various fields of studies, one presumes a certain introductory level of prerequisites after completion of prior education in a given subject. Hence, a modified basic curriculum at secondary schools also results in modification of these prerequisites, i.e. the reorganization of academic courses.

Secondary education in Poland is based on two levels. As a result, secondary schools graduates can acquire knowledge on mathematics either on an elementary level or an extended level. In both cases graduates are granted access to start their tertiary education, because they passed final maturity examinations, but their knowledge of mathematics is notably dissimilar, with differences concerning subject matters that are most significant for academic courses.

The paper presents specific steps of aforementioned changes against the backdrop of tertiary education legal regulations that were binding in respective periods. The solutions aimed at leveling out differences of skills acquired by secondary schools graduates are also specified, using the example of a course in mathematics for students of economic disciplines.

Keywords:

Education, teaching programmes, evaluation.