Teaching to the New Standards: Attainment Targets, Minimum Goals, and the Tronc Commun

Rationale

Two major curriculum reforms are currently the largest drivers of retraining demand in Belgium. The Flemish Community's modernisering secundair onderwijs has reformulated attainment targets around 16 key competencies, with replacement minimumdoelen following a Constitutional Court annulment of second- and third-grade targets. The French Community's Tronc Commun common-core reform under the Pacte pour un Enseignement d'excellence has introduced new référentiels by learning domain. Both reforms require teachers to understand new frameworks, plan backward from standards, align assessment, and document coverage. This course provides the structured, doctoral-level professional learning that teachers need to meet these obligations, grounded in the governing decrees and the competency frameworks that define the professional continuum.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. Why the curriculum was reformed

The lesson opens with the rationale behind the Flemish modernisering secundair onderwijs and the French Community Tronc Commun. Participants examine the policy drivers: the need for a coherent, competency-based curriculum that prepares pupils for lifelong learning and active citizenship, the desire to reduce early tracking, and the alignment with European key-competence frameworks. The lesson contrasts the previous subject-based organization with the new competency-oriented structure. Participants read the official reform statements from the Flemish Ministry and the Pacte portal, identifying the stated goals and the timeline of phased implementation. After this lesson, participants can explain to colleagues why the reforms were undertaken and what they aim to achieve.

Lesson 2. From subjects to key competencies

This lesson teaches participants how to read the Flemish attainment targets organized around 16 key competencies. Participants work with the official onderwijsdoelen database, locating the targets for their subject and grade level. The lesson explains the structure: each key competency contains clusters of attainment targets, and each target specifies what pupils must know and be able to do. Participants practice mapping a traditional subject topic to the relevant key competency and targets, identifying gaps and overlaps. The lesson also addresses the legal status of the targets as minimum requirements that all schools must address. After this lesson, participants can navigate the Flemish attainment-target framework and locate the specific targets relevant to their teaching.

Lesson 3. The Tronc Commun architecture

Participants study the French Community common-core structure, which reorganizes primary and lower-secondary education into a single curriculum pathway to roughly age 15. The lesson explains the learning domains (domaines d'apprentissage) and the référentiels that define expected competencies for each domain. Participants compare the Tronc Commun structure with the previous system, identifying which subjects and competencies are now integrated. The lesson also covers the phased implementation timeline and the relationship between the Tronc Commun and the Pacte's broader reform of teachers' work. After this lesson, participants can describe the Tronc Commun architecture and locate the référentiel for their teaching domain.

Lesson 4. Reading a référentiel

This lesson provides hands-on practice decoding a French Community reference framework into teachable objectives. Participants select a référentiel from their domain, identify the competency statements, the progression indicators, and the expected end-of-cycle outcomes. The lesson teaches a systematic method for breaking a référentiel statement into learning objectives, success criteria, and assessment evidence. Participants practice this method with two different référentiels and compare their interpretations in small groups. The lesson also addresses how référentiels relate to the broader Code de l'enseignement fondamental et de l'enseignement secondaire. After this lesson, participants can independently decode any référentiel and translate its statements into classroom-ready objectives.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. The freedom-of-education constraint

This lesson addresses the constitutional freedom of education that shapes curriculum implementation in Belgium. Participants study the legal context: schools have the right to organize teaching according to their pedagogical project, but must ensure pupils achieve the required attainment targets. The lesson examines the Constitutional Court annulment of the second- and third-grade eindtermen on freedom-of-education grounds and the subsequent development of replacement minimumdoelen. Participants discuss how this legal constraint affects their school's curriculum choices and the limits of school autonomy. The lesson emphasizes that the minimumdoelen represent a floor, not a ceiling, and that schools may exceed them. After this lesson, participants can articulate how constitutional freedom of education interacts with the attainment-target framework and can identify the legal boundaries of curriculum adaptation.

Lesson 6. Backward design from standards

Participants learn the backward-design methodology: starting from the required outcomes (attainment targets or référentiel statements), then planning acceptable evidence of learning, and finally designing learning experiences. The lesson uses examples from both the Flemish and French Community frameworks. Participants practice writing a unit plan using backward design for a topic in their subject, explicitly linking each learning activity to a specific target or competency. The lesson emphasizes that backward design ensures curriculum coverage and assessment alignment. After this lesson, participants can plan a unit of instruction that begins with the required standards and works backward to daily lessons.

Lesson 7. Curriculum coherence across grades

This lesson focuses on vertical alignment: ensuring that what pupils learn in one grade prepares them for the next. Participants examine the progression of attainment targets or référentiel competencies across consecutive grade levels, identifying how complexity and depth increase. The lesson introduces tools for mapping curriculum coherence, including cross-grade alignment matrices and progression charts. Participants work in subject teams to identify gaps or redundancies in their school's current curriculum sequence. The lesson also addresses the Flemish modernization matrix of domains and grades as a reference for coherence. After this lesson, participants can analyze their school's curriculum for vertical alignment and propose adjustments to improve coherence.

Lesson 8. Cross-curricular and transversal competencies

Both reforms embed transversal competencies that cut across subjects: citizenship, digital competence, language competence, learning to learn, and social competence. This lesson teaches participants how to identify and teach these transversal competencies within their subject. Participants examine the transversal strands in the Flemish key-competency framework and the French Community référentiels. The lesson provides strategies for making transversal competencies explicit in lesson objectives and assessment criteria. Participants practice writing a lesson that integrates a transversal competency alongside subject-specific targets. After this lesson, participants can identify the transversal competencies relevant to their subject and design instruction that develops them.

Lesson 9. Standards-aligned formative assessment

This lesson teaches participants how to check pupil progress against attainment targets or référentiel competencies during learning, not just at the end. Participants learn formative assessment techniques: learning intentions, success criteria, questioning, feedback, and self-assessment. The lesson emphasizes that formative assessment must be explicitly linked to the standards, so that teachers and pupils know what proficiency looks like. Participants practice designing a formative assessment task for a specific target and analyzing pupil work against the target. After this lesson, participants can design and use formative assessment that directly measures progress toward the required standards.

Lesson 10. Summative assessment and certification

This lesson addresses end-of-stage summative assessment and its relationship to the standards. Participants study the certification rules: how attainment targets or référentiel competencies are assessed for grade promotion and secondary-school leaving qualifications. The lesson covers the types of summative assessment used in each Community, including centrally developed tests and school-based assessments. Participants examine sample assessment tasks and evaluate their alignment with the stated targets. The lesson also addresses the validity and reliability requirements for high-stakes assessment. After this lesson, participants can design summative assessments that validly measure pupil achievement against the required standards and understand the certification implications.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Differentiation to reach minimum goals

This lesson focuses on bringing all pupils to the required floor of achievement represented by the minimumdoelen or référentiel competencies. Participants study differentiation strategies: adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment to meet diverse pupil needs while maintaining high expectations. The lesson emphasizes that differentiation is not about lowering standards but about providing varied pathways to the same outcomes. Participants practice planning a differentiated lesson that ensures all pupils can work toward the same target. The lesson also addresses the relationship between differentiation and reasonable adjustments for pupils with special educational needs. After this lesson, participants can differentiate instruction to help all pupils reach the minimum required standards.

Lesson 12. Language demands of the new standards

The new standards place increased language demands on pupils, as every subject requires reading, writing, speaking, and listening at higher levels. This lesson teaches participants to analyze the language load of their subject's attainment targets and référentiel statements. Participants learn strategies for supporting pupils' language development within content instruction: pre-teaching vocabulary, using sentence frames, scaffolding reading tasks, and teaching disciplinary language. The lesson connects to the Flemish language-in-education priority themes and the French Community competences langagieres. After this lesson, participants can identify the language demands in their curriculum and design language-supportive instruction.

Lesson 13. Selecting and adapting materials

Participants learn criteria for evaluating instructional materials against the attainment targets or référentiel competencies. The lesson teaches a systematic review process: checking whether materials address the required targets, whether the cognitive demand matches the standard, and whether the materials are free from bias. Participants practice reviewing a textbook chapter or online resource against a set of targets, identifying gaps and misalignments. The lesson also covers adapting existing materials to better align with the standards, including supplementing, modifying, or replacing activities. After this lesson, participants can evaluate and adapt instructional materials to ensure genuine coverage of the required standards.

Lesson 14. Documenting curriculum coverage

Schools must be able to demonstrate that their curriculum addresses the required attainment targets or référentiel competencies. This lesson teaches participants how to document coverage systematically. Participants learn to create curriculum maps that show which targets are addressed in which units, how they are assessed, and how gaps are filled. The lesson introduces tools such as coverage matrices, unit-plan templates, and audit protocols. Participants practice documenting coverage for a unit they teach and identifying any targets not yet addressed. The lesson also addresses the role of documentation in inspection readiness. After this lesson, participants can create and maintain documentation that evidences curriculum coverage for their subject and grade.

Lesson 15. Collaborative curriculum work in teams

The final lesson focuses on the school-level work required to realize the curriculum reforms. Participants learn structures for effective subject-team collaboration: regular meetings focused on curriculum alignment, shared planning of units, peer review of assessments, and collective analysis of pupil work. The lesson emphasizes that curriculum implementation is a team responsibility, not an individual one. Participants develop an action plan for their subject team, identifying priorities for the coming year, resources needed, and a timeline for collaborative work. The lesson connects to the school professionaliseringsplan in the Flemish Community and the network-level CPD organization in the French Community. After this lesson, participants can lead or contribute to collaborative curriculum work in their school that ensures coherent implementation of the reforms.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.