Rearranging the Curriculum Ecosystem of the Junior Elementary School / Modeling and Limited National Expansion Phase in the 1405-1406 (2026-2027) Academic Year

The Director General of the Office of Elementary and Theoretical Secondary Textbook Planning and Compilation at the Organization for Educational Research and Planning (OERP) stated:

"Paying attention to core competencies, rereading, rearranging, and redesigning the curriculum ecosystem of the education system, being activity-centered and play-centered, focusing on student and teacher creativity, and strengthening the role of schools in curriculum design and implementation are the most prominent features of this transformation."

According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the OERP, Seyed Mehdi Bagherian, Director General of the Office of Elementary and Theoretical Secondary Textbook Planning and Compilation, described the latest status of the pilot implementation of the new training and learning packages for the first grade of elementary school in an interview with an ISNA reporter. Emphasizing that curriculum transformation should not be reduced solely to changing textbooks, he stated: "This is an approach that targets the junior elementary school in its first phase, and textbooks are merely one of its components."

School-Level Curriculum Action Guide

Pointing to the three main outputs of this project, Bagherian added: "The first output is the 'School-Level Curriculum Action Guide,' which defines the framework of expectations that the education system has for junior elementary schools and shapes the educational unity of the school. The second output consists of the 'Training and Learning Packages,' which include textbooks, workbooks, teacher guides, and media packages. The third output is the 'Scientific Support System' for the deployment, monitoring, maintenance, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the curriculum at the school level."

Bagherian noted that this program was piloted in eight schools during the past academic year, adding: "Simultaneously with the implementation process, specialized teams were tasked with continuously monitoring the program's progress and gathering the necessary data for evaluation and modification. Furthermore, implementing teachers, school principals, educational leaders, regional and provincial deputy directors of elementary education, and other executive partners participated in the training and feedback process."

He continued: "Teachers recorded their views on each lesson and educational activity through an online platform. This feedback, along with field research results, expert evaluations, and the opinions of parents and students, formed the basis for modifying and finalizing the training and learning packages."

The New Packages Become Activity-Centered

The Director General identified the activity-centered nature of the new packages as one of their most significant features, stating: "Teachers also emphasized that the new books provide more opportunities for student participation in the learning process. Of course, implementing such an approach requires greater teacher readiness, higher professional skills, and the creation of suitable conditions in schools."

Acknowledging that the pilot implementation was not without challenges, he added: "Changing the curriculum approach, the necessity for teachers to become more familiar with curriculum innovations, limited instructional time in some schools—especially two-shift schools—and the overlapping of part of the project's execution with remote learning were the main challenges of this phase. Nonetheless, the experience gained has provided a valuable foundation for modifying the program in the coming years."

Regarding the most important adjustments made to the new training and learning packages, Bagherian said: "In addition to utilizing past experiences, all compilation groups used the results of field research, school reports, specialized secretariats, the Institute for Educational Studies, as well as feedback received from teachers, students, and parents on the textbook content survey platform at https://nazar.roshd.ir/ to make the necessary corrections."

Enhancing the Joy of Learning

He cited "enhancing the joy of learning" as one of the core objectives of this revision, adding: "Efforts have been made to ensure that the student plays a more active role in the learning process, making learning an attractive, sweet, and collaborative experience for them."

According to Bagherian, special attention to core learning competencies is another fundamental pillar of this transformation, such that skills like observation, curiosity, questioning, dialogue, presentation, classification, hands-on activities, and problem-solving have taken a prominent place in the design of educational activities.

He also emphasized strengthening foundational literacy skills, including reading, writing, and arithmetic, stating: "In revising the books, efforts were made to reduce certain learning difficulties so that first-grade students can establish a more effective connection with the school and the learning process. These measures include simplifying certain content, facilitating Quran reading instruction, paying more attention to play-based and hands-on activities, and reducing barriers to learning."

Enriching Learning in Art and Physical Education

Bagherian listed the production of "Art and Creativity" and "Movement and Play" workbooks as other innovations of this cycle, stating: "These works are not textbooks in the conventional sense, but rather a collection of worksheets and practical activities that, under the guidance of the teacher and with family participation, provide the ground for enriching learning in the fields of art and physical education."

Modeling and Limited National Expansion Phase

Regarding the plan to expand the implementation of this project in the upcoming academic year, he said: "Last year was the pilot implementation phase, and this year we will enter the modeling and limited national expansion phase. All provinces in the country will participate in this stage."

Bagherian added: "In smaller provinces, two districts and two schools per district will be covered; in larger provinces, three districts; and in Tehran and the districts of Tehran province, six districts will be included. Additionally, rural, multi-grade, nomadic, bilingual schools, and a number of non-governmental schools with innovative capacities will also participate in this phase."

Regarding the training of teachers and educational leaders, he clarified: "Since the final months of last year, special training courses have been held for provincial deputy directors of elementary education and the heads of junior elementary education departments within those directorates. For the upcoming academic year, an educational leader will be designated for each implementing district to provide training, as well as to act as a consultant, facilitator, promoter, supporter, and supervisor of the program's execution."

Continuous Monitoring and Implementation Evaluation Process

The Director General noted: "The monitoring and evaluation process will continue continuously, just like in the pilot phase. In addition to field visits, theoretical validation, content analysis, and gathering feedback from teachers and schools are on the agenda to provide a basis for continuous program modification."

Regarding the timeline for nation-wide implementation, he stated: "The initial plan is the general rollout of the new first-grade training and learning packages starting from the 1406 (2027) academic year. However, achieving this goal will depend on the results of the expansion phases, expert evaluations, and decisions made by the Curriculum Transformation Steering Headquarters."

Schools Moving Toward Creative Production, Enrichment, and Development of Educational Content

Bagherian concluded by emphasizing that the primary approach of the new packages is to train students who possess core competencies for present and future life, stating:

"Paying attention to core competencies, rereading, rearranging, and redesigning the curriculum ecosystem of the education system, being activity-centered and play-centered, focusing on student and teacher creativity, and strengthening the role of schools in curriculum design and implementation are the most prominent features of this transformation. It is hoped that by deepening this approach, schools will gradually move toward the creative production, enrichment, and development of educational content."