OPOS 2019.

BASIC ASPECTS OF THE LOMCE

Is the LOMCE a new Law of Education?

No. The LOMCE is an amendment of the existing school reform LOE (Organic Law of Education).

What are the general objectives of the LOMCE?

Adhering to the European Union guidelines regarding education, the Europe 2020 Strategy and
the need for improvement in education in this country, the general objectives are:
▪ To reduce variations in requirements and demands within education systems throughout
the country.
▪ To lower the drop-out rates in compulsory educational levels (pupils under 16).
▪ To improve levels of achievement in Compulsory Secondary Education.
▪ To improve students’ level of knowledge in basic subjects.
▪ To establish a clear system of progress indicators according to educational objectives.
▪ To increase the autonomy of schools.
▪ To generalise and spread the use of ICT within education.
▪ To promote and update vocational training studies.
▪ To improve foreign languages learning.
▪ To streamline the educational offer.

How does the LOMCE affect Key Competencies?

The nomenclature and definition of Key Competencies in the LOMCE is based on a European
Commission document on 21st century competencies.
The LOMCE defines 7 competencies:
Linguistic competence: focuses on using the English language as a vehicle for spoken and written
communication.
Boosting this competence by learning a foreign language means that the pupils improve their ability to
express themselves both orally and in writing. The pupils develop this skill by using the register and
discourse appropriate to every linguistic situation that arises.
Pupils communicative competence improves as they recognise and gradually master the working rules of
the foreign language. To help them, the pupils can tap into their experience with their mother tongue and
reflect on the language learning process.

Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology. refers to their ability to
reason. It involves making judgements, making decisions and reaching conclusions through the problem
solving process and the coherent application of logic. Also important here is the application of
mathematical concepts to daily life.
To acquire this skill, pupils have to know about and use the numerical system and its symbols. The pupils
must be familiar with ways of expressing and rationalising in numerical terms, while Communication
competence allows them to reason, develop arguments, formulate hypotheses, as well as use deductive
and inductive reasoning, etc. Competence in science and technology are about being able to understand
events. It involves making predictions based on what has been heard or read, in relation to eating habits,
health, the environment or being responsible consumers in their daily lives.
Digital competence pupils have to be able to read, analyse and transmit the information found in all kinds
of texts in English. The pupils must be able to pick out and organise the contents they hear and read.
However, this skill is also directly related to the integration of multimedia resources into the learning
process.

Learning to learn focus the pupils’ attention on what is required of them in order to learn English. It also
refers to the ability to memorise and self-evaluate. Both of these abilities are present in any leaning
process in which pupils are asked to form hypotheses about the language using the rich variety of real-life
examples presented in the texts. To strength learning strategies and encourage the pupils to take parti in
cooperative learning are also pillars of learning to learn.

Social and civic competencies are about discovering and becoming familiar with the different social and
cultural matrices that underlie the English language. At the same time, respect and other values are
reinforced through group work. Leanrning a foreign language presents cultural aspects, always through
the medium of English, which deal not only with the society and customs of Britain but also of other
English-speaking countries. It promotes respect and values within a constantly changing society where
cultural pluralism stands out among the principles of twenty-first century.

Initiative and entrepreneurship means being able to approach the learning process in an autonomous way
or, alternatively, to cooperate with others to achieve any task that is proposed. Teachers should
encourage pupils to work autonomously, heightening their sense of responsibility and self-awareness
while at the same time encouraging creativity and imagination. In addition, given that assessment goes
hand in hand with critical sense and that value judgements may be reached on an individual or group
basis, the values of respect and understanding - towards themselves and their peers - are also
strengthened.

Cultural awareness and expression. This skill develops the ability to understand and critically evaluate
cultural and artistic manifestations. Like social and civic competences, this skill is about strengthening
human values. To promote social and cultural Key Competences, includes activities related to aspects of
the English-speaking world in which culture and art play an important role.

How is Primary education organised?

With the LOMCE, Primary School is a six-course stage. A student can only repeat a course once.
The subject offer in Primary is the following:
LOMCE objectives
The general objectives at this stage refer to the capacities pupils have to develop in all subjects11:

a. Learn about and appreciate the values and norms of co-existence. Learn how to function in
accordance with these values and norms, prepare themselves for the active role of
citizenship and show respect for human rights as well as the pluralism that is part of
democratic society.
b. Develop work habits as an individual and within a team. Also promote study habits in terms
of effort and responsibility, as well as self-confidence, a critical capacity, personal initiative,
curiosity, interest and creativity as a learner, and entrepreneurship.
c. Acquire techniques to prevent or resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner so that learners can
behave independently within their family and home life or within their social groups.
d. Learn about, understand and show respect for various cultures and the differences between
people; equal rights and opportunities between men and women; and the non-discrimination
of disabled people.
e. Learn about and correctly use Castilian or the co-official language, if one exists, of the
Autonomous Community. Promote reading habits.
f. Acquire, in at least one foreign language, basic communicative competence that allows them
to express and understand simple messages and manage in day to day situations.
g. Develop basic maths skills and begin to solve problems involving the four basic operations,
geometry and estimations. Be able to apply this knowledge in everyday life.
h. Understand the basic characteristics of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Geography,
History and Culture.

i. Gain initial practice in using information and communication technologies as a learning tool.
Develop critical skills towards the messages they receive and produce.
j. Use different forms of artistic representation and expression and gain initial practice in
developing visual and audiovisual proposals.

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 k. Value hygiene and health; accept their own and other peoples’ bodies, show respect for
differences; and use physical education and sport as a way of boosting personal and social
development.
l. Learn about and value the animals closest to human beings and behave in a way that is
conducive to their well-being.
m. Develop emotional capacities in all aspects of their personality and in their relationship with
others, opposing violence, all kinds of prejudice and sexist stereotypes.
n. Promote road safety and considerate attitudes, which go hand in hand with the prevention of
traffic accidents.

Definitions. Royal Decree 126/2014, February 28th, Article 2.1

a) Curriculum: regulation of the elements determining the teaching and learning process for
each educational stage.
b) Objectives: references to the achievements that the student must attain at the end of the
educational process, as a result of the teaching and learning experiences intentionally
planned for this purpose.
c) Competences: abilities to apply the relevant contents of each educational stage in an
integrated way, in order to achieve the correct realisation of the activities and the effective
resolution of complex problems. 
d) Contents: set of knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes which contribute to the
achievement of the objectives for each educational stage and the acquisition of the relevant
competences. The contents are organised into subjects, which are classified into areas,
fields and modules, depending on the educational stage, or the programmes students take
part in.
e) Measurable Learning outcomes: specifications of the evaluation criteria which allow to
define the learning results, and specify what the student must know, understand and know
how to do, in each area; these standards must be observable, measurable, and assessable
and must allow the graduation of the students' achievements. The standards must be
designed in order to contribute and facilitate the use of standardized and comparable tests.
f) Evaluation criteria: specific references used to assess the students' learning process. They
describe whatever it is that must be valued and that students must achieve, both in terms of
knowledge and in competences; they respond to what is aimed to achieve in each area.
g) Teaching methodology: set of strategies, procedures and actions planned and organized by
the teachers, consciously and reflexively, in order to promote the students' learning process
and their achievements.

Evaluation by competences and rubrics:

Rubrics are tools which allows us to measure performance levels, what a student knows and
what he or she is able to do. They are one of the best ways to measure acquisition of key or core
competences.

Depending on what we want to evaluate, rubrics can be of two types:

 Holistic and global: this type gives overall information about a class or student through an
objective measurement of learning outcomes as laid out in a curriculum.
 Analytic: designed for specific tasks and using learning outcomes related to that particular task.
Whatever the type, rubrics are generally organised in grids or tables showing the skill(s), content(s),
learning outcome(s) and level of acquisition of each of the chosen Learning outcomes.

Competence is the ability to solve situations or complete chores of a certain complexity, by

combining knowledge, skills, aptitudes and attitudes. In other words, knowing how to do it!
The key setps in scoring by competences are_
 Decide the learning goal to be achieved by students.
 Identify clearly the contents and skills necessary for the performance of the task.
 Think of what aptitudes and attitudes must also be evaluated.
 Wirte statements or different levels in performance or goal achievement.
 Review your statements. Consider if they reflect the contents, skills, aptitudes and attitudes
necessary for the performance of the task.