Spanish Education Laws: Curriculum Authority and Evolution

Curriculum Determination Authority

The curriculum is determined by several entities:

• The European Union
• The Council of Europe
• The Spanish Government (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte): Responsible for LOE (2007) and LOMCE (2013)
• The Balearic Government (Conselleria d’Educació i Cultura)
• The School
• The Teacher

Stages of Implementation

The framework follows this progression:

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (The European Union) → BOE: State (Spain): LOMCE → BOIB: Autonomous Community (Balearic Islands) → PEC: School → Course Program: Teacher.

Major Education Laws in Spain

1970: LGE (Ley General de Educación)

• It was in effect for 10 years.
• It could not be changed for 20 years to allow time for implementation and assessment of benefits and drawbacks.
• The organization was divided into: EGB (General Basic Education), BUP (Upper Secondary Education), PREU (University Preparation Course), Revalida (Final Exam), and FP (Vocational Training).

1980: LOECE (Ley Orgánica del Estatuto de Centros Escolares)

This law was **not implemented** because it was considered not to respect the spirit of the Constitution.

1985: LODE (Ley Orgánica del Derecho a la Educación)

It was implemented by the PSOE. The main change was the implementation of **semi-public schools**, allowing parents to choose between three types of schools: private, public, and semi-public.

1990: LOGSE (Ley Orgánica de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo)

Implemented by the PSOE, this represented a **massive change**.

• Schooling became compulsory **up to 16 years of age**.
• BUP changed to ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education).
• Autonomous Communities gained more power to decide content.

1995: LOPEG (Ley Orgánica de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo)

Implemented by the PSOE. Teachers did not support it, which led to the **privatization of public education**.

2002: LOCE (Ley Orgánica de Calidad de la Educación)

Implemented by the PP. It was **not implemented**.

2006: LOE (Ley Orgánica de Educación)

Implemented by the PSOE. Key changes included:

• The religion subject became **optional**; students could choose between religion or Educación para la Ciudadanía. This was problematic as some schools did not offer the alternative subject.
• The number of hours for Spanish classes was reduced.
• Students could continue to the next course if they failed **up to three subjects**, depending on the subject matter.
• Students could not receive a zero grade; marks ranged from **1 to 10**.

2013: LOMCE (Ley Orgánica para la Mejora de la Calidad Educativa)

This law was highly problematic.

• Religion became **compulsory again**.
• It was not fully implemented.
• Revalidas (exit exams) were reintroduced but also not fully implemented.
• Regarding languages: autonomous languages were considered a specialty.
• Learning standards involved: consensus, evaluation criteria, and skills (The European Union concept: know, know how to be, know how to do).
• It supported semi-public schools that separate students based on gender.
• Teachers were considered authorities.