Chile

Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced

From ninth grade, students are taught by specialist teachers in mathematics and science. In basic education (primary education, Grades 1 to 4) classes are taught by basic general teachers (i.e., one classroom teacher teaches most school subjects). In some schools, specialist teachers are introduced in fifth or sixth grade, but this is not compulsory.²⁰

Students in humanistic-scientific education may receive extra instruction in subjects such as mathematics and science with a deeper level of content.²¹ In 11^th grade, these students specialize in areas of interest, which they may want to develop in college. For example, students who wish to major in health sciences in college probably will choose to focus on the sciences in 11^th grade.

Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories

The Ministry of Education provides material to support teaching and learning (e.g., student textbooks, teaching guides, and other complementary digital resources).^22,d Textbooks and teaching guides are developed for each grade in the main subjects, including mathematics and science, and are distributed free of charge at the beginning of the school year to all students and teachers in public or private subsidized schools.²³

All schools (except paid private schools) must be equipped with teaching materials for every subject (e.g., calculators, microscopes, books, balances, newspapers, and other instructional support materials) and technological resources (e.g., computers with an Internet connection).²⁴ All of these resources (i.e., printed, broadcast, instrumental, concrete, and digital resources) are centralized in learning resource centers²⁵ or libraries, where learning occurs in a process of formation, information, and recreation.

As of 2013, there were 10,700 school libraries or learning resource centers in Chile (8,413 in basic education and 2,287 in secondary education), serving 96.9 percent of students in basic education and 96.5 percent of students in secondary education in private subsidized and public schools.²⁶

Use of Technology

The Center of Education and Technology (Enlaces) within the Ministry of Education promotes Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and strategies for learning with digital resources as an important issue in education. The center was created in 1992 to develop a national education network connecting all public and private subsidized schools, to incorporate new information technologies, and to foster a digital culture in the education system.

In accordance with this objective, the center has provided computers, digital learning resources, Internet access, and educational software to schools, and has educated teachers on the use of ICT. In 2011 the first cycle of a national ICT assessment was administered to assess student ICT skills. It assessed 10,000 students in 10^th grade, and in 2013 it was administered for a second time.²⁷ The 2013 results showed that 46.9 percent of students are at a beginner level, 51.3 percent of students are at an intermediate level, and 1.8 percent are at an advanced level with ICT.^e,28

Chile also participated in ICILS 2013 (IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study), obtaining an average score below the international average. The study showed a strong positive correlation between results and socioeconomic background.

The Center of Education and Technology has developed a website (I Study), which provides students with free access to digital content corresponding to the national curriculum, including simulators, videos, and animations. In addition, the My Digital Workshops program provides training and digital resources to schools to enable them to offer extracurricular activities in robotics, audiovisual, and other technologies for students in Grades 5 to 12.²⁹

Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing

In accordance with the National Policy on Special Education (2005), Chile established two new educational options for students with temporary or permanent special education needs: special schools and school integration programs. The current trend, however, is to avoid exclusive or discriminatory practices by promoting integration in regular schools rather than the proliferation of special schools.

As of 2015, there were 5,014 schools with School Integration Programs (PIE).³⁰ These programs create an inclusive school system subsidized by the state, whereby additional support is provided in regular classrooms to students with special education needs, facilitating their presence and participation in the classroom, academic achievement, and educational progress. The program integrates hours of specialist teaching support to students through collaborative work in the classroom; a special education grant for every integrated student with special needs; educational materials and media resources; teacher training and professional development; and extra time for evaluation, coordination, and collaborative work.³¹

When the nature or degree of student disabilities does not allow their integration in regular schools, educational integration takes place in special schools.³² Special schools serve students with sensory, intellectual, motor, communication, and social disabilities and specific language impairment. Special schools may provide early childhood, primary, and vocational education. In 2013, there were 1,817 special schools across the country, of which 1,256 served students with specific language disorders only, while others served students with hearing impairments, visual impairments, motor disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and/or serious alterations in the ability to socialize and communicate.³³

In accordance with the General Education Law³⁴ and the Law on Equal Opportunities and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities,³⁵ there have been regular assessments (adjusted versions of the national assessment system Simce) for students with sensory disabilities in fourth grade in the regions of Valparaiso and Metropolitana de Santiago since 2009, and in the region of Biobio since 2011. Since 2013, students with sensory disabilities in sixth grade have been evaluated externally under the Simce system, which provides a more complete picture of student achievement and its context in special education in Chile. From 2016, every language and mathematics examination administered under Simce at the primary and lower secondary levels will be accompanied by accommodations for students with special education needs (auditory or visual).³⁶