Oppimäärä

Oppimäärä is a term used in the Finnish education system to denote the subject-specific curriculum within the national framework for basic education. It describes what students are expected to learn in a given school subject, including the aims, core content, learning outcomes, and criteria for assessment. The oppimäärä forms part of the national core curriculum (perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet) and provides guidance for both teaching and learning across grades.

In practice, the oppimäärä outlines progression and the essential knowledge and skills a student should acquire in a subject during basic education. It sets the objectives for each grade level and indicates how learning can be organized and assessed. The development and periodic updating of oppimäärät are carried out by the Finnish National Agency for Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders. Local municipalities and schools then implement the oppimäärä within their own curricula, adapting the content to local contexts while maintaining alignment with national aims.

Common subjects with defined oppimäärät include Finnish and Swedish as languages, mathematics, environmental studies, science, history, foreign languages, arts, physical education, and crafts. Each oppimäärä specifies the expected competencies and knowledge by grade, as well as suggested assessment approaches. The oppimäärä thus serves to ensure a shared national framework for content and quality while allowing local customization in how instruction is organized and delivered.