Chapter VII Curriculum and Learning Assessment
Article 42
Senior high school students’ residence period in school is three years. Depending on classification, programs and disciplines of special nature, school may apply for increase or decrease of residence period; subject to certification by the central competent authority through submission from corresponding competent authorities.
Students that have not completed required courses within the residence period may extend it by two years at most. Students with disabilities may extend it by four years at most, depending on their physical and mental conditions and learning needs.
Students who are pregnant, in labor, or have to raise their children under three years old may extend the residence period by four years at most.
Article 43
The central competent authority shall stipulate senior high schools’ curriculum guidelines and relevant regulations related to their implementation to serve as a guide for the schools’ planning and implementation of the curriculum; schools may integrate social resources with the planning of the curriculum to enrich teaching activities.
For the stipulation of the curriculum guidelines referred to in the previous paragraph, in addition to existing curriculum research and development institutions established by the central competent authority, other organizations, schools, judicial persons, and groups from education-related disciplines may also propose drafts of curriculum guidelines to be examined by the curriculum review committee. Regulations regarding the proposals, the procedures, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
The research, development, examination, and implementation of the curriculum guidelines shall observe the principles of respecting ethnic diversity, gender equality, transparency, and non-partisanship.
Article 43-1
To review the curriculum guidelines, the central competent authority shall establish a curriculum review committee(hereinafter referred to as the review committee); the review committee shall be divided into a plenary and concurrent sessions.
The plenary session is composed of 41 to 49 members including both governmental and non-governmental representatives. The number of governmental representatives shall not exceed one-quarter of the total number of committee members.
Members who serve as governmental representatives at the plenary session shall be nominated from candidates working in central and local government agencies and appointed by the President of the Executive Yuan by the Ministry of Education. The appointed persons may then be appointed, dismissed, or re-appointed to a different position in accordance with the nature of his or her duty.
Members who serve as non-governmental representatives are appointed in accordance with the following procedures:
1. The Executive Yuan shall nominate candidates from experts and scholars with expertise in education, members of teachers’ associations, members of principals’ associations, members of parents’ associations, members of non-governmental organizations related to education, and students’ representatives to be reviewed and approved by the member selection committee. Any candidate who wins a majority will be appointed by the President of the Executive Yuan.
2. The member selection committee mentioned in the previous paragraph will consist of 11 to 15 public figures for social justice as recommended by the Legislative Yuan.
Members of the review committee serve a term of four years and are eligible for re-appointment when the term of their service expires. The ratio of committee members represented by a single gender should be no less than one-third. Both governmental representatives and non-governmental representatives shall include indigenous peoples. For members who are appointed for the first time as non-governmental representatives, one-half of these members shall serve a term of two years.
Representatives from both central and local people’s representative bodies shall not serve as members of the member selection committee.
Article 43-2
The plenary session of the review committee shall be in charge of the following functions:
1. Examining the general curriculum guidelines and curriculum guidelines for all disciplines, subjects, and course groups.
2. Examining the principles for making revisions to the school curriculum.
3. Other decisions defined by applicable laws to be made at the review committee.
All resolutions made at the plenary session of the review committee shall require more than two thirds of all members to attend, and resolution of the session shall require the consent of more than half of the members present at the meeting.
Regulations regarding the organization and operation of the plenary and concurrent sessions of the review committee shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
Article 44
The curriculum of skill-based senior high schools’ curriculum shall stress its general competency education, experiments, and practicum.
Operations regarding practicum mentioned in the previous Paragraph including its teaching goal, subjects, credit number, implementation method, practice venues, qualified teachers, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
Comprehensive senior high schools that incorporate practicum in their curriculum and regular senior high schools that incorporate practicum in their programs or disciplines of studies shall follow the previous Paragraph’s regulations.
Article 45
Senior high schools shall conduct assessment on students’ learning, and the assessment range shall cover academic performance and ethical performance.
Regulations regarding the assessment method, subjects, results, and other relevant matters in the previous Paragraph shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
Senior high schools shall provide students with counseling for their adaptive development, based on their ability, inclination and interest; and may organize special groupings to provide skill-based courses such as sports, music, art, dancing, and drama to connect with the skill-based education in junior high school; the qualified professional teachers may be appointed by the principal among full-time teachers that are equipped with professional skills from other schools.
Article 46
Based on the curricular guidelines stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 43, a diploma shall be issued to a high school student after he/she has completed the required courses of study or has earned passing grades in credit scores, with no more than three major demerits in net after the final canceling out calculation of the ethical assessment.
Article 47
The central competent authority shall regulate affairs regarding reservation of enrolled senior high school students’ status, student transferring to other schools and other programs or disciplines, suspension of study, credit(course)waiving, retaking(repeating)of courses, student status adjustment matters related military service, oversea study or traveling, double registrations and other matters related to student status.
Senior high schools’ adoption and identification principles for foreign degree holders, identification procedure and operational guidelines of other matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
Article 48
Senior high school textbooks shall be compiled by the private parties in principle, and may be compiled by the central competent authority if necessary.
Senior high school textbooks shall be examined by National Academy for Educational Research; regulations regarding applying for qualification for textbook examiner, application procedures, examination range, examination procedures, fee, issuing and termination of examiner’s license, printing specifications, editing of book, compilation and grant for materials of rare subjects, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.
Article 49
Senior high school textbooks shall be publically selected by each school; regulations regarding the selection shall be stipulated by each school and implemented with the general meeting’s approval; relevant procurement matters shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.