Introduced at the beginning of the century, eight competencies should solve poor math performance.

Adopted in Sweden together with increased math education research mediated through a well-funded centre, the decreasing Swedish PISA result came as a surprise, as did the critical 2015 OECD-report ‘Improving Schools in Sweden’. But why did math competencies not work?

A sociological view looking for a goal displacement gives an answer: Math competencies sees mathematics as a goal and not as one of many means, to be replaced by other means if not leading to the outside goal.

Only the set-based university version is accepted as mathematics to be mediated by teachers through eight competencies, where only two competences are needed to master the outside goal of mathematics education, Many.

The Danish KOM-report Kompetencer og matematiklæring

The Danish version of the KOMMOD counter report

The English version of the KOMMOD counter report

Math Competenc(i)es – Catholic or Protestant? a paper for the MADIF 11 2018 conference