Integrated Design of the Moral and Rule of Law Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education

Abstract

The Moral and Rule of Law Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition) serves as an action guide for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. Adopting the principle of integrated construction of moral and legal education across universities, primary and secondary schools, it identifies five core competencies and develops an integrated design encompassing curriculum objectives, curriculum content, and the evaluation system. Guided by the sequence “national education standards—students’ core development literacy—curriculum-based core literacy—curriculum requirements,” the Standards foreground the hierarchical and stage-specific design of curriculum objectives, the integrity and gradual progression of curriculum content, and the consistency and dynamic character of the evaluation system. Rather than treating these dimensions as separate components, the Standards articulate them as a coherent system in which core competencies function as the unifying reference for objective setting, content organization, and assessment. This integrated design provides theoretical guidance for the teaching of morality and the rule of law and establishes a foundational orientation for implementing core literacy cultivation.