Developing mathematical competence: From the intended to the enacted curriculum

•Classroom observations reveal a focus on procedure competency.•The teachers display limited knowledge of the competency goals.•Teachers’ difficulties in identifying the meaning of the reform message is a reason for weak reform impact.•Weak impact from the national curriculum documents.•Weak impact from the national tests.

This study investigates the impact of a national reform in Sweden introducing mathematical competency goals. Data were gathered through interviews, classroom observations, and online surveys with nearly 200 teachers. Contrasting to most studies of this size, qualitative analyses were conducted. The results show that teachers are positive to the message, but the combination of using national curriculum documents and national tests to convey the reform message has not been sufficient for teachers to identify the meaning of the message. Thus, the teachers have not acquired the functional knowledge of the competence message required to modify their teaching in alignment with the reform. The results indicate that for complex reform messages, such as the competency message, to have intended impact on classroom practice, special attention needs to be put on the clarity of the message. To have high-stakes tests, for example, does not alone seem to be sufficient.