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+# CORE Foundation Curriculum Roadmap
+
+Status: proposed planning document  
+Scope: documentation only; no runtime, pack, eval, or admission changes  
+Purpose: define the lower-level subjects CORE should learn first so later domain studies are built on strong reusable foundations rather than brittle topic accumulation.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Doctrine
+
+CORE should not widen capability by collecting impressive subjects first. It should widen capability by building the reusable primitives that make later subjects lawful, auditable, transferable, and refusal-safe.
+
+The curriculum order is therefore:
+
+```text
+language -> relations -> quantity -> units -> logic -> evidence -> data -> algorithms -> systems -> domains
+```
+
+The desired result is not broad trivia. The desired result is a model that can read the world as:
+
+```text
+typed, evidenced, unit-bearing, logically constrained state transitions
+```
+
+This keeps teaching aligned with CORE's core commitments:
+
+- deterministic replay over fluent improvisation
+- evidence spans over unsupported assertion
+- typed refusal over hidden guessing
+- ratified packs over loose memory
+- cross-field transfer through shared primitives, not analogy theater
+- small load-bearing PRs instead of large speculative rewrites
+
+---
+
+## 2. Foundation-before-domain rule
+
+Do not start with high-level applied subjects such as medicine, law, finance, engineering design, or advanced theology until their lower-level dependencies exist.
+
+Applied domains require foundations:
+
+| Applied domain | Required foundations first |
+|---|---|
+| Medicine | language, quantity, units, biology, chemistry, statistics, evidence quality, ethics, scope/refusal |
+| Law | language, definitions, conditionals, authority, jurisdiction, procedure, evidence, source hierarchy |
+| Finance/trading | arithmetic, rates, time, probability, statistics, incentives, risk, uncertainty, causality vs correlation |
+| Engineering | units, dimensional analysis, physical science, constraints, systems, algorithms, safety |
+| Theology/hermeneutics | language, logic, history, source criticism, ethics, epistemology, Hebrew/Greek depth lanes |
+| Research assistance | language, evidence, data, statistics, source evaluation, methodology, uncertainty handling |
+
+The rule is simple:
+
+```text
+No domain pack should pretend to reason above the level of its substrate packs.
+```
+
+---
+
+## 3. Curriculum ladder
+
+### Stage 0 — Existing base and constraints
+
+Current project direction already includes language packs, epistemic states, reviewed learning, refusal-first behavior, sealed eval discipline, and GSM8K-driven math/reasoning work.
+
+This roadmap does not replace those efforts. It gives them a larger teaching order.
+
+### Stage 1 — Language relation substrate
+
+Purpose: make every later subject parseable.
+
+CORE must reliably identify:
+
+- subject / predicate
+- agent / action / object
+- modifiers
+- prepositional relations
+- temporal sequence
+- conditionals
+- negation
+- comparison
+- coordination
+- reference resolution
+- claim boundaries
+
+Canonical representation target:
+
+```text
+CLAIM {
+  subject
+  relation
+  object_or_value
+  qualifiers
+  evidence_span
+  epistemic_state
+}
+```
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/language/en_core_syntax_v1
+packs/language/en_core_relations_v2
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/language_claim_parsing
+evals/language_relation_binding
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Every parsed claim has an evidence span.
+- Every relation has typed operands.
+- Temporal, conditional, comparative, and negated forms are deterministic.
+- Missing evidence produces a typed refusal or undetermined state.
+- Existing GSM8K behavior does not regress.
+
+### Stage 2 — Arithmetic semantics and quantity state
+
+Purpose: make story statements compile into deterministic quantity/state transitions.
+
+CORE must treat arithmetic operations as semantic transformations, not just symbols.
+
+Examples:
+
+| Operation | Semantic forms |
+|---|---|
+| Addition | combine, gain, receive, total, altogether |
+| Subtraction | remove, lose, spend, left, difference |
+| Multiplication | groups of, each, per, repeated addition |
+| Division | share equally, groups of, inverse rate |
+| Fractions | part-whole, ratio, scaling |
+| Percent | per hundred, relative change |
+| Ratios | comparison, mixture, scale |
+| Rates | quantity per unit |
+
+Canonical representation target:
+
+```text
+ENTITY_LEDGER {
+  entity
+  attribute
+  initial_state
+  mutations[]
+  final_state
+  evidence_spans[]
+}
+```
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/math/arithmetic_semantics_v1
+packs/math/quantity_ledger_v1
+packs/math/ratio_rate_percent_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/math_quantity_language
+evals/math_state_tracking
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Quantity-bearing language becomes a replayable ledger.
+- Operations preserve entity and attribute identity.
+- Unknown initial/final values remain symbolic until solved or refused.
+- Comparative phrases are directionally correct.
+- Already-admitted GSM8K cases remain stable.
+
+### Stage 3 — Measurement, units, and dimensional reasoning
+
+Purpose: attach numbers to reality and reject invalid operations.
+
+CORE must understand:
+
+- unit identity
+- unit families
+- unit conversion
+- compound units
+- dimensional compatibility
+- rates
+- scale
+- precision
+- exact vs measured quantities
+
+Canonical operation rule:
+
+```text
+operation(value_a: unit_x, value_b: unit_y) -> valid only if dimensions permit it
+```
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/math/measurement_units_v1
+packs/math/dimensional_analysis_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/unit_conversion
+evals/dimensional_validity
+evals/rate_reasoning
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Unit conversions are deterministic and evidence-backed.
+- Incompatible operations refuse or mark invalid.
+- Compound units preserve numerator/denominator structure.
+- Answers include units when units are present in the prompt.
+
+### Stage 4 — Logic, classification, and conditionals
+
+Purpose: preserve truth under inference.
+
+CORE must understand:
+
+- identity and difference
+- class membership
+- subclass relations
+- part-whole structure
+- necessary and sufficient conditions
+- quantifiers
+- negation
+- conjunction/disjunction
+- contradiction
+- equivalence
+- causal vs logical implication
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/logic/classification_v1
+packs/logic/conditionals_v1
+packs/logic/quantifiers_v1
+packs/logic/contradiction_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/basic_logic
+evals/claim_entailment_refusal
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Entailed claims are separated from merely plausible claims.
+- Contradictions are explicit, not smoothed over.
+- Quantifier scope is preserved.
+- Unknown membership or insufficient premises produces refusal/undetermined state.
+
+### Stage 5 — Scientific method and evidence grammar
+
+Purpose: separate observation, hypothesis, inference, verification, contradiction, and scope.
+
+CORE must represent:
+
+- observation
+- measurement
+- hypothesis
+- prediction
+- experiment
+- control
+- evidence
+- model
+- theory/law
+- confounder
+- replication
+- scope limit
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/science/scientific_method_v1
+packs/science/evidence_relations_v1
+packs/science/causal_reasoning_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/science_evidence_classification
+evals/hypothesis_prediction_experiment
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Observed claims are not promoted to verified causal claims without support.
+- Missing controls, denominators, sample sizes, or methods are exposed.
+- Causal language is distinguished from correlation/association.
+- Scope limits are preserved.
+
+### Stage 6 — Data literacy, probability, and statistics
+
+Purpose: reason under uncertainty without overclaiming.
+
+CORE must understand:
+
+- data point
+- variable
+- dataset
+- table
+- chart
+- mean/median/mode
+- range/spread
+- outlier
+- sample vs population
+- probability
+- conditional probability
+- base rate
+- false positive/negative
+- absolute vs relative risk
+- correlation vs causation
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/math/data_literacy_v1
+packs/math/probability_v1
+packs/math/statistical_reasoning_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/table_reasoning
+evals/probability_language
+evals/base_rate_reasoning
+evals/correlation_vs_causation
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Tables are parsed into typed rows/columns.
+- Claims unsupported by denominator/sample data are refused or qualified.
+- Base-rate information is preserved.
+- Relative and absolute changes are not confused.
+
+### Stage 7 — Computational thinking and algorithms
+
+Purpose: make procedures, traces, and state machines first-class.
+
+CORE must understand:
+
+- sequence
+- branching
+- loops
+- state
+- function input/output
+- decomposition
+- abstraction
+- invariant
+- error handling
+- trace/replay
+- rough cost/complexity
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/cs/computational_thinking_v1
+packs/cs/algorithm_trace_v1
+packs/cs/state_machine_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/procedure_following
+evals/algorithm_trace
+evals/branching_logic
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Procedures produce deterministic traces.
+- Branch conditions are evaluated from evidence.
+- State mutations are explicit.
+- Invalid or missing steps are not silently repaired.
+
+### Stage 8 — Systems and crosscutting structures
+
+Purpose: enable cross-field transfer without collapsing domain boundaries.
+
+CORE must understand:
+
+- pattern
+- cause/effect
+- scale/proportion/quantity
+- system and system model
+- structure/function
+- stability/change
+- feedback
+- equilibrium
+- constraint
+- conservation-like accounting
+
+Initial pack candidates:
+
+```text
+packs/crosscutting/patterns_v1
+packs/crosscutting/cause_effect_v1
+packs/crosscutting/systems_models_v1
+packs/crosscutting/structure_function_v1
+packs/crosscutting/stability_change_v1
+```
+
+Initial eval candidates:
+
+```text
+evals/cross_domain_transfer
+evals/systems_reasoning_basic
+```
+
+Acceptance direction:
+
+- Shared structure is identified across domains.
+- Domain-specific limits are preserved.
+- Analogies are marked as analogies unless structurally proven.
+- Transfer does not bypass evidence or scope.
+
+### Stage 9 — Domain foundations
+
+Only after Stages 1-8 should domain foundations expand aggressively.
+
+Recommended order:
+
+1. physical science foundations
+2. life science foundations
+3. earth/space/environment systems
+4. social studies foundations: history, geography, economics, civics
+5. applied domains: medicine, law, finance, engineering, research assistance, theology/hermeneutics
+
+---
+
+## 4. Cross-field transfer patterns
+
+The curriculum should deliberately test reusable structure across fields.
+
+### Rate transfer
+
+```text
+math:      60 miles / 2 hours       -> 30 miles/hour
+finance:  $60 / 2 items             -> $30/item
+medicine: 60 mg / 2 kg              -> 30 mg/kg
+chemistry: 60 g / 2 L               -> 30 g/L
+computing: 60 requests / 2 seconds  -> 30 requests/second
+```
+
+Expected behavior:
+
+- same abstract rate structure
+- distinct units
+- distinct domain safety boundaries
+
+### Conservation transfer
+
+```text
+arithmetic: total objects
+physics: energy/momentum
+chemistry: mass/atoms
+accounting: money balance
+inventory: stock
+law: chain of custody
+```
+
+Expected behavior:
+
+- identify accounting/conservation-like invariant
+- preserve domain rules
+- refuse unsupported conservation claims where the domain does not justify them
+
+### Structure/function transfer
+
+```text
+biology: heart -> pump blood
+engineering: pump -> move fluid
+software: queue -> preserve order of work
+civics: court -> adjudicate disputes
+```
+
+Expected behavior:
+
+- identify structure/function relation
+- avoid pretending equivalent mechanisms
+- surface evidence and scope
+
+---
+
+## 5. Standard eval shape
+
+Every curriculum slice should include four eval types.
+
+### 5.1 Recognition eval
+
+Can CORE identify the structure?
+
+```text
+Input: John has 4 fewer apples than Mary.
+Expected: comparative_quantity_relation
+```
+
+### 5.2 Transformation eval
+
+Can CORE produce the typed representation?
+
+```text
+john.apples = mary.apples - 4
+```
+
+### 5.3 Execution eval
+
+Can CORE solve, infer, classify, or validate deterministically?
+
+```text
+mary.apples = 10
+john.apples = 6
+```
+
+### 5.4 Refusal eval
+
+Can CORE refuse when evidence is insufficient?
+
+```text
+Input: John has fewer apples than Mary. How many apples does John have?
+Expected: insufficient quantity evidence
+```
+
+---
+
+## 6. Minimum documentation required per slice
+
+Each implemented curriculum slice should add or update:
+
+```text
+docs/curriculum/<slice-name>.md
+packs/<domain>/<pack-name>/manifest.json
+evals/<eval-name>/README.md
+```
+
+The curriculum doc should include:
+
+- purpose
+- prerequisites
+- non-goals
+- typed primitives introduced
+- expected representations
+- eval surfaces
+- refusal boundaries
+- cross-field bridges
+- admission criteria
+- follow-on dependencies unlocked
+
+---
+
+## 7. Recommended immediate implementation sequence
+
+The next six load-bearing slices should be:
+
+1. `en_core_syntax_v1` and `en_core_relations_v2`
+2. `quantity_ledger_v1` and `arithmetic_semantics_v1`
+3. `measurement_units_v1` and `dimensional_analysis_v1`
+4. `classification_v1`, `conditionals_v1`, `quantifiers_v1`, `contradiction_v1`
+5. `scientific_method_v1`, `evidence_relations_v1`, `causal_reasoning_v1`
+6. `data_literacy_v1`, `probability_v1`, `statistical_reasoning_v1`
+
+Recommended first implementation branch after this planning PR:
+
+```text
+feat/en-core-syntax-relations-v1
+```
+
+Recommended first runtime/eval scope:
+
+```text
+packs/language/en_core_syntax_v1/
+packs/language/en_core_relations_v2/
+evals/language_claim_parsing/
+evals/language_relation_binding/
+tests/test_language_claim_parsing.py
+tests/test_relation_binding_replay.py
+```
+
+Do not widen into domain foundations until these first six slices are either admitted or explicitly scoped as incomplete dependencies.
+
+---
+
+## 8. Non-goals
+
+This roadmap does not authorize:
+
+- bulk domain ingestion without substrate dependencies
+- open-ended web-corpus learning
+- probabilistic guessing to fill missing relations
+- hidden correction of invalid statements
+- promotion from observed to verified without evidence
+- manual manifest drift
+- eval promotion without replay artifacts
+- replacement of refusal with best-effort fluency
+
+---
+
+## 9. Definition of done for this roadmap
+
+This planning document is useful only if it remains trackable.
+
+Use `docs/curriculum/FOUNDATION-CURRICULUM-TRACKER.md` as the living checklist. A curriculum slice should not be marked admitted until the relevant pack, eval, test, and documentation artifacts exist and pass their admission criteria.