“I refuse this term ‘segregation'”, protests Mostafa Fourar, the rector of the Toulouse academy. This senior official is in favor of the “Shock of Knowledge” reform announced by Gabriel Attal when he was Minister of National Education. One of the key measures was the establishment of level groups (since renamed “needs” groups) in French and mathematics, in 6th and 5th grade classes, at the start of the next school year. Teachers had carried out “dead school” operations, strikes and demonstrations to protest.
Will this new organization really see the light of day in some 7,000 French colleges from September 2? “We hear the concerns, the opposition and the fears,” responds the entourage of the Minister of National Education Nicole Belloubet. However, these blockages must be put into perspective since only 5% of establishments are concerned. In almost all colleges, preparation, whether technical, organizational or educational, is well advanced.”
“Everything will not be fixed”
At the Françoise Dolto college, in Reichshoffen, in Bas-Rhin, the implementation will be done gradually. “We will not divide the 6th grade students into different groups from the first day of school. The year will start in a traditional way since each of them will remain in their original class until the All Saints’ Day vacation,” explains the principal Pascal Richarth. The official texts, published in March, provide for the possibility of grouping students together as a whole class over a period of one to ten weeks, either in a row or spread over the year.
That being said, the work of determining possible student shortcomings in order to distribute them has already begun at Françoise Dolto. “During a meeting to be held in June, teachers from CM2 schools will meet middle school teachers, which will allow us to gather initial information on our future students,” explains Pascal Richarth. These will be cross-referenced with the 6th grade national assessments, scheduled for September, and the observations of teachers which will be made during the first term. “Parents are not fooled and know the possible difficulties encountered by their children. As long as our evaluation methods are transparent, there is no reason for things to go badly,” continues the principal, insisting on the fact that “everything will not be set in stone” and that the cards will be reshuffled four times during the year.
This new organization, considered by many as a small revolution, risks shaking up the teaching practices of teachers. The Amiens academy says it is already a little established. “Our system called “the 6th springboard”, dedicated to students who have difficulties in French and mathematics, allowed us to experiment with this work in groups. We now know that it works,” explains rector Pierre Moya. As in other academies, training via webinars is organized to support teachers. Inspectors are also required to visit establishments to address concerns.
“A very difficult balancing act to maintain”
“It must be recognized that the announcement of these changes made our teams react strongly at the start! But the fears were gradually lifted,” assures Corinne Lourme, head of the Saverdun college, in Ariège. The task of head teachers, accustomed to managing entire classes and who will now be confronted with students divided into different groups, was one of the points of tension. The other concern often mentioned by French and mathematics teachers is the lack of time dedicated to consultation between them. However, these moments of exchange will be essential to allow them to move forward at the same pace.
Beyond these technical details, all the unions point out above all the weakness of the means dedicated to the implementation of this reform. “Most of our colleagues are faced with a very difficult balancing act. This is why, today, we are not able to ensure that the reform will truly be applied everywhere at the start of the school year,” explains Bruno Bobkiewicz , the general secretary of SNPDEN, the main management staff union. The government estimates that 2,330 positions will be needed to meet the challenge that awaits them. “According to our calculations, it would take double that! And, when we know that from 2025, the system will be extended to 4th and 3rd grades, there is cause for concern,” continues the union leader.
The criteria for allocating the resources granted to each establishment differ depending on the rectorate. “In the Toulouse academy, we have chosen to base ourselves on the 6th grade assessments to establish groups of three levels. The first will only accommodate 15 students maximum, compared to 26 for the second and 30 for the third,” explains rector Mostafa Fourar.
Will there be a teacher in front of each group?
Depending on the territory, the situation is more or less tense. For this principal of a college classified REP and established in Aubervilliers, in Seine-Saint-Denis, the calculations are not good: “To comply with the reform, we would have to set up eight groups in total: two in French and two in mathematics in 6th grade. The same for the 5th grade level. The number of hours allocated to our establishment will not be sufficient. His colleague Céline Mathieu, departmental secretary of SNPDEN in Essonne, affirms that “the reform will apply… but with pain”. “And to the detriment of several measures that already exist and which we will have to cut back on, such as language duplication or personalized help in other disciplines,” she regrets.
Establishments located in rural areas sometimes face other problems. The Voltaire college in Capdenac-Gare, a commune in Aveyron, has only 246 students enrolled. Five of the 21 teachers who make up the team share their time in different establishments. “The establishment of level groups requires us to align maths or French lessons over the same time slots. All school heads must agree, which is far from being an easy task” , explains principal Stéphanie Besombes. Creating timetables is often a real headache for management staff. “Even if it is not written anywhere in the texts, we have the habit of trying to respect individual wishes. For personal reasons, some teachers prefer, for example, not to work on Friday or even finish earlier on certain days “There it will no longer necessarily be possible. Hence the tensions,” explains this principal from the Paris region.
There remains one last unknown: will National Education, faced with an unprecedented crisis of attractiveness, really be able to ensure the presence of a teacher in front of each group at the start of the school year? The risk that candidates will be missed is great. “In the most stressed academies, such as those of Versailles or Créteil for example, we have organized early recruitment of contract workers from June 1. This allows us to better train them upstream and organize training times. observation and exchanges with their future colleagues in the field”, responds the ministry. Not enough to calm the unions still opposed to this reform. The Snes-FSU, the majority union in secondary education, has therefore called for a vote against the proposals for organization by groups of needs which could be submitted by school heads during the board meetings scheduled for June. It remains to be seen whether this slogan will be followed by effect.
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