From the start of the 2024 school year, level groups will be set up at the college as announced by the Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal. A flagship measure of its “shock of knowledge” project.
Big upheaval to come for middle school students from the start of the 2024 school year. As expected, Gabriel Attal announced the creation of level groups for middle school classes for French and mathematics courses. The 6th and 5th grade classes will get the ball rolling in 2024, we will have to wait until the next school year in 2025 for the 4th and 3rd grade classes, on the same principle.
To put it simply, students will be divided into three levels based on their skills in French and mathematics. Group number 1 being the one dedicated to the students with the most difficulties. “We will create positions so that there are only around fifteen students” in this famous group 1 declared the Minister of National Education on Tuesday during his press conference from a college in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
Over the course of the year, students may change groups if progress is deemed sufficient by the teacher. The goal for Gabriel Attal being to “put an end to uniform middle school (…) to put an end to inequalities within classes. We will add the necessary human and financial resources, he added. The middle school students in greatest difficulty will also benefit an adapted schooling, with more working time, always in French and mathematics. These hours will take the place of part of another subject, with the agreement of the teaching staff and the family.
However, does the establishment of level groups have a positive impact on students? In reality, it is difficult to give a clear and obvious answer. There is no clear consensus on the issue, although some studies prove that homogeneous classes would benefit more students whose academic level is high. Conversely, level groups, in other words, heterogeneous classes, would be more adapted to students in difficulty to allow them to progress. In any case, the measure announced by Gabriel Attal will be implemented as soon as the next school year begins for 6th and 5th grade classes.