Pupils Assessment

Currently, there are no regulations concerning the assessment of collège pupils. In practice, pupils do homework in or out of class at regular intervals, and this work is corrected on an individual basis and receives a score and assessment from the teacher. 

The assessment of the pupil's results is materialised first by a series of scores listed on a bulletin that is sent every three months to the parents by the administration of the school institution. These notes also contain, for each subject, detailed assessments from the teacher on the pupil's work and the progress they have made. The information for parents also contains contacts and meetings with the teachers of the class and primarily with the main teacher and the guidance counsellor as well as parent-teacher meetings that are organised on a regular basis.

School report

Since September 2016, a new unique school report that follows the pupil from the Cours préparatoire to the Troisième has been launched. It gives a comprehensive look at the pupil’s results on a regular basis, as well as a look at his/her progress towards the acquisition of the new common core of knowledge, skills and culture.

In the collège, two types of documents report to parents on the student’s progress and his/her teachers’ appreciation regarding his/her work.

The regular report: it presents for each subject the main curriculum items that were worked into depth during the year quarter, as well as the progress that was made and difficulties that were encountered by the pupil, and finally the “achieved level” of the pupil. The “achieved level” may take the form of a grade or any other alphanumeric-based restitution system, and it must also give the progress made by the pupil towards the learning objectives of the common core on 4-level scale: not attained, partially attained, attained, topped. 

This list is mandatory but does not limit institutions if they want to include other assessment methods. For pupils of Troisième, the regular report also contains the streaming wishes and the final decision (instance of a Cinquième regular report).

End-of-cycle reports (last quarters of Sixième and Troisième): an end-of-cycle report is done for the pupil. It gives an outlook at the pupil’s mastery level of the common core of knowledge, skills and culture, following the same 4-level scale:

• Insufficient acquisition;
• Fragile;
• Sufficient;
• Very good.

These reports must also have a written commentary on the pupil’s learning of the cycle, and, if needed, advice for the rest of the school career. The reports are enacted by the School principal or his/her deputy, by the Head teacher and by the parents or the guardian of the pupil.

Assessment of the skills acquired by 6th grade students

Since September 2018, all grade 6 (“Sixième”) pupils in public and private education under contract will undergo standardised assessments in French and mathematics at the beginning of the school year. This provides their teachers with an overview of certain skills and knowledge of each pupil and encourages the development of teaching methods adapted to their needs.  It also makes it possible to support pedagogical management in schools and in the context of school/college continuity.

It is entirely digital, via an online platform. After entering an identifier and a password given to each pupil on entering the room, the pupil connects to the evaluation platform. All the data collected are collected according to an anonymisation protocol.

The tests are conducted in an adaptive manner: after a first series of exercises, the pupil is guided towards a second series according to his or her level of mastery. Correction is automatic. The assessment is made up of two non-consecutive tests, in French and mathematics, each lasting 60 minutes (10 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of test) and a fluency test.

The skills assessed are :

Each student benefits from individualised feedback. Parents are also informed of their child's results and of the value of the information that this evaluation gives to the teacher in order to better support each student's learning. The individual and class results will be available the day after the actual exams.

With this in mind, comprehension of texts in French and problem solving in mathematics are the subject of specific assessment. A detailed report on each pupil's answers will enable teachers and pupils to assess their level of mastery in these two areas. In addition, a positioning sheet will be distributed to students at the end of the fluency test.

Pupils for whom difficulties are identified by the assessments will be encouraged to take advantage of the "Homework done" ("Devoirs faits") device.

Cedre assessments

Since 2003, the Ministry of National Education has introduced standardised sample assessments at national level that are similar to PISA. The Cycle des Évaluations Disciplinaires Réalisées sur Échantillons (Cedre - Cycle of Disciplinary Assessments Conducted on Samples) measures the skills of pupils at the end of secondary school. Each year, one subject area of the programme is assessed as part of a 6-year rolling cycle. In elementary education, the areas assessed are :

• Mastery of the language
• Modern foreign languages ;
• History-geography and civic education ;
• Experimental sciences ;
• Mathematics.

The presentation of the results makes it possible to situate pupils' performance on level scales. These assessments, which are renewed at regular intervals, make it possible to monitor changes in the "level of pupils" over time. Tests are taken at the end of the school year.

In lower secondary schools, the target population is third-generation pupils in public and private lower secondary schools under contract in metropolitan France. A stratification is also carried out on the school sector. Year 9 classes are randomly selected with a view to national representativeness (for example, this represented approximately 8 400 pupils in more than 300 classes for the mathematics assessment in 2014).

To take account of non-response, samples are adjusted to ensure representativeness by sector, gender and educational disadvantage.

Progression of Pupils

Progression from one class to another

The procedures for transitioning from one class to another in collège is set in the legislative (article L331-8) and regulatory (article D331-23 et seq.) sections of the French Code of Education. According to these provisions, and the assessment report, the pupil's parents formulate a request to transition to the next class, a request for orientation or a repeat year. The latter is examined by the class council which will take into account all of the information collected by its members and in turn will issue a proposal for a transition or to repeat the year. 

If the proposal is in compliance with the requests, the school head makes the decision and sends it to the parents. If the proposal does not comply with the requests, the school head receives the pupil's parents, informs them of the proposal and receives their observations. He then makes the decision. If a disagreement persists, the parents have recourse with an appeal commission, presided by the académie inspector who will make the final ruling. 

Decree no. 2014-1377 of November 18, 2014 that came into force during the end of the 2014/2015 academic year changes the Code of Education regarding the streaming of pupil as well as repeating school years. According to article L311-7 of the Code of Education, repeating years can now only an exceptional occurrence. It also always needs the written approval of the parents.

Moreover, in Troisième, repetition cannot be demanded by the parents or be proposed by the institution. Only if the family of the pupil who does not obtain his/her orientation wishes, they may, rightfully, ask to maintain the pupil in its present class and for a maximum duration of one academic year.

Progression toward upper secondary education

At the end of 3rd class the pupil is directed either towards the general and technological path or towards the vocational path. The orientation decision is the responsibility of the school head and is taken after the class council; it is subjected to recourse through appeal to a commission lead by the académie director. However, the choice of the option taken by the pupil in the type institution he was directed to is entirely up to the family.

A personalised orientation interview is offered to all Troisième pupils, in order to accompany them in transitioning to lycée. This interview is conducted by the main teacher, who will call upon the expertise of the guidance professionals (directors of guidance and information centres, guidance counsellor-psychologists). The concrete methods for organising this are the responsibility of the school head (Circular no. 2006-213 of 14 December 2006).

Certification

Diplomas and certificates, issued by the Department of National Education, Higher Education and Research, recognised nationally, can be delivered to collège pupils. Pursuit in Lycée is not conditional to their attainment:

• The Certificat de Formation Générale (CFG - general training certificate);
• The Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB - national brevet diploma);
• The Brevet Informatique et Internet (B2i - IT and internet certificate). 

The Certificat de Formation Générale (CFG)

The (CFG - general training certificate) validates the acquisitions in the areas of general knowledge (French, maths, social and professional life). This is a diploma intended for adapted general and vocational education pupils (SEGPA) and pupils of regional adapted education (EREA) institutions, as well as for young people aged 16-25 or adults who have followed an alternative training effort in a social and professional integration system or ongoing training. 

The general training certificate was revamped starting in 2011 so as to certify mastery of the skills in the common core of knowledge and skills (order of 8 July 2010, Official Bulletin no. 29 of 22 July 2010). The assessment is done on the basis of the required level of the 3rd Cycle of the new common core of knowledge, skills and culture.

Since the 2016 session, a republican graduation ceremony has been created. It will be done at the beginning of every academic year, for the laureates of the previous session in their previous institution.

The Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB)

The training acquired after schooling followed by collège is sanctioned by the national brevet diploma. The 2005 guidance and planning law for the future of schools provides it with a new dimension by introducing in particular the mastery of the knowledge and skills of the common core. Starting 2017, a revamped DNB has been set in place. 

Starting June 2017, pupils take an exam over 3 days, with 2 days dedicated to the written part of the exam (Mathematics, Life and earth sciences, Physics-chemistry and Technology on the first day, French, History-Geography and Civic and moral education on the second), and an 15-minutes oral examination on the third day where the pupil presents one of his/her projects done during the interdisciplinary practical teachings.

In total, the DNB is now assessed on 700 points:

• 400 points allocated to the continuous examination: each of the 8 learning fields in the new common core of knowledge, skills and culture will be evaluated at the end of Troisième. Insufficient acquisition will be given 10 points, fragile 20 points, sufficient 35 and very good 50;
• 300 points allocated to final examination, divided in three block of 100 points:
  • French, history and geography, and civic and moral teaching;
  • Mathematics, physics and chemistry, natural sciences and technology;
  • Oral examination with the project presentation.

Honours « assez bien » (fair), « bien » (good) and « très bien » (very good) will now be awarded to pupils that respectively obtain 420, 490 and 560 points out of 700.

Finally, since the 2016 session, a republican graduation ceremony has been created. It will be done at the beginning of every academic year, for the laureates of the previous session in their previous institution.

The Brevet Informatique et Internet (B2i)

The ICT and internet brevet makes it possible to certify the level acquired by the pupils in mastering multimedia tools and the internet. It is not an exam, but only an attestation of skill. It assesses the skills of the pupils in five areas:

• Appropriating a work IT environment;
• Adopting a responsible attitude;
• Creating, producing, processing and using data;
• Getting informed, getting documentation;
• Communicating, exchanging.

There are three levels in the B2i, the first is for pupils at the end of primary school, the second for pupils at the end of collège and the third for lycée pupils (regardless of the year) and apprentice training centres.