INCA Education around the world
France : Assessment arrangements
6.2.1 Control
6.2.2 Purpose(s)
6.2.3 Participation
6.2.4 Nature
6.2.5 Administration
6.2.6 Grading process
6.2.7 Consequences
6.2.8 Use of results
6.2.9 Output statistics
6.2 Second phase: Primary, age 6 - 11 [see 3.2.2]
6.2.1 Control
There is no national examination at the end of elementary school to determine whether a student may be promoted to lower secondary education in the collège. Generally, all students enter the sixième class of the collège as of right.26 However, although there is no national elementary school leaving examination, there are various types of national assessment in use in France which are applicable to the primary level of education. These include:
- Continuous, periodic teacher assessment to test what students' knowledge.
- National, mass diagnostic testing (involving all students of a specific age group - aged 8 and 11).
- 'Orientation' assessment, involving all students at specific stages of their school career.
- End of year testing of selective samples of students, which is carried out from time to time for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons.15
Responsible agencies
The Direction de l'Evaluation, de la Prospective et de la Performance, DEPP of the national Ministry of Education was set up in 1987 to take responsibility for the evaluation of the French education system.15
The DEPP is responsible for the evaluation/assessment of the education system as a whole. As such, it is responsible for the development, implementation and analysis of monitoring, assessment and evaluation procedures with regard to student and student learning, teaching establishments and education policy and innovation. It also undertakes long-term planning for the development of the education system, undertakes all forms of statistical analysis, and disseminates publications to ensure that those in the wider domain are kept fully informed.27
With respect to student evaluation and assessment in particular, the DEPP is responsible for deciding the nature of assessment procedures, arranging sampling, devising and developing tests, supervising their administration and analysing and publishing findings. In practice, groups of teachers, academics and inspectors from a number of regions, together with Ministry officials, meet in the Ministry throughout the year to devise, develop and test national assessment material. Much emphasis is placed on the principle of participation, that is, involving all interested parties in designing such tests. Schools, however, are not involved in this process. Individual teachers are. They are drawn from as many different regions and schools as possible to involve as many people as possible. They serve for a few years and are then replaced by others.15
6.2.2 Purpose(s)
National mass diagnostic testing
Mass diagnostic national testing of students aged 8, 11 and 15 years became compulsory in both public- and private-sector schools in France in September 1989. (Diagnostic testing at 15 is now no longer compulsory.) The primary goals of this assessment are to:
- Provide teachers with a tool to gauge their students' progress.
- Assist teachers in choosing the teaching activities most suited to the students' needs.
- Assist teachers in planning their teaching of the curriculum accordingly.23
In elementary school education, the assessment tests are closely related to the curriculum and assess 8-year-old students' strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing, and mathematical skills, at what is considered to be a particularly important stage in their education, that is, on entry to the consolidation cycle of elementary school education.23
After the assessments have taken place, teachers can investigate further to establish the thought processes used by students to reach certain answers. To help them in their interpretation, teachers are provided with guidance on possible reasons for incorrect answers.15
Continuous assessment
The Teachers' Council of each cycle (which generally comprises all the teachers of that cycle) promotes students from class to class within a cycle on the recommendation of their teacher, who bases his/her recommendation on his/her continuous observation and assessment of the student, and on discussion and consultation with parents and with members of teaching teams.28 Attainment targets are set for each cycle, rather than for each year, and the amount of time spent in each cycle can be extended or reduced by one year to suit the learning rhythms of each child. Students may only repeat a year once they reach the end of a specific cycle.25
It is important to note that assessment is seen in France as a fundamental part of work in cycles, as it enables the teacher to follow the development of a child's skills and thereby plan their own teaching strategies. Teachers are expected to record whether specific "notions" (attainment targets set for each cycle) have not been acquired, are in the process of being acquired or have been acquired.19
Continuous student monitoring and assessment by teachers also assists teachers in noting students with particular difficulties (in one or more subjects). As a result, students concerned may either receive special help within their existing class or, should their difficulties make it impossible for them to take part in normal class lessons, they may enter special classes organised within the same school. In more severe cases they will attend a special school.14
End of year sampling testing
End of year testing of selective samples of students during compulsory education is carried out from time to time for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons.15
Brevet informatique et internet
Introduced in 2000 as part of France's national plan/programme for the "Knowledge Society", the brevet informatique et internet (B2i ®) is an optional certificate offering schools a means of validating students' knowledge of information and communication technology. 163 Plans introduced in 2008 aim to ensure that all students obtain a brevet informatique et internet (IT and Internet certificate) at age 11 by 2010.
6.2.3 Participation
Mass diagnostic testing at age 8 (on entry to the elementary school consolidation cycle) is compulsory for all students.28
Continuous teacher assessment and periodic end of year sampling (for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons) are similarly compulsory for all students.23
6.2.4 Nature
National mass diagnostic testing
This takes the form of a formal, written national test in French and mathematics 27 for 8-year-olds at the beginning of the academic year, that is, in the September they enter the elementary school consolidation cycle.23 Although national mass diagnostic testing covers only French and mathematics at elementary school level, some cross-curricular skills such as observation, spatial awareness and temporal awareness are also included.19
Continuous assessment
Students are assessed at regular intervals during each of the teaching cycles by their teacher/teachers to test their knowledge and retention.28 Teaching teams within a cycle also work together to improve coordination between teachers and to ensure the continuity and assessment of students' work.23 For example, internal school assessment tests are very often produced on a coordinated basis with other teachers of classes in the same year.19
Continuous assessment during elementary school generally takes the form of regular, often weekly, tests, made up and conducted by the teacher. Typically marked out of 20, the results of these tests are the subject of considerable interest on the part of many parents who themselves are likely to have experienced the same system.19 At the end of each term, the marks obtained during this monitoring process are noted in students' report books. Teachers also make written comments in their students' report books concerning students' work, behaviour in school, conscientiousness, attitude to work etc. 14
End of year sampling
Compulsory end of year sampling is carried out from time to time (at the end of the academic year and under Ministry instruction) for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons.15
Brevet informatique et internet
Introduced in 2000 as part of France's national plan/programme for the "Knowledge Society", the brevet informatique et internet (B2i ®) is an optional certificate offering schools a means of validating students' knowledge of information and communication technology. By the end of primary eduction, students should be achieving the level 1 B2i qualification. There are no formal examinations for this optional certificate. Students are continually assessed on their abilities to use ICT in their school work, for example by producing work electronically or using the Internet for research purposes. Decisions on the awarding of the certificate rest with the headteacher. 163 Plans introduced in 2008 aim to ensure that all students obtain a brevet informatique et internet (IT and Internet certificate) at age 11 by 2010.
6.2.5 Administration
General
The Direction de l'Evaluation, de la Prospective et de la Performance, DEPP of the national Ministry of Education is responsible for determining the nature of assessment procedures, arranging sampling, devising and developing tests, supervising their administration and analysing and publishing the findings. In practice, groups of teachers, academics and inspectors from a number of regions, together with Ministry officials meet in the Ministry throughout the year to devise, develop and test national assessment material. Much emphasis is laid on the principle of participation, that is, involving all interested parties in designing such tests. Schools, however, are not involved in this process; individual teachers are. They are drawn from as many different regions and schools as possible to involve as many people as possible. They serve for a few years and are then replaced by others.15
Instruments of formal assessment are generally national tests, although teachers are also encouraged to develop their own assessments. Additional nationally devised testing material is also provided to teachers in elementary schools and collèges through a computerised data bank. Teachers are invited to make use of this freely to assess students' progress.15
Mass diagnostic testing
The tests used for national mass diagnostic testing are originally designed by teams of teachers.19
Teachers normally administer and mark their own students' national mass diagnostic assessment tests 15 and are provided with a detailed mark scheme for what are almost entirely right or wrong answers. They then either enter the data on a computer provided for this purpose, 19 using software made available to them by the Ministry,51so that they themselves can work out percentages and averages,19 or they calculate the marks manually and complete a result sheet for each student using a series of code numbers, relating to a sophisticated error analysis. The coding system allows for gradations of incorrect answers and several elements (for example, spelling) can be assessed in one task. The DEPP provides support materials which illustrate ranges of typical answers and their corresponding codes, along with computer software to analyse students' results. The same codes are valid for all subjects and are entered on an optical results sheet and read and computed by a central computer. These assessment tests take approximately two hours to administer and a further two hours to mark.15The software provided is also designed to aid teachers in analysing the data in more detail for each subject and across both French and maths, in order to identify where students are having difficulty.19
End of year sample tests
The coding of end of year sample tests is normally undertaken by outside firms, with the statistical analysis being carried out in the Ministry.15
The national Ministry of Education advises headteachers that mass testing will take place in certain forms or that some classes in their schools are part of a national sample. Headteachers receive the relevant material in appropriate quantity, including test instruments as well as the rationale behind them. The testing takes place during normal class time and central government provides all instructions to headteachers and teachers.15
6.2.6 Grading process
National mass diagnostic testing
Mass diagnostic testing is criterion-referenced, according to competences determined by the bodies which set the tests (the inspectorate [l'Inspection generale], the schools directorates and the directorate of evaluation, planning and performance [Direction de l'Evaluation, de la Prospective et de la Performance - DEPP]). There are three levels of marks which can be obtained in the tests, which take place at the beginning of the school year for students aged 8 and 11 (entry to collège) (and, previously also, at age 15 on entry to the lycée). These are:
- Competences de base (basic competence)
- Competences approfondies (detailed/good competence)
- Competences remarquables (above average competence).50
A mark sheet, provided by the DEPP, indicates those questions which are classified as representing competences de base, those which equate to competences approfondies etc. It also details the number of correct answers to be achieved under each of the three sections to obtain an overall mark of, for example, competence approfondie.50
When setting the standards to be achieved in the mass diagnostic assessment tests, the bodies which formulate them work on the principle that competences de base is the level which is required for students to benefit from the educational process to follow in the cycle which they are about to enter.50
The mass diagnostic tests are set each year and change each year. Results cannot therefore be compared year on year to identify trends over time.50
Continuous assessment
In the elementary school, students' work is continuously assessed by their teacher. The various exercises completed in class are marked, but there is no national marking system. Some teachers make written comments (good, very good, quite good etc.); others use a numbered marking system (marks out of 10 or, more typically, 20); and others use letters (A, B, C etc.),14 but most tend to use either marks or grades on a regular, often daily basis.19 At the end of each term, these marks are noted in students' report books.14
In report books (livrets scolaires), and for the main curriculum subjects, teachers are instructed to record individual children's progress in relation to specific curriculum objectives, both in terms of comments and a criterion-referenced system of grading competence: 'competence confirmed' 1; 'competence needing to be reinforced' 2; 'competence in the process of acquisition' 3; 'competence not yet acquired' 4. Teachers are not required to fill in all the boxes in a report if they are not relevant to what has been taught at a particular time - a point which underlines the growing policy emphasis on school-based planning for curriculum implementation and the centrally conceived notion of the learning cycle in which students are to progress at their own rate. Teachers are also encouraged to involve students as much as possible in the discussion of learning objectives and evaluation of their progress towards them.19
Internal classroom test assessment in elementary schools in France is generally overt (the children are aware that they are being tested/assessed) and the criteria for success are explicit.19
The student's experience of explicit assessment is not confined to formal tests, however. In most lessons there is also an explicit evaluative component. Most lessons follow a standard format of exposition by the teacher, oral class practice, individual written practice, and, finally, marking. Much of this correction is done quite publicly, with students being required to volunteer, in front of the whole class, their relative success or failure. This approach is commonly used as a method of marking in order to reiterate the method of analysis which the children are being required to learn. As such it demonstrates the use of assessment as a form of control which is used to reinforce the teacher's power.19
6.2.7 Consequences
Mass diagnostic testing
A sample of scripts from the national mass diagnostic tests is used by the Ministry to conduct a national survey in order to establish national norms. These results are disseminated to enable the actions of teachers, headteachers, policy-makers and all the various actors in the system to be informed by these results.19
Teachers have found that the results of mass diagnostic testing at ages 8 and 11 (and previously 15) serve as a useful starting point for discussions with parents, as the nature and timing of these national assessments - at the start of a specific phase/cycle of education - convince parents that the results are objective and that their child's individual needs are being taken into consideration. In this way, parents are persuaded of the need for any remedial action that may be necessary and can be encouraged to involve themselves with their child's learning.15
The majority of teachers also view mass diagnostic assessment as an aid to their professional work. In a 1995/96 survey of the opinions of lower secondary school teachers, almost two thirds of those questioned felt that the results helped them to identify students' needs and reach decisions as to how best to meet those needs. The survey also confirmed that teachers adapted their teaching in the light of national assessments to, for example, target the specific difficulties of individual students (through prolonged remedial teaching) and to address the more general needs of the whole class (through possible adjustments to the timetable). Results of assessments completed in the first year of collège (11-year-olds) are also passed to feeder elementary schools for information.15
Typically, teachers welcome the diagnostic tests at the end of the first three-year cycle and on commencement of the second cycle, the elementary school consolidation cycle, age 8, saying that the tests enable them to concentrate on the problems of individuals as well as to plan the following year and to rectify omissions in coverage. Teachers feel that the tests provide a baseline for the year which is very useful and, from year to year, ever more so.19
Because the system of mass diagnostic assessment in French schools is compulsory throughout the country and its results are widely disseminated, it influences policy making at regional and national level. Performance indicators for each region of the country are also published to allow comparison across the country from year to year; these, too, have a proven effect on policy making.15
Once students' needs have been identified through national mass diagnostic assessment, in-service training is organised to equip teachers with the appropriate methodology and techniques to meet such needs. Where appropriate, support materials and further assessment materials are also provided by the Ministry of Education to tackle particular areas of need which have been identified at national level.15
At national, regional, school and classroom levels, evaluation and assessment devices allow the Ministry to monitor the education system and its development and to make decisions based on the pedagogical evidence they provide. The information thus processed gives policy-makers an overall view of education in the country from different points of view: benchmarks of successes or failures of students at different stages, evidence of attainment of curriculum objectives, and comparisons of students' achievements over time.15
6.2.8 Use of results
Livret scolaire
In elementary school education, each child has a report book (livret scolaire), which is shown regularly to parents (received at least three times a year) and constitutes a method of communication between teacher and family. This report book indicates the results of periodic assessment and provides information on the skills acquired by the student. It informs parents of proposals by the Teachers' Council of the cycle (which usually comprises all the teachers of that cycle) concerning the child's promotion to a higher class or cycle and records the final decision.23
A livret scolaire is kept for each student during compulsory education. It contains:
- The results of periodic assessments designed by the teacher or by all the teachers of the cycle meeting as a teachers' council.
- Specific indications of the student's learning.
- Recommendations made by the teacher and the teachers of the cycle concerning how long the student should spend in the cycle and where promotion is not recommended, after consultation with the family.19
It is also:
- Regularly communicated to parents who sign it.
- Used as a liaison instrument between teachers and between teachers and parents.
- Sent with the student if they change school.19
Each child's progress is recorded in his/her livret (scolaire), which follows him/her throughout school. It is explicitly stated that there is to be no social or medical information about the child. The aim is to allow the teacher to gain a perspective on the educational level of each child. Both schools and local authorities are free to design their own formats for these livrets.19
As well as providing parents with information about their child's performance, many schools also set aside time for the discussion of results with parents.577 Some schools also use two-way homework diaries as a means of ensuring communication with parents.86
Mass diagnostic testing
Parents are informed of their child's results in the national, mass diagnostic assessment tests, which are held at the beginning of the school year at age 8 and 11. It is thought that such information enables parents to better assist and support their children.51
General
The results of assessment in France are intended to be available and useful to all concerned. Every school is therefore required to produce a 'performance chart' for each student and each class, while at the national level, the Ministry of Education provides a comprehensive analysis of a representative sample of students' performances. This analysis is widely disseminated, 15 along with copies of the assessment materials, explanations of the objectives of each assessment and a pedagogical interpretation of and commentary on the results. This freedom of information aims to ensure that everyone within the system is in a position to make informed decisions at the appropriate level. Individual school results are, however, not identified.15
By the wide dissemination/publication of samples of the results of national assessment, the Government intends that the levels of achievement of students at different stages in the French education system should become widely known.27
6.2.9 Output statistics
Mass diagnostic testing
All French schoolchildren take national mass diagnostic tests at the beginning of the school year when they are around the age of 8. These tests are closely related to the curriculum and assess 8-year-old students' strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing, and mathematical skills at what is considered to be a particularly important stage in their education. In the tests taken at the beginning of the school year in September 2000, average scores for students were 72 per cent for French and 67 per cent for mathematics.128
Repeating a year
Fewer students than previously repeat part of the course during elementary school. This is, in part, due to the reform of schooling into cycles, one of the express objectives of which was that students aged 11 or over should no longer be in elementary school education. 54 Of the cohort of students entering collège in 1989, 26 per cent had repeated a year. Of those entering collège in 1995, this proportion had reduced to 17 per cent. 122
Progression
Education is compulsory until the age of 16. All students therefore continue to the next phase of education.
