The decree on the establishment of “groups” in mathematics and French in middle school, a controversial measure, was published this Sunday March 17 in the Official Journal, with a formulation which does not include the terms “level groups
”
, but of groups
“constituted according to the needs of the students”
.
The decree recalls that these provisions
“come into force from the start of the 2024 school year for sixth and fifth grade classes and from the start of the 2025 school year for fourth and third grade classes”
.
“The groups are formed according to the needs of the students identified by the teachers. The groups of students most in difficulty benefit from reduced numbers
,” indicates the decree.
“Common lessons in French and mathematics, throughout the timetable, are organized in groups for all classes and levels of the college
,” according to the text.
Risk of “sorting” of students
“By way of derogation, and in order to guarantee the consistency of the educational progressions of the different groups, students may be, for one or more periods, one to ten weeks in the year, grouped in accordance with their reference class for these lessons”
, is -he further clarified.
Finally, the composition of the groups will be
“re-examined during the school year, particularly during regroupings, in order to take into account the progress and needs of the students”
.
In December, Gabriel Attal, then Minister of Education, announced the creation of these groups, described as
“level groups”
, as part of the
“shock of knowledge”
, a set of measures aimed at raising the level of students.
This measure sparked protests from teaching unions, who point to a risk of
“sorting”
of students.
After weeks of consultations, the Minister of Education Nicole Belloubet announced last week a
"certain flexibility"
in the establishment of these groups, which she prefers to describe as
"need groups"
, and she mentioned the possibility of
“bringing students together as a whole class”
at certain times.
“What does the name matter, as long as there is the measure
,” Gabriel Attal told AFP this week.
During a video meeting with school heads on Thursday, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education clarified that whole class groupings could last
“up to ten weeks during the year”
.