Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
A reform of the organization of school time in France was implemented in 2013.
With the introduction of the four day week in 2008, French students had the lowest number of school days per year among the 34 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries: 144 days in France compared to 187 days on average. The four-day week created longer and busier school days for students in France, causing tiredness and learning difficulties, and seemed inappropriate and detrimental to learning.
The reform of school time led to a better distribution of class time throughout the week, creating a shorter school day and allowing teachers to work with students when they are best able to concentrate on learning.
Students are supervised until 4:30 p.m., at least, and have access to athletic, cultural, or artistic activities, which contribute to the development of their intellectual curiosity and enhance their enjoyment of learning and being at school.
The reform of the organization of school time in preprimary and primary schools implemented on January 24, 2013, established new scheduling protocol: the distribution of the 24 hours of weekly instruction over nine half-days, including Wednesday morning; a school day of 5½ hours maximum and a half day of 3½ hours maximum; and a lunch break of 1½ hours minimum. The addition of 3 hours of class on Wednesday morning reduced the length of the other school days by 45 minutes on average.
The school year in France lasts at least 36 weeks, according to the national school calendar established by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, and Research. All students receive 24 hours of instruction per week, and underachieving students may receive an additional 2 hours of personalized help. The 24 hours of compulsory instruction are divided across 5 days—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning, Thursday, and Friday.
France also has increased the number of school days per year from 144 to 180 (36 weeks of 5 days per week). The annual teaching volume comprises 864 hours (36 weeks of 24 hours per week).
The mathematics curriculum prescribes five hours of instruction per week in Cycles 2 and 3, comprising an annual teaching volume of 180 hours.
The science curriculum prescribes an annual teaching volume of 81 hours for World Discovery in Cycle 2 and 78 hours for Experimental Sciences and Technologies in Cycle 3. Weekly schedules may vary depending on teacher planning, but must comply with the annual quantities specified for each of the subject areas.
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
In primary school, teachers are versatile and teach all disciplines. It is only when students enter Grade 6 (first year of lower secondary school) that they will be taught by mathematics and science subject specialists rather than general classroom teachers.
After school, teachers frequently oversee additional supervised studies for children with working parents.
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
France does not prescribe compulsory instructional methods or materials for instruction. Commercial publishers, local or regional associations, and resource centers offer a range of materials. Teachers discuss and decide upon teaching equipment and materials at their school.
Generally, official documents recommend using textbooks for instruction (without specifying which ones), particularly for new teachers, and require teachers to use additional pedagogical materials to supplement textbooks in class.
Use of Technology
In public schools, the average number of students per computer is 21 at the preprimary level (maternelles) and 9 at the primary level.16 Public schools that participated in the digital development plan in rural schools (École numérique rurale) are better equipped with 6 students per computer. The plan helped to equip more than 6,000 schools located in towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.
In lower secondary schools in 2014–2015, the average number of students per computer was four.
For Internet access 81 percent of primary schools use a filtering device. Most primary schools (6 out of 10) have an Internet connection speed of 512 kB/s to 2,048 kB/s. Most lower secondary schools (58 percent) have an Internet connection speed of 2 MB/s to 10 MB/s, and 26 percent of lower secondary schools have an Internet connection speed faster than 10 MB/s.
In France students may obtain a computer and Internet certificate, or Brevet informatique et Internet (B2i), certifying their skills in the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at three proficiency levels—primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary. Students are expected to acquire skills throughout their education in five areas through appropriate learning activities and projects.
The extent to which computers are used for mathematics and science instruction at the primary level is unknown.
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
The Réseaux d’Aides Spécialisées aux Élèves en Difficultés (network of specialist aids for struggling students) assists children with learning difficulties as an institutional network of teachers and psychologists. The network’s mission calls for working with teachers to provide special assistance in or outside of the classroom to students who are struggling in mainstream classes. Assistance is not specific to mathematics or science and can often include educational, rehabilitative, or psychological support. Heads of school, network members, and teachers of underachieving students collaborate to plan special assistance.
In France there are four distinct plans in place to accommodate students with special education needs and to ensure their success in school:
- For students with a chronic disease, food intolerance, or allergies, a Projet d’Accueil Individualisé (individualized welcome project) may be implemented.
- For students with a physical disability, a personalized education project (PPS) may be requested.
- Students with learning difficulties caused by a learning disorder may benefit from a plan d’accompagnement personnalisé (customized support plan).
- For students who may not be able to acquire the level of knowledge and skills expected by the end of a cycle, it is possible to set up a coordinated set of accommodations to meet their needs, referred to as a Programme personnalisé de réussite éducative (PPRE, a personalized educational success program). PPREs are coordinated, temporary plans of action, and their duration may vary according to student need and progress. They may be implemented at any time during compulsory education. PPREs are devised by teaching staff (i.e., class teachers and heads of school), discussed with families, and presented to students as a formal plan; they represent a contract between schools and families. PPREs provide assistance in various forms, from educational differentiation in the classroom to specialized help, and mainly focus on French and mathematics instruction. They deal with precise objectives and methods for assessing student progress. PPREs prevent the escalation of difficulties, allow students to surmount learning obstacles, and provide coherent assistance from which students may benefit.
In 2014, the number of students with disabilities attending school at the primary level was 151,000. Within a school, the integration of students with disabilities may be implemented on an individual or group basis.17 Adapted individual instruction in regular classrooms is the first course of action to be implemented. More than two thirds of students with disabilities receive individual support in regular classrooms. One or several disabled students may receive adapted instruction in a regular class within the framework of a PPS. Group instruction in a special integration class (CLIS) of students with disabilities (generally comprising 10 to 12 students) in a regular school is the second course of action to be implemented. Approximately one-third of students with disabilities receives group support in special classes in regular schools.