Three weeks after the start of the academic year, the students of the final year are finally decided. their undergraduate specialty exams will take place from March 20 to 22, 2023. “Objectively, this decision should have been made earlier. We had to start the year with this information, which is essential to the organization of the institution: white bins, extensive oral preparation, school trips….”laments Bruno Bobkiewicz, director of the Berlioz School Complex in Vincennes and general secretary of the National Union of Education Administration Staff (Snpden).
These tests are a novelty introduced by the high school reform led by Jean-Michel Blanquet. All high school students in general and technology streams now take duals, one for each major chosen in the terminal. They make up 32% of the final undergraduate grade, with 40% coming from continuous assessment and the remaining 28% from other tests (written and spoken French, philosophy, large oral). They were originally scheduled for March to record results on Parcoursup, a higher education admissions management platform.
But in 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of these events. In 2022, the Ministry of National Education decided to move them from March to May, again due to the coronavirus. “Taking into account the numerous and consecutive absences due to illness, students are preparing for many different situations.– argued Jean-Michel Blanker. “Therefore, keeping the tests unchanged in March would result in a breach of parity between candidates depending on the areas or personal situation. As a result, “We have never carried out this operation under real conditions”, emphasizes Bruno Bobkevich. So the events of March 2023 will be the first.
Parcoursup puzzle
Should these events have been moved back to the end of the year? At the end of August, Minister Pap Ndiaye himself mentioned in an interview Set free the opportunity “Move the tests a bit”immediately adding that this version was “Sports when you want to include posts in Parcoursup”. April is really almost completely neutralized by the school holidays. And in May, it’s already too far into the year for Parcoursup to be able to integrate the entries and give its verdict quite early in the summer.
According to a poll conducted by Snpden in late August-early September, 52% of principals or deputy directors would favor a shift in June (and 22% in May) to avoid it. exit and absence of danger; “Since the subject tests were administered, students may have found it unhelpful to go to class because the baccalaureate is over and because the third trimester is not available on Parcoursup.”is afraid of Bruno Bobkiewicz.
Several other organizations were very clearly positioned in favor of the month of June. On the other hand, General Secretary of Catholic Education, Philippe Delorme, was scouting “We are going towards the end of the reforms”. in “Allow Experiments” conducting specialty tests in March, even if that means “Draw the Consequences” this “experience”. Finally, it is this last path that Grenelle Street chooses, which Pope Ndiaye states has “demand” that these trials “about the limited part of the final year program”.
Source: Le Figaro
