Secondary school in four years for the strongest students, secondary school in six years for those who need more time: atypical courses, tailor-made for the needs of young people, are appearing in the Quebec school network. Three private schools offer this type of program which reinvents the concept of school co-education.
The College of Champigny, in Quebec, plans to offer from the next school year, in September, an accelerated secondary course for the most gifted students. Twenty young people will complete their secondary education in four years instead of five. It is one of the first schools in Quebec, if not the only one, to offer this type of accelerated program.
“We have a duty to take an interest in these students who have more to give, otherwise their giftedness is not necessarily a vector of success. Giftedness can lead to suffering,” says Luc Baillargeon, director of innovation and educational development at the establishment.
“Sometimes gifted students feel like they’re driving a sports car stuck in a traffic jam. In an ordinary class, the teacher can repeat the instructions 10 times, but the gifted students have understood even before you finish your sentence, ”he adds.
Participants will do their first three years of secondary school in two years. They will join the regular cohort for the fourth and fifth years. This particular project is neither in arts-studies nor in sports-studies, but in “studies-studies”, illustrates Luc Baillargeon.
These students with “high intellectual potential” were chosen on the basis of their academic results in the sixth year of primary school, but they are more than just gifted: the school also takes into account their creativity, their commitment and their social skills, explains Jean Garneau, director of the Collège de Champigny.
Secondary in six years
This private school also offers a secondary course in six years. Young people in this program do their first two years in three years. Samuel Cusin is among the first cohort of such graduates in six years. He leaves enchanted with his journey.
“I had a lot of difficulties in French and maths throughout my primary school. My parents were worried. They offered me to do secondary school in six years. I boarded with my eyes closed and in the end, I really liked it,” says the 19-year-old.
He was elected co-president of his school this year. Even if they take a path that differs from the norm, these young people are respected and are not singled out by other students, underlines the director.
This type of program that separates students considered “strong” or “weak” calls into question the notion of school diversity, underlines François Neveu, doctor in psychology who specializes in giftedness. He advised Collège de Champigny on the implementation of four-year and six-year secondary courses.
An important current of thought in the school environment advocates the grouping together in the same class of children from all backgrounds: the strong students would pull their less gifted comrades up. The specialist claims that this belief “is not scientifically proven”.
Without rejecting diversity, François Neveu sees the question from another angle: “People learn best when the pace is adapted to their abilities. This is as true for gifted students as it is for those who need more time to learn.
In an ordinary class bringing together students of all profiles, teachers must teach according to the weakest 35% of students, explains François Neveu. Result: “The strongest 15% are bored,” he says. It’s not necessarily “dramatic”, they won’t drop out of school, but their motivation may waver.
François Neveu acknowledges that academic acceleration is a controversial concept. Schools embarking on this adventure must avoid certain pitfalls. First of all, it’s not very sought after. Many young people do not want to go faster and finish high school earlier. The danger is to accept young people who should not be in these accelerated programs.
“They can lose their self-esteem. You have always been at the top of your class, but you may end up last in an accelerated course. The worst player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is in the top 1% of players, but he thinks he is bad, ”explains François Neveu.
Schools should regularly review how young people are feeling in the four-year journey and put them back in a regular class if they experience distress, he adds.
Another risk, emphasizes François Neveu: it can become difficult from a social point of view, especially for boys, to find themselves in a class where the friends are a year older.
An inclusive school
The gifted expert affirms that the atypical courses, of four years or six years, do not exclude a certain mix within the school. Young people may be part of a group of students who look like them, but they mix with other friends at lunchtime or in extracurricular activities. “Perhaps the most damaging thing is to create elitist schools, which only accept the strongest students,” says François Neveu.
Saint-Joseph secondary school in Saint-Hyacinthe created the first six-year secondary program 30 years ago. This private institution also plans to create a four-year secondary profile for gifted students. The school prides itself on having one of the largest mixed schools in Quebec: out of approximately 1,000 students, 410 have an intervention plan for learning difficulties.
“We often hear that private schools only accept students with the best grades. This is not at all our reality, and this is what makes us most proud: respect for difference is one of our fundamental values. Strong groups and support programs for success coexist on the same level. We hope that our model will be able to inspire other public or private schools,” says Jean-François Racine, principal of Saint-Joseph school.
Another private secondary school, the Saint-Joseph seminary, located in Trois-Rivières, offers a “fusion” profile spread over six years. These particular programs were set up in the three schools without special authorization from the Ministry of Education, because they respect the pedagogical regime, indicates the ministry.