Gabriel Attal announces measures to strengthen written mastery at school

Abolition of “blank texts”, writing test at entry into 6th grade, writing competition… The Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal, presented on Friday September 15 measures to improve mastery of the written among students.

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In a newspaper column The worldGabriel Attal said he believed “to the forces of the written word”. He proclaims “a duty of rigor and excellence” on this question, especially as the level is falling, according to him: “Nearly one in three students cannot read or write properly when they enter 6th grade.”

“We must do better”

“We must do more and we must do better”, he insists, before listing a new series of measures that he wants to see developed or put in place in schools, colleges or high schools. It is thus necessary “abolish ‘blank texts’ in middle school and college learning”recommends Gabriel Attal, specifying that this measure would apply from this year.

The minister also wants the “national assessments” which concern all students entering 6th grade to include a “writing test”in addition to reading, for “detect the weaknesses of some and the talents of others”.

He finally says he wants to create “from this year” A “double major national writing competition” : one for students at the end of primary school and at the end of middle school, the other for… teachers, “whose talent and creativity deserve to be better recognized and shared”.