the results in fourth are “worrying”, according to Gabriel Attal

After the national middle school assessments held in September, the Minister of National Education sounded the alarm, Monday, November 13, on the level of studentsn French and mathematics in fourth grade, in an interview with Parisian.

“The results are not satisfactory and are even… rather worrying”, affirmed Gabriel Attal, in the columns of the newspaper, while for the first time this year, the fourth grades benefited from a national evaluation common to all colleges. According to the minister, “a little over half of students do not read adequately and in mathematics, more than half do not master problem solving and geometry.” “There is no real reduction in the gaps between sixth grade and fourth on the level of students”insisted Gabriel Attal.

Level groups

The minister nevertheless underlines “committed efforts” for primary school “which bear fruit”. According to him, “the results are improving in sixth form“. In detail, the level of “the 2017 generation is better than the previous one, particularly in reading and writing.” But there is a form of stagnation in CP”, he qualifies, however.

The ministry made public on Monday evening the results of the national assessments, carried out in September, which focused on skills in French and maths in CP, CE1, CM1, sixth and fourth grade. “The first analyzes show contrasting results depending on the education sectors. Thus, significant gaps are observed between students enrolled in priority education and those in the public sector excluding priority education”writes the ministry in a press release.

To counter this decline, the minister wishes “level groups in French and mathematics. The size of the group is reduced for the students with the most difficulty”, he mentioned, while promising to announce “strong measures at the beginning of December for college, for entry into force from the next school year”.