Should our educational system switch to the French Lycée System?

[Taverner]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyc%C3%A9e#Lyc.C3.A9e

The school year starts in early September and ends in early-July. In contrast to the practice in most other education systems, the various school years in France are numbered on a decreasing scale. Thus, pupils begin their secondary education in the sixième (6th class), and transfer to a lycée in the seconde (2nd class), while the final year is the terminale.

In French, the word for student (étudiant) is usually reserved for university-level students, while collège and lycée students are referred to as élèves (pupils or students in English).

Along with three-to-four weekly hours of physical education, a typical school week consists of some twenty-six (26) hours of schooling. French language and literature occupy the most time, 4–5 hours per week, followed by mathematics, 4 hours per week; other subjects occupy some 1.0-3.5 hours per week.

Each subject is usually taught by a different "professeur" or teacher; most teachers teach several different age groups. Collège pupils stay in the same class throughout the school year, and in every subject (except for optional courses, e.g. foreign languages, where students from several classes mix), so each grade is divided into as many classes as necessary. The strong belief in teaching in mixed-ability classes means streaming is rare.

Class size varies from school to school, but usually ranges between 20-35 pupils. Each class has a professeur principal (main teacher or class tutor) who is the link between the teaching staff, administration, and pupils. Early in the school year, the pupils elect two délégués (delegates) and two suppléants (substitutes) from their classes. These representatives act as links between the students and the class tutor and represent the pupils at the termly "conseil de classe" (class council), at which teachers, administrators, and delegates of each grade meet to discuss each student's work and level of achievement, that of the class as a whole, and matters of logistics and discipline relating to the class.<2> It is during those meetings that the conseil de classe bestows honours and records warnings on the bulletin de note (report card).

Ultimately, the role of the collège is to prepare students for the advanced subjects of the lycée. At the end of the troisième class, students sit for le diplôme national du Brevet, an end-of-collège examination; The brevet is not required for entrance to the lycée, nor does passing it guarantee that a pupil will progress to the higher-level school.

During the last conseil de classe of the year, held in June, teachers and administrators decide whether or not a pupil can progress to the next grade. In deciding, they evaluate the student's skills, participation, and behaviour. Three outcomes are possible:

the student progresses to the next grade;
his or her redoublement (redoubling or repeating the year) can be required;
he or she can, in specific cases, be offered to skip over a grade and be promoted two grades.

A student asked to repeat a grade can appeal said decision. The decision of the appeals council is final.

[pnwmom]

1. I don't see any special advantage to their system, as described above.

For example, I don't understand how they would deal with a poor reader who could do math several years above his reading level -- and that isn't an unusual situation. Many children are lopsided in their abilities.

[Taverner]

3. This is true, but mixing up the ages might help this

As in, put together a group of poor readers of all ages...

[pnwmom]

4. But it appears to be a key part of their practice that they don't do that.

They only group by age. So if you read at the 2nd grade level, but can do math at the 6th grade level, what would they do with you?

[Taverner]

5. I guess the hope/plan would be that you address it early

But anyone in Education knows Early Intervention is limited as it is...

Perhaps see what works for France?

[pnwmom]

6. Children develop at different rates in different subjects.

My own three had radically different patterns in what they were ready to learn when. I'm glad they weren't forced into age-defined boxes. (Actually, my youngest was, more than the other two -- and his public school was not a good fit for him. Luckily, we had options.)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Or

大学