Two weeks after the historic strike of educational staff, Jean-Michel Blanquer announced that the baccalaureate specialty tests, scheduled for March, would be postponed to May because of the Covid. The unions say they are reassured.
Jean-Michel Blanquer has chosen the middle way. After consultation with elected high school students from the National Council for High School Life, teachers’ unions and parents’ federations, the Minister of National Education announced that the baccalaureate specialty tests, scheduled for mid-March, have been postponed to May 11, 12 and 13 due to the Covid-19 epidemic. The two previous days will be devoted to revisions of these subjects for general and technological high school students, the other courses will not take place. Three options had been put on the table by the organizations: the conservation with adaptation of the tests in March, the postponement in May or a displacement of the latter in June. “The choice of timing is an interesting compromise, making it possible to preserve the good preparation of the pupils and to prepare as correctly the big oral, to which the students are very attached, as well as the philosophy test of June 15, indicates the secretary general of the SNPDEN (union of heads of establishment), Bruno Bobkiewicz. The tests specific to the language level certificate, initially scheduled for May, are canceled “exceptionally”.
One of the totems of this new bac, the writings of specialties, which relate to two disciplines chosen by the pupils in terminal, account for 32% of the final note of the examination. These events have never been organized before, since they were canceled in 2021 due to the pandemic. This year, the progress of the programs – demanding – was slowed down by the wave of omicron. In view of the massive absences, properly preparing the students for this deadline was mission impossible. Under pressure, some high school students attended specialty classes even when contaminated with Covid, for fear of falling behind. The Minister acknowledges: “Due to the health crisis and the daily difficulties that may exist, which may be different from one place to another, some students could be ill-prepared for this month of March.” He assures that his decision was motivated by a necessity “equity”, of “kindness” while maintaining the “Quality of degree”, including 40% continuous control.
“Union Victory”
Although “the announcement is a little late”, the “relief” premium also on the side of the SNES-FSU (first secondary union), which pleaded for the option of the month of June. “It’s really a relief to save time and especially to tell ourselves that we will be able to prepare our students in good conditions, because there, it became untenable, launches the general secretary, Sophie Vénétitay. We wanted to postpone it to June to have as much working time as possible with the students, but we were aware of the tensions that could exist on the examination services. Difficult for the teachers of specialties to manage in June the corrections of the writings while passing the great oral. This new deadline, however, puts the debate on the merits of this staggering of the tests on the table.
Despite this postponement, the programs on which the floor remains identical to those planned for March. In other words, applicants will not have additional topics to revise. “For each of the subjects, there will be the choice between two subjects, so that each student can go to his strong point in the choices that will be offered”, says the minister.
As a result of this postponement, the marks of the specialty tests cannot be uploaded in the Parcoursup files of the students, the deadline for which is set at April 7. Instead, the averages obtained in these disciplines over the first year and the first two terms of terminale. “It will be played the old way, the events having never taken place so far, Parcoursup will have the same data as usual. It didn’t work out that badly, otherwise it would be known,” notes Bruno Bobkiewicz. Saluting “a union victory”, Colin Champion, president of the La voix lycéenne union, fears that the problem will move to Parcoursup: “The inequality that we had for the tests also exists for the continuous control. Students who missed classes, part of the program … their homework on the table also counted in the report cards.
“This announcement takes a little pressure off”
The situation of first graders has not been overlooked either. The number of texts to be presented orally for the anticipated French tests will be reduced to 16 instead of 20 in the general track and to 9 instead of 12 in the technological track. “This announcement in January, fairly early on, is also going in the right direction and takes a little pressure off,” salute Sophie Vénétitay. For the professional path, the duration of the periods of training in the professional environment, in other words internships, will include two weeks less to allow candidates to “to devote more time to the preparation of the tests, which will keep the same format and the same program”, writes the ministry.
“We listened a lot, concerted”, hammered in press point Jean-Michel Blanquer. A little over two weeks after the massive and historic strike by educational staff, which culminated in a summit meeting in the presence of the Prime Minister, these decisions mark a change in method on rue de Grenelle. Staff will have had the pleasant surprise of discovering the announcements concerning them before the press. “It will have really happened ideally, both on the chosen compromise and the way the ministry decided to communicate”, summarizes the SNPDEN. Sophie Vénétitay abounds: “Finally there was consultation, finally we were heard. There has been a change in tone in recent weeks, to the credit of the mobilization of personnel. Better late than never.