Why the baccalaureate reform has increased the pressure on grades

The high school years have become an endurance race. The reform of the baccalaureate, which came into force from 2021, provides that the marks of the bulletins will count for 40% of the overall mark of the baccalaureate, the so-called final tests representing the remaining 60%. From now on, all the disciplines which are not the subject of final tests are evaluated in continuous control. And there are many: modern languages, science education (or maths in high school), history-geography and civic education, physical education and sports, options and specialty education that the pupil will have abandoned in 1st.

It is therefore impossible for a 1st year student to count on the last months of the year to ensure a good grade in the French baccalaureate and a move to the next class. Ditto for final year students, who must motivate themselves from the start of the school year. “Those who got to work 3 months before the exam, it’s over”, sums up Olivier Beaufrère, national secretary of SNPDEN-Unsa, the main union of heads of establishments. Especially since on Parcoursup, the bulletins of 1st and that of the first quarter of terminale are scrutinized with a magnifying glass. This creates competition between students to get a place in the most popular courses.

The impression of not having the right to make mistakes

For the Minister of Education, continuous monitoring makes it possible to enhance the regularity of work. But it also generates stress among many high school students, as Olivier Beaufrère observes: “They verbalize pressure from the 1st class. In addition, with the specialist lessons, they discover another way of working. “Some have the impression of playing their future with each control, notes Laurent Zameczkowski, president of the Peep (parents of pupils of public education): “They consider each evaluation as a test of the baccalaureate. And the slightest bad note is badly experienced. »

Anxieties that teachers try to channel as best they can, like Claire Guéville, history-geo teacher and national secretary responsible for high school at Snes-FSU: “I try to put them into perspective by telling them that ‘they will have about ten notes during the year. But those who do poorly early on feel like their future is looking bleak and they won’t get the training they want on Parcoursup. “Some high schools also provide support measures: “In my establishment, we set up tutoring between students to help those who are in difficulty from the year of 1st”, indicates Olivier Beaufrère, also headmaster of the Lycée Joseph Talma in Brunoy (Essonne).

Strategies to avoid certain checks

Students’ apprehension tends to reduce their pleasure in learning. “They see their daily life as a race for performance. And the educational relationship is degraded, ”says Claire Guéville. Stress even pushes some to adopt avoidance strategies so as not to risk getting a bad grade.. “Some are absent during checks which they consider difficult by producing a medical certificate”, indicates a principal who prefers to remain anonymous and who warns students at the start of each year against this kind of practice.

Another upward trend: complaints around ratings. In her annual report presented last July, the mediator noted an increase in referrals concerning rating and evaluation. “They are 5 times more numerous than five years ago. The introduction of continuous monitoring for examinations has undoubtedly contributed to this”. What Claire Guéville also notes: “The students discuss the grades more and we have to justify them more. “Parents are also more likely to ask for accounts, according to Bruno Bobkiewicz, secretary general of SNPDEN-UNSA: “They contact us by Pronote to ask for justifications. In my high school, we made a charter to frame the practices. »

Attempts by teachers to limit protests

Anticipating these behaviors, some teachers have changed the way they communicate: “They hold back the notes to be quiet and only put them on Pronote before the class council”, notes Laurent Zameczkowski. Still, according to Claire Guéville, some teachers give in to pressure from families: “They add assessments to allow students to catch up. Or tend to raise the notes. »

To help teachers, the Ministry of Education published an assessment guide in 2021, in order to “ensure equal treatment of students within the same establishment and between establishments. Harmonization meetings also take place within the establishment. This “may lead to the grade given in the bulletin (which does not change) not being the final grade counted in the context of the baccalaureate”, specifies the guide.

source site