PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

PIRLS 2006 Encyclopediailliteracy. There is a literacy advisory group of the Minister of Education called theNational Reading Observatory. Created in June 1996, this advisory group gathers togetherresearchers, teachers, inspectors, and representatives of parents to analyze educationalpractices in the field of learning and improvement in reading. Also, Reading Challengesand Reading Rallies are organized based on local or private initiatives.Overview of the Education SystemFrance’s education system is largely the responsibility of the state and, thus, theMinistry of National Education. The government is responsible for the definition andimplementation of education policy. For many years, the education system was highlycentralized, hierarchical, and uniform in its organization and operation. In 1982, in animportant act of decentralization, France appreciably increased the role of regions anddepartments by transferring some powers and responsibilities to them that previouslywere exercised by the state. 3Regions are responsible for overseeing the functioning of upper-secondary schools(lycées), and departments (smaller administrative entities) have the same responsibilityfor lower-secondary schools (collèges). Nursery and elementary schools are under thedirect control of the towns in which they were created. The towns also support andmanage the budgets of these schools.The state defines educational orientations and curricula. It recruits, trains, andmanages education staff, establishes the status of schools and the rules for how schoolsfunction, and appoints teachers and administrative staff. Only the state may define andestablish diploma levels. The education goals of the state are to distribute the resourcesdedicated to education, guarantee equal access in this public service, and controleducation policies.FranceStructure of the Education SystemInstruction is compulsory, and children must be registered at elementary school at thebeginning of the school year (September) in the calendar year they reach age 6. Stateeducation is free to all students in primary and secondary education. Compulsoryschooling includes elementary school and lower-secondary school (between the agesof 6 and 16). In 2005, at the primary level, there were 50,668 public and 5,490 privateschools. 4 Since 1990, primary schooling has been organized in three cycles. Cycle 1 isthe cycle of first learning (first and second section of preprimary); cycle 2 is the cycleof fundamental learning (third section of preprimary, grades 1 and 2); and cycle 3 is thecycle of consolidation of learning (grades 3, 4, and 5).Schooling at the elementary level usually is 5 years, although it may be increasedor decreased by 1 year according to the knowledge acquired by the student. Promotionfrom primary school to the first class of secondary education is automatic. The two maincomponents of primary education are mastery of the French language and civics. Thecompetencies that students must reach by the end of each cycle are described below:124