C’is a reality repeated study after study. And the latest edition of Timss (Trends In Mathematics and Science Study), published this Wednesday, December 4, is no exception to the rule: the French are bad at math. Very bad.
Every evening from 6 p.m.
Receive the information analyzed and deciphered by the Point editorial staff.
Merci !
Your registration has been taken into account with the email address:
To discover all our other newsletters, go here: MyAccount
By registering, you accept the general conditions of use and our confidentiality policy.
Conducted every four years by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Performance (IEA), this major global survey compares the performance of fourth and fourth grade students.ein mathematics and science, in 58 and 44 countries respectively.
ALSO READ Anne Genetet: “Doing nothing would endanger our students and, beyond that, the future of our country” As always, Asian countries are at the top of the ranking, with Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea on the podium, followed by Hong Kong and Japan. In Europe, the champions in all categories are England, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Norway and Sweden.
France among the dunces
And France? With 484 points in mathematics, our country is at 42e place out of the 58 countries compared for the CM1 class, and the last country in the European Union, far behind England (552), Poland (550) and the Netherlands (537).
In 4ethe results are a little better in appearance, since with 479 points our country is at 24e place in 44 countries, between Israel (479) and Azerbaijan (475). But France remains among the last in the European Union. Only Portugal does less well.ALSO READ Drop in student level in math: “The competitiveness of our country is at stake”
What about the level of students in science? As in 2019, France obtains a score of 488 (Singapore is at 607) in CM1 and once again arrives among the bottom countries in Europe (only Belgium does worse). In fourth grade, France obtains 486 points (607 for Singapore) against 509 in the rest of European countries.
Results nevertheless stable over time
“If we compare our country to those of the European Union or the OECD, we are clearly at the back of the pack,” admits Thierry Rocher, president of the IEA and deputy director of evaluations and academic performance at the Department of Evaluation, Foresight and Performance of National Education (DEPP). Note all the same: the very great stability of France's results over time. “In CM1, our country obtained a score of 485 points in maths in 2019 and 488 in 2015. Students in 4e had obtained a score of 483 in 2019. A stability that we also find in science, in both levels,” he says.
ALSO READ Public school: the reasons for distrustShould we see this as proof of the ineffectiveness of the measures taken in recent years (splitting of classes, math plan, knowledge shock) by National Education to raise standards? “We cannot know what would have happened without these public policies. It might have been worse. No one can say,” says Thierry Rocher, who also underlines “the very great resilience of young people in maths” three years after the Covid-19 epidemic. “The students today in CM1 were in CP at the time of the health crisis. National assessments showed an impact of this crisis on student performance one year later. This is clearly no longer the case and that is rather reassuring. »
Good ones not good enough and not enough
But the devil is in the details: when we look at the very good students (3% in CM1 and 4e), we see that they are, certainly a little better, but much less numerous than in the rest of the countries compared (the median is 7% for these two levels). Above all, their number decreases over time in 4e since they were 2% in 2019, but 6% in 2015!
Another subject of concern: the heterogeneity of classes, which increased compared to previous years in 4e. If the level of very good students rises slightly from 593 points in 2019 to 608 points in 2023, that of the least performing students drops (342 in 2023 compared to 369 in 2019). “It’s very notable and it’s worrying, because it complicates the work of teachers, who have to deal with this variety of profiles,” concedes Thierry Rocher, without being able to explain this phenomenon.
Girls falling further and further behind
Finally, there is the – catastrophic – gap in level between girls and boys, in favor of the latter. While this is notable in the vast majority of countries compared (with an average level gap of 11 points), France is one of the worst performers, with Italy and Australia. Boys have on average 23 points more than girls. This is worse than in 2019, where the difference in level was 13%, and than in 2015, where the gap was 6%.
“It is a disturbing phenomenon, which we find in all schools in France and socio-economic circles, and which we have not yet been able to explain,” indicates Thierry Rocher, recalling that this gap is not not observed in the main kindergarten section. “Everything seems to be decided in the middle of CP, when we start to talk about “mathematics” and no longer just figures, groups or numbers. »
ALSO READ Good recipes from Estonia to raise the academic level of studentsWhen presenting the results, the Ministry of National Education ensures that it has taken stock of this increase in performance between girls and boys, already highlighted by national evaluations. The teacher training plan will evolve in this direction. “To say that we have the martingale would be presumptuous. We can think that the factors are not purely academic. But teachers will be made aware of the subject during the training,” rue de Grenelle was informed.
Install and stabilize automations
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Regarding the general drop in level, the ministry recalled the various measures announced by Anne Genetet as part of Act II of the “shock of knowledge”: extension of need groups to 4 year classese and 3edoubling of hours dedicated to the homework-facts system and success courses for middle school students. But also the overhaul of the mathematics programs for cycles 1 and 2 and that to come for colleges, as well as the continuing training of teachers.
“In general, we identified a problem in the installation and stabilization of automations. While we have been working on them since CE1, they are not always well established in CM1. This is what we want to focus on. » And the ministry warns, “this involves in particular the 15 minutes of mental arithmetic slate. And not just in CE1.”
