The progress of the exams from September to June, which is being experienced for the first time in the Community of Madrid this course, has reopened the debate on whether this measure, inspired by the Bologna plan for universities, benefits children and the community educational in general.
While parents' associations say that it hurts children because they do not have time to prepare the subjects (among other problems), in some communities where the measure has been going on for a longer time, they are happy with the results. Does it really benefit to advance the recovery exams to June?
A tradition to extinguish
And if not, to September. This phrase could stop being heard in Spanish schools and institutes, since in many communities the call for September recovery exams disappears, which takes place at the end of June or beginning of July, as is done in the universities for the Bologna Plan.
The application of these regulations in the Community of Madrid has led to a conflictive end of course. According to the Federation of the Community of Madrid of Associations of Parents of Students, the measure does not benefit the students who suspend or those who approve:
Advertising"The time for students who have suspended some subject is clearly insufficient for proper preparation and recovery, at the same time, the centers have not programmed clear activities that motivate the approved students, causing them to have begun not to attend the institutes.
On Friday, the 8th, the notes were delivered to the secondary school students and immediately afterwards, on Monday 11, a high level of absenteeism has already been noticed in the educational centers that, according to data from numerous AMPAs, we calculate in approximately 85 % among total students today. There are centers where absenteeism has been reached that has reached almost 100% among students who have approved everything in the ordinary call. "
Bad idea or lack of planning?
The fact is that, on paper, the idea is not bad. Taking the exams from September to June would allow students who have suspended having support classes with their own teachers (and save parents from paying for classes in summer) and review the content when they still have it "fresh". In addition, this encourages continuous evaluation and the idea that all students enjoy one time a year to really disconnect and rest, even though they are children, they also need it.
However (and this is what has been denounced from parents' associations and unions) this work should have started at the beginning of the course and not now. According to representatives of Working Commissions, the plan of activities such as literature workshops or excursions for students who have approved was sent to the centers only a month ago, in addition the need has not been taken into account (which they calculate in a 10 %) of the increase in the workforce to meet these new needs: “The goal of the Ministry was to improve student results, but they thought it could be done at zero cost: without more teachers,” denounces the union.
On the other hand, the director general of Infant, Primary and Secondary Education of the Community of Madrid, Juan José Nieto, affirms: "I do not do the schedules to the centers nor the plan of activities, they are autonomous. The professors would already have that load of work under normal circumstances, in the previous plan. It will only change depending on the center. The real binge for them was in September because they had to examine, evaluate and more. "
Experiences in other communities
Advance calls for recovery of ESO and / or Baccalaureate to June has already been made in other autonomous communities with mixed results. While in Aragon (where the new model was assumed from 2003 to 2011) the traditional model was returned because there was not a big difference in the results, in other communities such as the Basque Country, where the September call does not exist for two decades , nor do they consider returning to the previous model. According to the José Ángel Ayúcar Public newspaper, Chief of Inspection of the Department of Education of the Basque Government:
"Going back to September is something implantable, it would be like returning to the EGB. Does anyone consider it? No one. The student has to demonstrate throughout the year the acquisition of knowledge and skills with teamwork or with the way in which they relate to their peers, among other things, that cannot be measured with exams In Euskadi we have an extraordinary evaluation in June, which is presented to those who are not satisfied with their continuous evaluation note, and there they are reexamined of everything what has happened during the course. The recovery as such, as it is intended in Madrid, only makes sense if it is done within three months. "
It seems that the key is in how the measure is carried out. The answer to the question: Does it really benefit students to pass the recovery exams in June?, in this case, there would be more questions: has the continuous evaluation been properly implemented? Do the centers have the necessary resources to carry out the change?
In Babies and more Exams in September: keys for children who need to study on vacation, It is over to study in summer: goodbye to the September exams in some autonomous communities
