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Education council advocates a modern middle school

A broad first year to postpone selection and more tailor-made education. According to the Education Council, this radical system change is necessary to counter the increasing inequality of opportunities. "It can also be combated with less severe means", responds AObchairman Tamar van Gelder.

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It seems like a one-two punch: yesterday the Education Inspectorate exclaimed 'State of Education' to a large-scale repair, today presents the Education Council in its opinion 'Select later, differentiate better' the way it should. First of all, the council advocates a broad bridging period of three years at every educational location. This no longer refers to VMBO, HAVO, VWO, but, just like in primary school, all pupils of all levels are together.

In order to realize development opportunities, every school needs a wide range of subjects at several cognitive levels

In the third year, students receive advancement advice for the upper years based on their results on national tests. Within this bridging period, students must receive tailor-made education, so that each student is sufficiently challenged. 'To be able to realize development opportunities, every school requires a wide range of subjects at multiple cognitive levels. Now, for example, it is not always possible for a pupil at a VMBO school to grow to mathematics at HAVO level, because their own school does not offer this', the council writes.

Flexible program

Just like now, pupils will receive basic subjects such as Dutch, English, arithmetic and mathematics, and people and society. In addition, the council believes that the range should be broader. All pupils should be able to follow theory-oriented subjects such as philosophy and ancient languages ​​and practice-oriented subjects such as technology, care and arts.

In addition to the shared basis, schools have a flexible program to offer students an education that matches their development and what they can do. The interpretation can differ per school, according to the council. 'For example, one school can work with main groups of 25 students, who are active in smaller groups per subject or per project, while the other school works with fixed classes of 30 to XNUMX students.'

In addition to the shared basis, schools have a flexible program to offer students education that matches their development

For the upper classes, the advice is to continue building on the adjustments in the lower classes and to continue flexible education and to reduce the number of school types. According to the council, each diploma must be regarded as a basic qualification, which gives access to the labor market and to further education. This is not the case for VMBO. After the three-year bridging period, students should be given the opportunity to obtain an MBO diploma. The existing cooperation in the continuous learning pathways VMBO-MBO must be continued for this.

Primary school

The school advice in grade 8 is replaced with an educational report, so that the high school teacher knows how each student has done in primary school and what support they need. In primary education, teachers must also differentiate more. This means that pupils can follow education at different levels in varying groups, with the enrichment, deepening and extra guidance they need. Just as in secondary education, the Council would like to draw attention to the cognitively strong pupils, who now often receive too little challenge.

It pays to let students learn with and from each other for longer, as long as each student can develop according to his or her capacities

These measures should increase educational opportunities for all learners. According to the council, this applies to both the more gifted, precocious and fast-learning children, as well as the less fast or well-learning young people and late bloomers. 'It pays to let pupils learn with and from each other for longer, as long as each pupil can develop from his or her capacities.'

Stacking

According to the council, more and more determines where students start in secondary education
the further school career. 'Stacking diplomas and changing school types in the meantime are difficult and have become increasingly dependent on the level of education
the parents of students. '

Early selection is particularly disadvantageous for children from lower social backgrounds. They often need more time to make up for the arrears they face at school, and if they get that time, they often end up being higher. This is evident in neighboring countries where selection does take place at a later age.

The Netherlands has been short of students for years and the economy and society are missing out on talent

The council finds that the education system is failing on an important point. 'Pupils do not get enough opportunities for education that does justice to their capacities and development', the council writes. The corona crisis reinforces this. The Netherlands has been short of students with this for years and the economy and society are missing out on talent. '

Terms & conditions

The Education Council has come up with hard conditions: a successful realization is only possible if schools are equipped with sufficient staff, money, time and knowledge and skills. Teachers must be given time and space to further develop their knowledge and skills in order to be able to differentiate flexibly in the classroom.

'It is beyond dispute that selecting and differentiating at a later stage demands a lot from teachers and school leaders in primary and secondary education and that the proposed changes in the structure of secondary education require a major operation,' the council said in its advice. According to the advisory body, this requires adequate legal frameworks.

Not new

The idea of ​​postponing the selection moment is not new. As early as the XNUMXs, schools experimented with the middle school, a brainchild of PvdA minister Jos van Kemenade, whereby students stayed together in class until they were sixteen. It never got off the ground. CDA and VVD were against it, because it would limit freedom of choice. Even now, the question will be whether politics would like this far-reaching advice from the council.

We wonder whether it is feasible and sensible to overhaul the entire education system at this time

De AOb is critical. "We share the Education Council's concerns about the increasing inequality of opportunities, but we wonder whether it is feasible and sensible to overhaul the entire education system at this point," says AObchairman Tamar van Gelder.

“Inequality of opportunity can also be combated with less onerous means. Such as by reducing the teacher shortage, reducing the high workload and reducing the number of students per class. If teachers have time to pay extra attention to students, the chances of those students to move up to higher types of education increase. Teachers will also have more time to think about how the current system can be improved. ”

Read also 'The first grade is getting smaller and smaller' about the report 'Going to school together or separated' by the Social and Cultural Planning Office.

Tonight, Thursday April 15, the AOb for its members at 19:30 pm a webinar about broad bridging classes with the Amsterdam Alderman for Education Marjolein Moorman. More information and registration

 

 

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