Education is structured around the acquisition of skills, i.e. knowledge, abilities and attitudes that are required to work in a profession or trade. Vocational training is therefore also assessed on the basis of these skills and more specifically, their acquisition.
Modules
A set of skills to be gained by students is defined for each training course, with the aim of enabling students to work in their chosen trade or profession. These skills are transposed into the assessment reference framework and training programmes.
Training is organised in the form of modules (and not subjects). Each module aims to develop various skills and is based on specific professional situations. Students acquire theoretical knowledge and learn how to use this knowledge in practice.
There are three types of modules:
- basic modules which are mandatory. Students who fail to pass these modules must retake them the following semester within the framework of compensation modules (modules de rattrapage).
- additional modules which are also mandatory. Students who fail to pass these modules, can take them again at a later time during their training.
- optional and preparatory modules which broaden the scope of the training or prepare students for higher studies, as the case may be.
Evaluation
Grades awarded based on skills
At the end of each semester, the student’s progress is documented in a report.
This report includes points for each module and, at the end of the school year, a decision about the student moving up to the next year or not. Each module is assessed based on a maximum of 60 points. A module includes several skills that are assessed separately and rated with a maximum of 6, 12, 18 or 24 points.
Students successfully pass a module if they have acquired at least 30 points.
The vocational modules acquired will remain valid for life (unless a student enrols again in the first year of training).
Students who failed to pass a module, can retake this module without having to repeat the entire year.
Intermediate review and final report
An intermediate review (bilan intermédiaire) is drawn up:
- at the end of the first year of a training programme with a usual duration of three years;
- at the end of the second year of a training programme with a usual duration of four years.
These reviews are based on the results obtained by the student in the mandatory modules of the curriculum since the start of the training course. The results of the internship modules or the intermediate integrated project (where applicable) are not taken into consideration.
A final report (bilan final) is drawn up at the end of the training course.
The decision is based on the student’s results in the mandatory modules in the curriculum in the last two years of the training.
Redirection of students
Students who are not allowed to move on to the next training year, may be redirected by the class council (conseil de classe) to another training programme of either the same level or to a class of a different level.
Should the class council deem that a student has the ability to successfully complete the training, the student may be granted an additional year to pass the missing modules.
Integrated projects
Students under a vocational training contract leading to a DAP or a DT work on an intermediate integrated project (projet intégré intermédiaire) (PII) halfway through their training.
All students (CCP, DAP and DT) work on a final integrated project (projet intégré final) (PIF) at the end of the training.
The purpose of these integrated projects is to check whether, in addition to specific skills, the student has acquired the complex skills necessary to deal with a real-life or simulated professional situation. An integrated project may be carried out over several days.
Students will only be eligible to complete the final integrated project on the condition that they have successfully passed the final review.
Certification
Certification is done once students have successfully completed the final integrated project and passed the mandatory modules, as well as their internships, where applicable.