Evaluation of the 2009 school reform (French)
A decade after the University of Luxembourg’s 2012 evaluation, the Observatoire was tasked with reassessing the key elements of the 2009 school reform.
The OEJQS’s analysis focuses primarily on the organisation of learning cycles, the functioning of cycle teams, and the assessment methods in primary education. Other aspects, such as pedagogical support, the involvement of special needs support teams (ESEB), and the orientation procedure in cycle 4.2, were also examined in detail. Finally, the evaluation also explored reform elements aligned with long-standing OEJQS priorities that are anchored in the school quality reference framework. These include the contingent and the social index, the school development plan, teacher well-being, administrative burdens, workload challenges, as well as collaboration with the maisons relais.
Overall, the results show that the school reform is supported by all school stakeholders and that they are generally in favour of the principles of the reform. The teachers have a positive view of many of the reform’s elements. The partnership with parents, work in teaching teams, the role of the I-EBS, the involvement of the ESEB, the emphasis on differentiated teaching and the introduction of formative assessment are among the measures most appreciated.
However, the analysis highlights a degree of mistrust towards certain aspects of the school reform, despite general support for its principles. In fact, the contingent mechanism (the system used for allocating human resources to schools) is criticised, the extension of the cycles is heavily contested, and the purpose of the school development plan is largely misunderstood.
Quoting the publication
OEJQS. (2024). Évaluation de la réforme scolaire de 2009 : Recommandations de l’OEJQS pour un meilleur fonctionnement de l’enseignement fondamental et une amélioration de la qualité scolaire. Rapport thématique. Walferdange : Observatoire national de l’enfance, de la jeunesse et de la qualité scolaire, 50 p.