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FRENCH TEENAGERS: SMARTER THAN ALL OF US.
As we begin to debate national education standards here in the United States, it's worth reminding ourselves of the truly high standards foreign nations hold their students to. I've already written about the Finnish national curriculum. Now check out these sample questions from the French baccalaureate exam, which students begin taking today. Bonne chance!
For the Literature stream:1) Does objectivity in history suppose impartiality in the historian? 2) Does language betray thought?
For the Science stream:
1) Is it absurd to desire the impossible? 2) Are there questions which no science can answer?
Okay, so there is no country quite as philosophique -- and, at times, absurd -- as France. And to be fair, Le Bac is a college entrance exam, not a high school graduation exam. Still, the majority of French high school students sit for the test. Could you ever imagine the SAT or ACT asking students to write an essay on such complex, intellectual topics? Matt Yglesias spent a semester studying in France as a high school student. He tells me via instant message: "It was hard. Even their English class seemed hard." And Matt, as you know, is really, really smart.
--Dana Goldstein
COMMENTS (9)
Just a true/false test? That doesn't seem that hard. Even easier than multiple choice!
Posted by: ajay | June 18, 2009 12:06 PM
Note that these questions were published in le Monde. our tests, particularly the SAT, are deliberately kept secure. Kids have no way of knowing what to study for, and we have no way of assessing whether the test is worth anything. We don't know what a kid who gets a 650 knows, but we do know what a kid who passes Le Bac knows.
Posted by: Bob | June 18, 2009 12:09 PM
These are essay questions!
Posted by: Dana | June 18, 2009 12:09 PM
"True" or "False" is hardly an essay, Dana.
Your school must have been *really* easy.
Posted by: V.O.R. | June 18, 2009 12:17 PM
I'm afraid I made a fool of myself.
That should be "Yes", or "No" are hardly essay questions.
Posted by: V.O.R. | June 18, 2009 12:21 PM
If American high schools taught philosophy, then yes, I can imagine a student writing an essay on such a complex, intellectual topic that would nevertheless be as banal as a French student's probably is.
Really, what would it take to answer one of those questions sufficiently? State your position, cite references you've memorized to support it, maybe include references to opposing views, and conclude with a restatement of the argument. Done!
So I'm not really impressed that a student is asked to answer that question, or that they could do so well enough to be admitted to college.
Really, taking that question out and marveling at the intelligence of the students - or the rigor of the test - is sort of like taking a question out of the AP Chemistry exam and doing the same. Yeah, it looks impressive - but only to anyone who isn't a chemist. To them, it's laughably easy.
Posted by: Drew | June 18, 2009 12:54 PM
Well, I've taught american college students and I agree they aren't as disciplined or as bright as french students at the same age. But you can't get there from *the questions* on the exams. You can only get there from looking at *the answers* and seeing how they are graded and rewarded by the examiner. The "science" question is the dumbest science question of all time--and could easily appear on the morals test of Liberty university since the "right" answer would be "science can't make us happy/jesus makes us happy." That's my point--the questions don't matter as much as the answers and what counts as a good answer. To my mind those questions are so open ended that they presuppose the existence of a set curriculum and a set series of points of view that the examiner, and the student, knows are coming. The quality of the essay will be judged on how well the student jumps through the obvious hoops. In that way its probably no different from an AP test that asks tinier and more focused questions like:
In the opinion of philosopher X how do science and morality co-exist.
Its just assumed that the student will know which approved sources to cite, and when and how.
aimai
Posted by: aimai | June 18, 2009 2:42 PM
"And to be fair, Le Bac is a college entrance exam, not a high school graduation exam. Still, the majority of French high school students sit for the test."
Well, in fact Le Bac is both a college entrance exam, AND a high school graduation exam.
And it's not "the majority" of french high school students who take it, it's ALL of high school students.
The all point of french high school is to get your Bac. Because no matter how good (or bad) your grades are all year long: if you get a grade above average , you pass and go to whatever college you want to, and if you don't you fail and try again next year.
a Baccalauréat 2000 graduate
Posted by: Nicolas | June 19, 2009 5:48 AM
It's a little like looking at a high school test from 1902. Nobody today would do well on it since people today are learning different things.
I've never taken any philosophy classes, so I don't know what I've missed. Would we be better off if we taught kids some philosophy? Sure, but if classtime is fixed, what are we going to teach less of?
Posted by: American Citizen | June 19, 2009 8:37 AM