Publish at March 15 2016 Updated July 21 2026
In an educational system such as France’s, assessment takes on particular importance because it underpins both the design of instruction and the determination of whether a student is ready to advance to the next grade.
Indeed, while the National Education Ministry’s overall policy aims to extend differentiated instruction to all students, benchmarks are still set to ensure a minimum standard: these are summative assessments.
However, this assessment of knowledge is increasingly shifting toward continuous, progressive, and regular evaluation, rather than a final exam reserved for graduation years, such as the DNB (National Brevet Diploma) or the baccalaureate. It thus evolves into formative assessment, capable of identifying not only what students have learned but also their weaknesses, which allows teachers to adapt their lessons accordingly and move toward differentiated instruction by combining pedagogy, teaching, and interpersonal skills.
In France and Canada, education authorities quickly recognized the benefits of this approach. By proceeding in this way and basing their instruction on formative assessment, it becomes more natural—even automatic—for teachers to implement differentiated instruction. This approach aims to adapt the delivery of knowledge to each student’s specific needs.
Once intended primarily for students with disabilities, it now extends to all vulnerable groups (those living in poverty, migrants, students with disabilities, learning disabilities, illnesses, etc.) and can even be beneficially applied to any student, regardless of background. Today, teachers aim to help each student reach their full potential in terms of openness and understanding, despite the diversity that this may entail within a single classroom.
In France, the process was set in motion by the 2005 Equal Opportunity Act. Since then, there have been numerous approaches to achieving this goal, which are frequently discussed at conferences or through the sharing of best practices andexperiences aimed at finding methods and tools so that all learners—from the weakest to the strongest— can learn to learn better and more ambitiously—including gifted and high-potential students.
The tools are varied and are limited only by the creativity and ingenuity of teachers.
The current middle school reform in France officially highlights differentiated instruction as its cornerstone, notably through an increase in personalized support and group work, even though its implementation remains highly complex.
Illustration: racorn - ShutterStock
References
Diagram illustrating the main aspects of differentiated instruction
(PDF) - Educational Resources Department, CS des Affluents
http://differenciation.org/pdf/Schema_aspects_differenciation_pedagogique.pdf
Instructional Differentiation
How to Do It? - Évelyne Touchard - Grenoble School District
http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/ien.g4/IMG/pdf/Diaporama_Atelier_Formation_differenciation_pedagogique.pdf
Differentiated Instruction (.pdf) - Lille School District
http://www4.ac-lille.fr/~ienlens/file/AED/La_differentiation_pedagogique.pdf
What Is Differentiated Instruction? - Differentiated Instruction (Collaboration Among Teachers Across Different Grade Levels)
http://differenciationpedagogique.com/questceque/questceque
Instructional Differentiation in Response to
challenges encountered in the classroom - Fabienne Neiss - Expérithèque - French Ministry of Education
http://eduscol.education.fr/experitheque/fiches/fiche12146.pdf
Video Clips to Support Differentiated Instruction - Educavox
http://www.educavox.fr/formation/pratiques/des-capsules-video-au-service-de-la-differenciation-pedagogique
Assessment in Schools - Eduscol
http://eduscol.education.fr/pid23504/evaluation-a-l-ecole.html
Assessing Learning - Formative Assessment - CERI Report
http://www.education.gouv.fr/archives/2012/refondonslecole/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/rapport_ocde_ceri_evaluer_l_apprentissage_l_evaluation_formative_2008.pdf
Middle School 2016: Everything You Need to Know About the Reform - Ministry of National Education
http://www.education.gouv.fr/pid32484/college-2016-tout-savoir-sur-reforme.html
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