Brevet success is not the only indicator of a good college. The general atmosphere, the involvement of teachers or school arrangements and trips are also decisive in finding a suitable establishment.
It’s time to prepare for college, but how do you know if your new institution is right for you and will help you succeed? The figures of the patent are not enough, it is also necessary to look at the environment in which evolve/move the pupils.
1– Patent success rate
The patent success rate does not say everything, but can serve as a good indicator for estimating the quality of a college. Provided you know how to read it. “What matters is not that we achieved 88% patent success in 2018, but rather the fact that we have progressed by 20 points since 2010”, observes Dominique Arrous, principal of the Eugène-le college. -Roy in Bergerac (24).
Raw success must therefore be combined with a school’s ability to progress and help its students progress. This is why our 2022 college ranking takes into account the results of the DNB over three years: 2019, 2020 and 2021. This year again, the ranking is also based on a stable evaluation, since the
2 – The mention rate
It’s a bit like the success rate: this criterion is interesting but it must be studied over a period of several years for it to be significant . According to our ranking, out of 6,870 colleges, the average pass rate is 89% per college for the period 2019–2021, and the average mention rate is 79%.
But it should also be kept in mind that very often, the success or mention rates are correlated to the social and territorial origins of the students, as shown by an INSEE survey , based on the colleges of Île-de-France. It is therefore an interesting criterion, but to be taken with hindsight because it is subject to inequalities . Especially since neither the patent nor the mentions condition entry to high school.
3 – Involvement of the teaching team
Above and beyond performance, the student’s well-being must above all be considered . For this, we can be interested in “non-encryptable” data. Difficult to know before enrollment in a college if the teaching team will be united, collaborative in its operation, carried by common projects. In this area, “word-of-mouth” works well, and do not hesitate to ask for an interview with the principal to get an idea.
“What is essential is the way the head teacher works, how he organizes contact with families, whether he involves parents in co-education mode and how he manages to manage relations between the different teachers” , explains Jean-Christophe Avet, principal of the Clairs-Soleils college in Besançon (25).
This team cohesion will be essential to deploy anti-dropout tools in good conditions, such as the “Homework done” system , which provides homework assistance for students in difficulty by one to two teachers. Similarly, only a good cohesion of the team of teachers can set up a personalized program of educational success for students who need support.
4 – Educational tools to transmit “know-how”
The college is not just a place where we collect knowledge. This is also where you learn to behave as a citizen. The establishments provide meaning in relation to the mission they carry out and not only in terms of the knowledge base.
Promoting openness to others, awareness of certain situations, such as disability, are also part of the elements of excellence of a college . These are all factors that will later affect social and professional integration.
Outings or school trips can play an important role in opening up , but also soothe a somewhat tense atmosphere in a class. Naturally, working in small groups, when led by a teacher, can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and soft skills . Do not hesitate to ask questions on this subject: how many times in the year group work is planned, how it is organized, then evaluated, etc.
5 – The atmosphere at the college
It is in the realm of the impalpable for statisticians. Are there problems with delinquency inside or outside college? Harassment? What is the general atmosphere in the establishment?
During meetings with teachers or heads of colleges, you can find out more about their commitments to bullying , about the measures deployed or about the public aid intended for the well-being of students and access to canteen or school transport.
