TEACHER TRAINING

Teachers are recruited via two competitive examinations: the examination for school teachers and the examination for secondary and high school teachers.
These examinations are open to candidates who have passed a diploma after three years of studies following high school graduation (A.levels). Candidates can prepare during a one-year training course for their career of choice: school teacher or secondary and high school teacher. Those who pass the examination successfully will then enter one year of professional training. Teacher training is organised by the university institutes for teacher training (IUFM). The IUFM are due to change status; in the future, teacher training will take place in the university proper (beginning with the 2007 academic year).
At the moment and in spite of institutional incentives, information about the care for students with learning difficulties, disabled or health-impaired students often takes up little time and space during initial teacher training.
Essentially, training of non-specialised personnel is reserved for continuous training courses.

Training of specialised teaching personnel
The certification for adapted teaching methods and schooling of disabled students are now open to all fully appointed teachers at all levels, for all disciplines and ranks. These certifications are only for teachers, they are not accessible to other personnel categories.

Certifications
- The certification for primary school teachers is the CAPA-SH: a certificate of professional competence in specialised assistance, adapted teaching and schooling of disabled students (decree no. 2004-13 of 5/1/2004). The CAPA-SH entitles to full appointment to the position of specialised teacher for the selected specialisation.

- The certification for secondary and high-school teachers is the 2CA-SH: a complementary certificate for adapted teaching and schooling of disabled students (decree no. 2004-13 of 5/1/2004, circular 2004-026 of 10/02/2004 and circular 2004-103 of 24/6/2004). The 2CA-SH does not correspond to any specific position. Its purpose is to certify the special capacities of a secondary level teacher, appointed to an ordinary position, whose class is attended by disabled students and who assists in the schooling of these students with the support, in some cases, of an institutional facility known as an integrated learning unit (UPI).

The specialties
These certifications for adapted learning and schooling of disabled students continue to be defined by the specialties which correspond to different types of disability.
The familiar organisation of these specialities will not be changed. Specialties E and G are not offered at the 2CA-SH level because there are no specialised assistance networks for students with learning difficulties (RASED) at the secondary level. The other specialities are similarly defined for both certifications.

CAPA-SH specialties:

- Specialty A: teachers specialised in schooling and providing learning assistance to deaf or hearing impaired students.
- Specialty B: teachers specialised in schooling and providing learning assistance to blind or visually impaired students.
- Specialty C: teachers specialised in schooling and providing learning assistance to students with a serious motor deficiency or a developing/invalidating health disorder.
- Specialty D: teachers specialised in schooling and providing learning assistance to students with major cognitive function disorders.
- Specialty E: teachers specialised in specific learning focussed assistance.
- Specialty F: teachers specialised in schooling and providing learning assistance to students in adapted general and professional schooling institutions and departments.
- Specialty G: teachers specialised in assistance focussed on re-education.

2CA-SH specialties:

- Specialty A: schooling and learning assistance for deaf or hearing impaired students.
- Specialty B: schooling and learning assistance for blind or visually impaired students.
- Specialty C: schooling and learning assistance for students with serious motor deficiency or a developing/invalidating health disorder.
- Specialty D: schooling and learning assistance for students with serious cognitive function disorders.
- Specialty F: schooling and learning assistance for students in regional adapted schooling centres and adapted general and professional schooling departments.

These training courses are organised on an alternating basis: the primary and secondary level teachers taking the courses perform their function (in the classes and special arrangements which correspond to the specialty they are preparing at the primary level) and are convened to the training centre for the various training sessions. The training course is split into several sessions during the first two quarters of the school year. During their in-class training with students, the teachers are monitored and assisted by the qualified inspectors and the training centres (order of January 5, 2004).

The training is organised by the National higher institute for training and research on the education of young disabled persons and adapted schooling (INS HEA) or by the regional ASH (School adaptation and disabled pupils schooling) centres integrated in certain IUFMs, as well as by certain universities.

National initiative training modules (MFIN)
The national initiative training modules are complementary training courses enabled by the second paragraphs of articles 4 and 9 of decree no. 2004-13 of January 5 on the creation of CAPA-SH and 2CA-SH.

Thanks to a national initiative, these modules with a duration of 25 to 50 hours are organised within the framework of continuous training for teachers and target teachers who have obtained the CAPA-SH or 2CA-SH. Their objective is to more thoroughly develop and reinforce their knowledge and professional capacities and/or assist their capacity to adapt to given professional circumstances.

The contents of the training courses respond to emerging problems and support the implementation of national policy orientations in the area of adapted learning, alternatively focussing on different aspects.
Consequently, the themes vary from year to year, depending on the needs and priorities.
Some of these modules are also available to non-specialised teachers who encounter particular types of integration problems, as well as to psychologists who work in orientation counselling or educational counsellors.

School psychologists
Within the framework of specialised assistance networks for students with learning difficulties, school psychologists contribute their capacities in supporting the prevention of learning difficulties, in developing an educational project for the school, in designing, implementing and evaluating assistance to students with difficulties (circular no. 90-083 of April 10, 1990  circular no. 2002-113 of April 30, 2002).

School psychologists, who are recruited from primary level teaching ranks, must have a bachelor's degree in psychology and must have worked in teaching for three years before beginning training, which is capped by a school psychology diploma (DEPS). Training courses are held in a number of approved IUFMs.

Educational assistants/school carers (AVS) and assistant educators
Since the beginning of the 2003 school year, students with severely restricted autonomy are supported either on an individual basis in ordinary school classes, or collectively in a CLIS or a UPI. In both cases they receive the assistance of educational assistants/school carers (AVS). (Circular no. 2003-093 of June 11, 2003 concerning the role of AVS in assisting schooling for children and adolescents with a disability or an invalidating health disorder, and decree no. 2003-484 of June 6, 2003 concerning recruiting conditions and employment of educational assistants, modified by decree no. 2005-1194 of September 22, 2005.) The latter are paid in full on the Ministry of Education payroll and this arrangement is gradually replacing the previously operative youth employment mechanism. This measure is designed to consolidate the AVS functions and to progressively eliminate discrepancies between individual local situations, but also to increase the numbers of specialised personnel. Candidates will be offered adaptive training and an additional training module.

Directors of adapted and specialised educational institutions
Two diplomas prepare candidates for the position of director of an institution, a section or a department:
- The diploma for director of an adapted and specialised educational institution (DDEEAS), organised by the Ministry of Education (order of February 19, 1988, modified by order of January 9, 1995, regarding the creation of the diploma for director of an adapted and specialised educational institution). Candidates must belong to the ranks of schooling, education, orientation or management personnel under the authority of the Ministry of Education. Candidates can participate in a one-year training course wherein instruction modules alternate with in-class training at the National higher institute for training and research on the education of young disabled persons and adapted schooling (INS HEA) in Suresnes.

- The certificate of professional competence for the position of director of an institution or service for social intervention (CAFDES) organised by the Ministry of Social Affairs (decree no. 2002-401 of March 25, 2002 on the creation of the certificate of professional competence for the position of director of an institution or service for social intervention). This diploma can be obtained by certain staff categories with prior experience namely in medico-educational and socio-educational institutions. Compulsory training for candidates for the CAFDES exam is provided in the inter-regional centres approved by the National school for public health (ENSP) in Rennes, which is also responsible for organising the exam. There is also an examination for access to the position of director of a social institution organised under the authority of the public hospital service.

Inspectors of the Ministry of Education in charge of ASH, IEN ASH (School adaptation and disabled pupils schooling)
The inspectors of the Ministry of Education, recruited from the ranks of primary level teachers, can be in charge of the management of disabled pupils schooling on a specific area.
An eight-week training course is organised by the National higher institute for training and research on the education of young disabled persons and adapted schooling (INS HEA) in Suresnes.
The IEN-ASH training is designed primarily for inspectors in charge of a departmental or academic mission in the area of ASH (compulsory training) and, depending on the number of training positions available, inspectors who wish to work in a position of this type in the future.
This training course focuses on seven different missions:
Mission 1 : Technical advisor to the director of the Academy
Mission 2 : Advisor to the district inspectors, in the field of ASH
Mission 3 : Primary contact for partners in the ASH sector
Mission 4 : Coordinator of the departmental orientation commission
Mission 5 : Inspector of the teachers in ASH facilities or operative units
Mission 6 : Manager or instructor of a specific district
Mission 7 : Promoter of innovative and transformative action in the field of ASH