Spanish aggregation

The Spanish contest of aggregation of is a public contest French ministry of State education intended to recruit qualified schoolteachers of the Secondary education, which will firstly teach in the colleges of mainstream education and technological, in the sections of high-level techniciens (STS) and the preparatory classes than the universities (CPGE). This prestigious contest, the very high requirements, makes it possible to select the candidates according to their control of the language Castilian, the literature in Spanish language and the culture of the Spain and the Spanish-speaking country of America. It is also about a sesame become almost essential to be able to claim, after the doctorate, at a station of Teacher-researcher in the higher education.

There exist actually two contests of Spanish aggregation:

an external contest, opened to the holders of the control (or a diploma of equal or higher level), like to the full-time teaching staff of the Capes;

an internal competition, opened to the civils servant and public agents exerting for at least five years, and being able to justify control or of a diploma or has titrated equal or higher level. The tests of the internal competition differ appreciably from those of the external contest.

The program

External aggregation

The program of external aggregation is organized around three main roads: language, literature and civilization, which make all three the object of an evaluation. A series from two to three questions (topics) is imposed for each one of these axes, for one two years duration. The program is renewed per half with each session.

Language

The program imposes a study of the Linguistique Spanish medieval and modern. One or more literary works (or of the segments of works) are selected for each of the two periods and are used as support with a linguistic study. For the session 2008, the study of a traditional text of XVIe century is also with the program. The evaluation takes place at the time of the oral tests of admission. The candidate owes, through this program, to acquire knowledge in Phonétique, Phonétique history, Sémantique, Syntaxe, Morphosyntaxe, and thus to be able to control the essential characteristics of the Spanish language.

In addition, the candidates are invited to involve itself with the literary Traduction. A test of topic and version is organized at the time of the written tests of admissibility. For that, the candidate is invited to prepare through the reading and the study of French and Spanish literary texts, to acquire and dominate field the widest possible of knowledge in term of lexicon, Grammaire, syntax Spanish, and to thus show his capacity to be passed from the French language and Spanish.

Literature

With each session, the program of literature proposes in two even three questions a representative sample of the richness and diversity of the literature in language Castilian. The questions can be turned towards:

the study of a particular work (EP: the Libro de Buen Amor of Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita, with the program of the sessions 2006 and 2007),
of a literary current (EP: the picaresque Romance , with the program of the sessions 2007 and 2008),
of a literary set of themes (EP: the writing of the domination in the literature Spanish-American, with the program of the sessions 2005 and 2006),
of an author (EP: Lope de Vega between two kinds, with the sessions 2002 and 2003),
of an geographical area (EP: to write the Mexico, in 1999 and 2000),
one time (EP: aspects of the exile of 1939 in Spanish poetry, in 2003 and 2004).

The programs in addition reflect the historical and geographical diversity of the literature in language Castilian, while proposing, on the one hand, at least a question of traditional or medieval literature (EP: in 2001, a question about the theater of Calderón of Barca, author of the XVIIe century, and another on the poetry of Pablo Neruda, poet of the XXe century), and, in addition, a relative question with authors Spanish-Americans (EP: in 2007, Libro de Buen Amor, Spanish text of XIVe century, and the topic “memory of the dictatorship in Chile and in Argentina”).

Civilization

The program of civilization is composed of two questions being able to carry about Spain or, more occasionally, about the countries of Latin America. The questions suggested are likely to approach all the periods of the history:

medieval (EP: the Knighthood in Castille at the end of the Middle Ages, in 2000 and 2001),
modern (EP: the catholic monarchy of Philippe II, in 1999 and 2000),
contemporary (EP: the army in the Spanish company, in 2002 and 2003).

The subjects are established so as to be able to treat multi-field questions, exceeding the strict event-driven historical framework: security questions, policies, cultural, religious. Thus, for example, the subject “nationalisms in Spain (1876-1978)” invited to reflect on the origins and the political and social repercussions of the peripheral nationalist movements since the end of the third war carlist (which had as a principal theater the Basque Country and the Navarre) until the advent of the news Spanish constitution in 1978. Same manner, the question carrying about the Spanish Inquisition brought to study the evolution of the institution, the various means placed at its disposal, of its operating range, and, beyond, on the bonds between royal capacity and religion, and the consequences on the Spanish company of the XVIe century. The question thus treated a very broad range of subjects, energy of the religion to the policy, while passing by considerations sociétales and intellectual.

Options

Each candidate is held to choose an option, which will give place to an interrogation at the time of the oral tests of admission. Three options are proposed: Catalan, Latin or Portuguese. The program specifies each year literary work with the program of each one of these languages.

Internal aggregation

Internal aggregation, if it is characterized by a level standard about identical to that of the external contest, is distinguished from this last by a less complete program.

The program of literature is composed of three to five literary works, of which some can appear in the program of the external contest. Nevertheless, contrary to external aggregation, works with the program are usually autonomous, in the sense that they constitute the single object of study and do not enter a particular set of themes.

Since 2004, the program of the internal competition integrates a question of civilization taken again of the program of the external contest.

In the field of the language, the candidates are invited to prepare the translation proof, which suppose a work on the lexicon, grammar, etc identical to that of external aggregation.

Tests

The external contests and intern of the Spanish aggregation are composed of two groups of tests: written tests of admissibility and oral tests of admission.

External aggregation

Written tests of admissibility :

Composition in Spanish. It consists of an essay starting from a quotation carrying on one of the questions to the program of literature or civilization. Are evaluated within the framework of this test the control of the question to the program (of very precise knowledge are required of the candidate), the capacity to work out a personal reflection argued on the subject, the capacity to structure this reflection, as well as the capacity to be written in Spanish constant and adapted to the subject and the level of the contest;
Translation. This test is made up of a topic and a version. The two proposed texts with the candidates reflect the richness and the diversity of the literatures French and Spanish: historical diversity, esthetic diversity,…
Généralement, the Spanish text proposed within the framework of the version is an extract of XVI, XVII or XVIIIe century a Spanish literary work. It is awaited of the candidate that it makes proof through his translation, of a knowledge of the historical context and arts person enabling him to seize all the range of the extract, and of a control of the Spanish language as well modern as traditional (syntax, morphology, lexicon,…). These requirements must lead the candidate to propose a translation faithful to the letter of the Spanish text, and showing a perfect handling of the French language.
Les French texts proposed for the topic is in theory drawn from French literary works of XIXe or the XXe century, exceptionally of the XVIIIe century. In addition to a good knowledge of the historical and cultural context of the extract, the candidate must show his control of the French language, with an aim of seizing all the nuances of the thought of the author. It is then asked to him to restore in Spanish precise and faithful the text, which requires its share the mobilization of its knowledge in language Castilian, the selected lexicon as well as syntax, having not only to be in conformity with the rules of the language but also to reflect the spirit and subtleties of the source text in French. The two translations are the common notation object since the session 2007. Previously, the version and the topic constituted two distinct tests.
Composition in French. It consists of an essay starting from a quotation carrying on one of the questions to the program of literature or civilization. Are evaluated within the framework of this test the control of the question to the program (of very precise knowledge are required of the candidate), the capacity to work out a personal reflection argued on the subject, the capacity to structure this reflection, as well as the capacity to be written in French constant and appropriate to the degree of requirements of the contest.

Oral tests of admission :

Explanation in Spanish language. An extract of one of works to the program of literature is given to the candidate, who must, in Spanish, to present to the inspectors a precise and argued explanation of the text.
Lesson. This test, in Spanish (since 2007), is, according to the opinion of all, the test queen of aggregation. The candidate is held to present to the jury a lesson on a particular aspect of one of the questions with the program (for example, with the session 2006: “The policy and the monk in the empire of Charles Quint”, or “subversion in the Libro de Buen Amor ”), by melting its talk according to problems and by mobilizing all its knowledge and its capacities of reflection, the lesson not being the recitation of a course, but indeed an argumentation and deliberation on a given subject.
linguistic Explanation. After having read a fragment of the text provided by the jury (and resulting from works to the program), the candidate must justify his reading by explaining the most outstanding phenomena phonetic (what supposes, within the framework of the study of a medieval text, to orally restore the phonemes according to their pronunciation of the time), without omitting the questions of C-W communication and evolutionary phonetics (to explain the evolution of the phonemes in time). Come then from the explanations on semantic, morphological and morphosyntaxic phenomena clarified in the text. The talk generally ends in the translation of the fragment at the beginning of interrogation.
Explanation in French. It is requested from the candidate to present the explanation of a text extracted work to the program of the option chosen at the time of the inscription: Catalan, Latin or Portuguese.

Internal aggregation

Written tests of admissibility:

Composition in Spanish. It consists of an essay starting from a quotation carrying on one of the questions to the program of literature or civilization. Awaited qualities of the candidate are the same ones as the name proof same to external aggregation.
Translation. The test is about identical to that of external aggregation, at least with regard to its objectives and its requirements. The texts are nevertheless shorter, and especially, the candidates are invited to justify their translation on one or more segments indicated by the jury.

Oral tests of admission:
They are distinguished clearly from the oral tests of the external contest, very university, by their teaching dimension, the candidates being supposed to have already taught.

Exposed preparation of a course. Taking support on a file made up of documents of various nature, the candidate is invited to expose in French the way in which he intends to make course with pupils, according to the instructions of the subject.
Explanation in Spanish. The acceptable candidate is held to present the explanation of a text resulting from the program of literature. The talk is followed of an impromptu oral topic, possibly decorated explanations of facts of language (bearing on morphology, grammar,…). The maintenance which follows can include/understand the listening of a audio-visual document, whose candidate returns account and discusses with the jury, in Spanish.

Course of a session

Preparation

The preparation of the contests of aggregation concerns the monopoly of the universities, as well as national universities. The IUFM, which deliver the lesson for the contests of the Capes and the Caplp of Spanish, do not intervene in the preparation with aggregation. However, the services of continuing education of the personnel of different the vice-chancellorships from academy can organize for their personnel, of the education acts intended to prepare internal aggregation. The National center of remote teaching (CNED) also prepares him with the contests of Spanish aggregation.

The courses intended to prepare with the tests are organized in the establishments according to the program, which is published in the official bulletin of state education spring preceding the session. They take place from September to March or April, date traditional of the written tests of the internal competition and the external contest, respectively. The acceptable candidates continue their formation until the behavior of the oral tests of admission, which have in June place and July.

Once the known results, the prizes winner are affected in secondary education in the capacity as trainees, for one one year duration before establishment. Aggregation makes it moreover possible for the prizes winner to request a carryforward of training course from one to three years, in order to prepare a thesis of doctorate.

The jury

Because of the quality of the contest of aggregation, whose preparation concerns the monopoly of the universities (and also of ENS), the jury is always chaired by a Professor of the universities, specialist in the discipline, and is named for four years by the Minister for State education. The president selects the members of the jury thereafter, within the bodies of university lecturers and professors of the universities. He also calls upon qualified schoolteachers of secondary education (often teaching in CPGE), like with personnel of the bodies of inspection (General inspectors and IA-IPR). Among about thirty members whom account generally the jury, the president designates a vice-president as well as a secretary, which composes with him the directory of the contest. The composition of the jury takes effect as from the validation of this one by the ministry.

The role of the jury is charged:

to work out the program of each session, in dialog with the jury of the Spanish Capes (contest whose program takes again partially the questions of aggregation). The program of a session is established one year, then officialized before as from its publication with the official Bulletin of State education (BOEN). The questions are proposed by university lecturers, then selected by the jury;
to carry out the development of the subjects of the written tests of admissibility and the oral tests of admission;
to correct the copies of the written tests of admissibility, according to a scale which the jury establishes itself. Each duty is corrected by two correctors, which justifies the absence of annotation and remarks on the copy: a corrector not having to influence the other;
to fix the bar of admissibility (minimal average note required in order to be able to be authorized to undergo the oral tests of admission) and to declare acceptable or not the candidates at the conclusion of the written tests;
to proceed to the interrogations, by commissions of three inspectors, at the time of the oral tests of admission;
to fix the bar of admission (minimal average note required in order to be able to be declared allowed; if the jury considers insufficient the level of the candidates acceptable, it can decide to provide only part of the stations offered to the contest) and to declare allowed the candidates, by drawing up a list of admission, on the basis of classification to the merit.
La list of the allowed candidates enjoys a fully official nature however only after the visa of the Minister for State education (or of one of its representatives) and public posting with the seat of the central administration in Paris. In addition, the minister can pronounce the radiation of the list of admission, and thus the loss of the benefit of the contest, of a candidate who, during control a posteriori of the supporting documents for the access to the body of the qualified schoolteachers (conditions of diplomas, obligations taking into consideration national service, police records,…) would not fill the requirements with the glance of the regulation.

The jury being a body independent of the authority which indicated it (in this case, the Minister for State education), his appreciation cannot be submitted to the arbitration of a third. Under the terms of the principle of sovereignty of the jurys, the jury is not held to justify his notes and deliberations. Its decisions are not likely of call, except failure with the regulation which governs its activity. Its members are in addition held with the secrecy of the deliberations (as well concerning the debates, as the results as long as those were not the subject of an official publicity).

Sources

the official Bulletin of State education for the programs, the composition of the jurys,…
Reports/ratios of the jurys on the site of the Minister of education main road
Guide of SIAC2: conditions of inscription and nature of the tests

Internal bonds

Aggregation
CAPES
Contest of teaching
Professor
Education system French
Minister of education main road
Ministry for Higher education and Research

External bonds

Minister of education main road - assistance and Information system to the contests of second degree (SIAC2)
the official Bulletin of State education for the programs, the composition of the jurys,…
Site of the external aggregation of Spanish
Guide of SIAC2: conditions of inscription and nature of the tests

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