Definition of School Cycle

The different educational systems are organized based on academic content and a methodology pedagogical and both issues are structured in school cycles. Thus, the school year is a stage educational which is related to the physical and mental development of students. In this way, each course academic It is within a school year and the set of cycles makes up the formative period of a student.

The concept of the school year includes two ideas: a certain time and a approach educational. In this way, the organization of any school year must be carried out taking into account a series of pedagogical criteria, such as the age of the students, the rhythms of learning, the work areas, the most convenient hours, etc. What rule In general, in each new school year the number of teaching hours is increased.

If we take the Spanish educational system as a reference, there are different school cycles in it

The first cycle is the one that covers from 0 to 3 years old and is not compulsory. At a next level, the cycle between 3 and 6 years begins, which is not mandatory either. The primary cycle is mandatory and begins at 6 years old and ends at 12 years old and is made up of 6 academic years.

The secondary cycle covers from 12 to 16 years old and is known as ESO (Secondary education Compulsory) and this period is made up of four school years.

At the end of ESO, students can opt for the bachelor's degree in its different modalities or for the trainingprofessional or FP. Once this stage is finished, there is the possibility of starting university studies.

The school year understood as an academic year

The organization of a course or cycle is carried out to establish a school calendar, in which the school days and vacation days are regulated for each educational stage.

In the case of Spain, the school year begins in mid-September and ends in June of the following year. In Argentina it begins the last week of February and ends in November. In Mexico the course begins in August and ends in July. In Venezuela the school year begins at the end of September and ends at the end of June. In any case, in most countries the school year consists of about 200 days of class activity and the rest are vacation days.

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