INCA Education around the world
Germany : Internal school organisation
4.4.1 Organisation of teaching groups
4.4.2 Student progression through the phase
4.4.3 Class size
4.4.4 Teacher specialisation
4.4 Fourth phase: Upper secondary, age 15/16 - 18/19
[see 3.2.4]
4.4.1 Organisation of teaching groups
In upper secondary education, students are generally grouped into courses to replace the former process of unitary class teaching.12
4.4.2 Student progression through the phase
Generally, upper secondary education is not divided into particular cycles. By this stage of compulsory education, however, students are grouped into courses (e.g. general academic for the Abitur, specific vocational courses for specific qualifications etc.). However, the gymnasiale Oberstufe (see 3.2.4) is usually divided into a one-year introductory phase and a two-year qualification phase.13
Generally, to progress from one class to the next, students in all schools in Germany must achieve a mark of 'adequate' ("ausreichend", grade 4) in their mid-year and year-end reports in each subject relevant to promotion. Marks of 'poor' ("mangelhaft" - 5) and 'very poor' ("ungenügend" - 6) in one subject can usually be compensated for with marks of 'good' ("gut" - 2) or 'very good' ("sehr gut" - 1) in another subject.23 (There is a national 6-point marking scale, where 1 is high and 6 low. Full details are provided in section 6.4.6.)
In some Länder, students who have been asked to repeat the previous year may be promoted to the next if, when returning to school for commencement of the next school year, they satisfactorily complete an assessment test. Students whose performance is far ahead of their class peers may omit a class and be promoted to the next-but-one class.12 (See section 4.3.2 in addition.)
Promotion/transfer from one class to the next (or repetition of a year) is decided by the relevant class conference on the basis of a student's marks in their year-end report. The class conference comprises all the teachers who have taught the class during the period concerned. Students who are in danger of not being promoted to the next class at the end of a given school year must be informed as such, either at the time of their mid-year report, or their parents must be informed in writing prior to the proposed time of promotion/repetition.19
4.4.3 Class size
In upper secondary education, where students select courses, there are minimum student numbers required for courses to be set up. These minimum student numbers vary dependent on the Land concerned and also, often, in the case of Abitur courses, on whether the course is categorised as a basic ("Grundkurse") or advanced ("Leistungskurse") level course (see 5.4.2). Some Länder, for example, set their minimum figure at 18 for advanced courses and 20 for basic courses.20
In 1993, in Germany as a whole, the average number of students per class on full-time vocational courses varied between 19.4 and 20.8. Average student:teacher ratios in upper secondary education in 1993 were 11.0.20 These figures appear to have varied little in recent years. In the 1996/97 academic year, average class sizes in full-time vocational schools throughout Germany remained around 20 (varying from 18 in some Länder to just over 22 in others). Class sizes in part-time vocational education for the same period were similar.
Class size and student:teacher ratios, 2000 (national) 97
| Type of school | Students per teacher | Students per class |
| Orientierungsstufe (independent of school type) | 17.3 | 23.7 |
| Hauptschulen | 15.0 | 21.9 |
| Schools offering both Hauptschule and Realschule courses | 15.3 | 22.6 |
| Realschulen | 18.6 | 26.1 |
| Gymnasien | 17.8 | 26.7 |
| Gesamtschulen | 14.2 | 26.0 |
DEFINITIONS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE SCHOOL TYPES ARE PROVIDED IN THE GLOSSARY. SELECT 'KEYWORDS' FROM THE RIGHT HAND DROP-DOWN MENU AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.
Class size and student:teacher ratios in full-time vocational schools, 2000 (national) 97
| Type of school | Students per teacher | Students per class |
| Berufsschule in the dual system | 38.7 | 20.4 |
| Berufsgrundbildungsjahr | 11.0 | 20.6 |
| Berufsfachschule | 13.7 | 21.5 |
| Fachoberschule | 16.3 | 22.8 |
| Fachschule | 12.9 | 19.5 |
DEFINITIONS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE SCHOOL TYPES ARE PROVIDED IN THE GLOSSARY. SELECT 'KEYWORDS' FROM THE RIGHT HAND DROP-DOWN MENU AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.
4.4.4 Teacher specialisation
Teachers are trained at universities and colleges of art and music and pass the first state examination, usually in two subjects, and in education science. Secondary teachers are subject specialists. Teachers are generally employed by the Land and have civil servant status.14
In secondary school, students have a different (that is to say, specialist) teacher for each subject.12
