INCA Education around the world
Germany : Assessment arrangements
6.2 Second phase: Primary, age 6 - 10 (12) [see 3.2.2]
6.2.1 Control
6.2.2 Purpose(s)
6.2.3 Participation
6.2.4 Nature
6.2.5 Administration
6.2.6 Grading process
6.2.7 Consequences
6.2.8 Use of results
6.2.9 Output statistics
6.2 Second phase: Primary, age 6 - 10 (12) [see 3.2.2]
6.2.1 Control
Assessment is a common feature of classroom life in Germany. However, due to devolved responsibility to Land level, there is no overarching national system of assessment for students in primary education, neither is there a leaving examination at the end of primary education.38
There is, however, a national 6-point marking system (grades 1 to 6, where 1 is high) to monitor students' achievement. This has been agreed by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the 16 Länder, which is responsible for an agreement guaranteeing a uniform basic structure of the school system in Germany. This all-Länder agreement covers, among others, the description of this marking system (used for school reports etc.) and the recognition of leaving certificates and teaching qualifications.12
Responsibility for arrangements to monitor and assess performance lies with the highest authority with responsibility for educational policy in each Land (Ministries, Senates).43
Common educational standards
In recent years, however, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the 16 Länder has been working to introduce common educational standards. These define the competencies which students should have acquired at particular points in their schooling in specific subject areas.
For full information, see section 1.2.2.
6.2.2 Purpose(s)
To grant access to Grundschule
In Germany, assessment is used in many Länder to determine the start of school attendance, in the sense that commencement of compulsory education for 6-year-olds is conditional on the child having attained an adequate level of development. A medical examination and an enrolment test may be carried out to establish whether a child has the physical and mental maturity required for school attendance. In some Länder, examinations are performed before, in some after, the first year at school has begun.17 See section 6.1.2 in addition.
To identify student need and inform decisions on teaching and learning and to measure student achievement to date
The educational and formative task of the school, in addition to transmitting knowledge, abilities and skills is to record these in order to determine progress and to accredit performance. The assessment of student performance therefore has to be taken into account as an integral part of teaching work when planning lessons.45
The purpose of assessing a student's achievement is, first of all, to obtain information about the student's learning process and to serve as a basis for giving the student further assistance.23 The results of the various written assessment assignments undertaken also provide teachers with feedback on the success of their teaching and a basis for proceeding further.45
To grant access to the next phase of education
Decisions regarding transfer from the Grundschule to one of the different types of compulsory, full-time lower secondary school are generally taken on the basis of the recommendation of the Grundschule which the student is leaving, in detailed consultation with the parents. The final decision is taken either by the parents, the school or the school supervisory authority, but results from continuous assessment during the student's primary school career will have some bearing on this decision.12
Generally, students in all schools in Germany must achieve a mark of 'adequate' ("ausreichend", grade 4 in the national 6-point marking scale, where 1 is high, 6 is low) in their mid-year and year-end reports, in each subject relevant to promotion, before they can proceed from one class to the next. 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 (Full details of the 6-point marking system are provided in section 6.2.6.)
6.2.3 Participation
Until recently, there was no national system of assessment in German compulsory education. However, in June 2010, the Institute for Educational Progress (Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen - IQB) published the results of the first national standardised language tests in Germany at lower secondary level (see 6.3.3). Further evaluations of the standards in German and mathematics at primary level are planned for 2011 (see 1.2.2.)
Continuous monitoring throughout the school year is compulsory for all students in all types of compulsory schools and at all levels.45
6.2.4 Nature
Entry assessment
A medical examination and an enrolment test may be carried out to establish whether a child has the physical and mental maturity required to progress from Kindergarten to compulsory education in the Grundschule. In some Länder, such examinations are performed before, in some after, the first year at compulsory primary school has begun.17
Continuous assessment
Performance in all school years is assessed on the basis of ongoing observation of learning processes and applying oral, written and subject-based learning checks. Assessment covers all the work performed by the student, in particular written work, oral contributions and practical performance.25 Oral assessments are based on assessment of student contributions in lessons and practical tests/assessments take place mostly in subjects such as sport, music and art. Written work and tests are set at regular intervals throughout the school year and the level and content of such tests correspond to the appropriate syllabuses and curricula.19 Assessment also includes homework in the form of written or oral work.45 Summaries of achievement are provided in mid-year and year-end reports (Zeugnis).12 In principle, this assessment covers all the subject areas of the curriculum.12
In Years 1 and 2 of primary education (students aged 6 to 8 years), the focus of assessment is on direct observation of students. In Year 3 (aged 8+), children begin to be familiarised with written class tests in certain subjects (especially German, mathematics and Sachunterricht - an interdisciplinary subject which includes aspects of social studies, history, geography, science and technology.) In all years, student performance must be commented upon either by the teacher's oral comments or by simple written comments. Once introduced, written tests take place regularly throughout the year; students are warned of them in advance and they are supervised. The marks received from the teacher for these tests are subsequently discussed with the child, and children are encouraged to take their tests home to show to their parents.13
As primary education in Germany usually only takes place in the mornings, homework is regarded as important, as is the fact that every piece of homework completed should be monitored and commented upon by the teacher. Homework should be based on the work currently being completed in class and should encourage students to work on their own. It is not sufficient that the teacher should check that homework has been completed. It should be regularly corrected and assessed. Although homework is monitored and assessed, marks received for homework do not normally go towards a student's mark in his or her formal report.22
Assessment is carried out by the teacher responsible for lessons.165
Common educational standards
Following an agreement of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Culture of the 16 German Länder in 2002, common national educational standards are being developed for specific stages in primary and secondary education.93
Further information about the standards is available in section 1.2.2.
6.2.5 Administration
In Germany, responsibility for arrangements to monitor and assess performance lies with the highest authority with responsibility for educational policy in each Land (Ministries, Senates).45 The Land supervisory authorities consequently have the authority to check that schools are keeping to the prescribed curricula and examination regulations, by visiting schools and sitting in on lessons. They do not, however, have the authority to encroach upon the pedagogical freedom of the individual teacher.17
The implementation of continuous assessment and final examinations is, however, the responsibility of the school and, where relevant, the appropriate subject teacher, not of outside examiners,25 and, as far as the number of written assessment assignments set is concerned, the teachers of a school are responsible for their distribution over the course of a school year.45
The results of the various written assessment assignments undertaken provide teachers with feedback on the success of their teaching and a basis for proceeding further.45
Primary school headteachers generally keep track of standards in various classes by sitting in on lessons and inspecting written work, so as to ensure uniform marking standards.17
6.2.6 Grading process
Assessment during this phase involves all students and is comparative, that is, norm-referenced. The formal assessment reporting process usually commences at the end of Year 2 at Grundschule at the earliest (age 8). Students' progress, strengths and weaknesses in each subject area are reported in detail, and they begin to receive certificates with marks (according to the national 6-point scale, where 1 is high, 6 is low), which allow their performance to be measured against the class average.12
The agreement of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of all 16 Länder, which guarantees a uniform basic structure of the school system in Germany, covers the description of this national marking system which is used for school reports and teacher training examinations.12
Marks are defined as follows:-
| 1. | "Sehr gut" (very good) | Given for a performance which is well above the required standard. |
| 2. | "Gut" (good) | Fully meets the required standard. |
| 3. | "Befriedigend" (satisfactory) | Generally meets the required standard. |
| 4. | "Ausreichend" (adequate) | Shows deficiencies but, on the whole, still meets the required standard. |
| 5. | "Mangelhaft" (poor) | Given when a performance does not meet the required standard, but suggests that the basic knowledge is there and that the deficiencies could be made up in a reasonable period of time. |
| 6. | "Ungenügend" (very poor/unsatisfactory) | Performance does not meet the required standard. Basic skills are so incomplete that the deficiencies could not be made up in a reasonable period of time |
In assessing individual performances during the school year, teachers may also award intermediate grades, e.g. 2-3, 3+, 3- etc.45
Students are asked to repeat a year if their level of attainment is not judged adequate. Generally, 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
6.2.7 Consequences
The standard of performance at the end of the school year determines whether students progress to the next school year; successfully complete primary level education; or are asked to repeat a particular year.25
For example, in the Grundschule all children progress automatically from Year 1 (age 6/7) to Year 2 (age 7/8). From Year 2 of the Grundschule onwards, however, transfer to the next class requires students to meet minimum standards in all subjects, in accordance with the national 6-point marking system in operation (where, in summary, 1 is high and 6 low).12 See section 6.2.6 for further information.
6.2.8 Use of results
Generally, in all forms of compulsory education in Germany, students' performances are reported twice a year, at the end of the first half of the school year and at the end of the school year.25
In the initial two years of compulsory education, however, the report is usually only issued at the end of the school year and describes in detail a child's progress, strengths and weaknesses in various fields of learning. In addition, skills covering more than one subject may be assessed.45
From Year 3 (age 8/9) of the Grundschule onwards, children begin to receive their reports at the end of each half of the school year, with marks (in accordance with the national 6-point system, see 6.2.6), which enable the individual child's performance to be recorded and placed in the context of the level achieved by the entire teaching group, and thus a comparative assessment can be made.13
Once regular written assessment tests are introduced - in certain disciplines or areas of activity from Year 3 of primary education (students aged 8-9), children are also encouraged to take marked tests home, to show to their parents 22
Reports and assessments for primary students should be understandable to students and help them to reinforce their desire to learn; assess/judge their own progress; and to increase their confidence in their abilities.22
If students are in danger of not being promoted to the next class at the end of a given school year, their mid-year report must state as such.19
In addition to marks awarded for individual subjects, a report card can also contain comments or marks on class participation and on social conduct in schools. 165
6.2.9 Output statistics
On the basis of the total number of students in the primary sector in Germany, 1.9 per cent repeated a class in the 2000/2001 academic year. This figure has remained stable since 1994.165
