Innovations and changes in response to TIMSS and PISA: Towards a monitoring system in Germany

1. Innovations and changes in response to TIMSS and PISA: Towards a monitoring system in Germany 10th OECD/Japan Seminar “Raising the Quality of Educational Performance at School” Cordula Artelt Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Center for Educational Research, Berlin, Germany

2. Outline of the talk • Background: TIMSS and PISA results for Germany • Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) • Seven Fields of Action • Educational standards • Institute for Quality Development in the Education System • Initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Education • Program “Zukunft Bildung” • All-day schools • Independent reports on the state of education • Joint initiatives • Initiatives by the BLK (joint central and regional government commission for educational planning and research promotion) • SINUS, SINUS-Transfer and others • Educational Research • Summary

3. 1. Background - Findings from TIMSS German students’ proficiency in mathematics and science • Difficulties with complex tasks requiring conceptual understanding • Weak performance in scientific thinking and reasoning • Only few high performing students – about 25 % of students show fundamental deficits in scientific and mathematical knowledge • Only small learning gains over the school years • Decreasing interest over the school career

4. 1. Background - Findings from PISA (2000) German students’ proficiency in reading, science, and maths • Low overall level; difficulties with complex tasks • Large range of performance • Close connection between social background and reading proficiency • Underperformance of students from immigrant families • Teachers have difficulty identifying weaker students

5. 1. Background - Findings from PISA (2003) German students’ proficiency in reading, science, and maths • Scores are not lower than in PISA 2000, but at a similar level (reading) or somewhat improved (maths and science). • Again, a large range of performance scores in all three domains. • Barely any improvement at the lower end of the performance spectrum. • Challenge: to reduce the proportion of students in the potentially at-risk group. • Large range of performance • Close connection between social background and reading proficiency • Underperformance of students from immigrant families • Teachers have difficulty identifying weaker students

6. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) • Seven Fields of Action • Educational standards • Institute for Quality Development in the Education System

7. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) The KMK’s seven fields of action (1- 3) • Measures for the ongoing development and quality assurance of schooling and instruction based on binding standards and outcome-driven evaluation. • Measures to improve teacher professionalism, particularly in terms of diagnostic and methodology skills, as a component of systematic school development. • Measures to expand all-day provision in terms of both schooling and out-of-school activities with the aim of providing additional support for students with educational difficulties and gifted students, particular.

8. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) The KMK’s seven fields of action (4-7) • Measures to improve language skills beginning with pre-school children. • Measures to improve the connection between pre-school provision and primary schooling with a view to earlier school enrolment. • Measures to improve primary education and to ensure the overall improvement of reading proficiency and the understanding of core mathematical and scientific concepts. • Measures to support children from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, especially those from immigrant families.

9. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) Educational Standards - Background • Constance Resolution (October 1997) • The German school system is to be assessed in international comparison within the framework of scientific investigations. • The input-driven management that is characteristic of the German school system does not suffice to achieve the desired outcomes in the educational system. • Quality development and quality assurance necessitate clear criteria. • Development and introduction of national educational standards. • Modelled on countries that systematically monitor and account for educational outcomes through measures such as • participation in regular educational assessments • centralized testing • a closely-woven network of school evaluation

10. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) Educational Standards … … have been in place since December 2003 for German and mathematics at primary level and for German, mathematics, the first foreign language, and science at lower secondary level. … are an important instrument for documenting and evaluating the success of classroom instruction. … are the basis for developing indicators to permit long-term quality management.

11. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) Institute for Quality Development in the Education System (IQB) Humboldt University of Berlin Federal states Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education ..KMK Faculty of Philosophy Top-Level Committee on “Quality Assurance in Schools” Secretary General Scientific experts Board of governors Institute for Quality Development in the Education System (IQB)

12. 2. Initiatives by the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany) Institute for Quality Development in the Education System (IQB) Goals relating to educational standards: • Continued development • Standardization • Assessment • Scientific monitoring Subdomains: • Generating assessments to operationalize the standards. • Providing detailed descriptions of the competency levels that students are to have achieved at given points in time. • Preparing comparative assignments. • Developing computer-based systems of assessment, coding, and feedback.

13. 3. Initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Education The “Zukunft Bildung” Program Goals • To implement the BLK Action Plan (BLK: joint federal and state government commission for educational planning and research promotion) • To establish and expand the coverage of all-day schools with funding from the capital investment program “Zukunft Bildung und Betreuung” (education and childcare for the future) • To promote the establishment of an independent agency for standards and evaluation • To establish regular national reports on the state of education by an independent board of experts

14. 3. Initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Education Establishing and expanding all-day schools (www.ganztagsschulen.org) • Four billion euro capital investment program “Zukunft Bildung und Betreuung” • 5,000 all-day schools as of the coming school year (out of 40,000  every 8th school) StEG – Study on the Development of All-Day Schools Three-year (2005-2008) evaluation by a consortium of research institutes: 14 states, 450 schools (several classes each) student, teacher, and parent questionnaires

15. 3. Initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Education Establishing and expanding all-day schools (www.ganztagsschulen.org) Capital investment program "Zukunft Bildung und Betreuung“ • States call up federal funding in response to schools’ applications for specific support. • Funding is available for building and renovation work in schools, as well as for equipment. • The state decides on the allocation of funds in accordance with the needs of the schools.

16. 3. Initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Education Independent reports on the state of education • Regular independent reports on the state of education in Germany • to report and comment on developments in the German educational system • to advise the federal and state governments • to fulfil the state’s obligation to report to the European Union and international organizations (permitting comparison with EU member states and other countries)

17. 4. Joint initiatives Initiatives by the BLK (joint central and regional government commission for educational planning and research promotion) • The BLK Action Plan • BLK Programs: • SINUS, SINUS Transfer; SINUS primary school • QUISS “ Implementation of curriculum standards” • Fostering reading competence (planned)

18. BLK-Program SINUS: “Increasing the efficiency of science and mathematics instruction” • Aim: Improving classroom instruction • Introducing quality development at the participating schools • Cooperation between schools / teachers and researchers on matters of learning and instruction

19. Modules of SINUS (1) Development of task culture (2) Scientific work and experiments (3) Learning from mistakes (4) Securing basic knowledge (5) Cumulative learning: Experiencing competence gains (6) Integrative features of instruction (7) Promoting girls and boys (8) Developing tasks for cooperative learning (9) Strengthening responsibility for learning (10) Tests and feedback (11) Quality development within and across schools

20. Module 11: Fostering quality development • Teachers work on problems in cooperation with their colleagues at school • Focus on instruction, curriculum, and learning • Obtaining support and stimulation from research • Teachers develop materials, units, and instructional approaches in a problem- and process-oriented manner • Trying out and assessing new developments • Spreading the approach in the school • Exchanging materials, results, and experiences beyond the limits of the school

21. Organization • 180 schools in the pilot program • Organized in regional sets of schools (networks of 6 schools each) • Reduction in teaching load (approx. 3 hours per school) as compensation for additional work • Coordination on different levels (school, set, federal state, program) • Close cooperation with school supervisory authorities, teacher training institutions, and universities • Internet server (information, exchange ...)

22. Organizational structure Pilot school State Coordinator State teacher training institute Network School Network School Network School Network School Network School University School supervisory authorities Funding body Set Coordinator

23. Conclusions about SINUS ‘‘Professional development yields the best results when it is long-term, school-based, collaborative, focused on students’ learning, and linked to curricula” (Hiebert et al., 2002) Professional development of this kind has been successfully implemented by - creating networks and fostering cooperation by coordination - providing problem-oriented approaches and materials, as well as consultation and support

24. SINUS-Transfer • approx. 750 schools • approx. 80 sets • in 13 states

25. 4. Educational Research A research program for education • Priority programs funded by Germany Research Funding society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft • Cooperative projects between Didactics, Psychology and Education • National extensions to large scale studies (national consortiums) • Adding test with a high curriculum-match • Sample extensions • Panel data in Education (national consortium) • Longitudinal data

26. 5. Summary • Establishing a monitoring system in Education • Educational Standards • Institute for Quality Development in the Education System (IQB) • Joint initiatives by the federal states and the central government • Focussed research programm for Education • Ensuring professional development