Implementation
The shift in Germany’s education policy from a largely input-oriented system to one strongly focused on outputs has put the focus on teachers and schools as key actors in steering the education system. Teachers are now tasked with developing competency-oriented teaching methods based on the educational standards agreed by the Standing Conference, and with using external and internal evaluation measures to adapt them to the needs of their students.
On the basis of implementation theories and theories on the professional development of teachers, our work in this research field investigates individual characteristics of teacher competencies and institutional characteristics of schools as predictors of teachers’ actions in lessons and of student performance. We also record and analyse institutional characteristics, particularly the provision and use of support measures, as part of national large-scale assessments.
The research project StaBil, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), was investigating how schools vary in the way they use evaluation data and how they can be grouped into types. The project also looked at the links between the quality of school feedback and the use of the results contained in that feedback. Another project, which was carried out in collaboration with the State Institute for School and Media Berlin-Brandenburg (LISUM), developed a professional development scheme that helped teachers implement the educational standards in their teaching. The IQB also evaluated professional development materials that were produced as part of the for.mat project. Future studies will use experimental designs to examine the effects of support systems and feedback formats.