Proficiency Level Models

What are proficiency level models? 🔗

The results of the competence assessments relating to the educational standards are intended to provide insights into how students’ proficiencies are distributed at the end of the respective educational stage and how this distribution changes over time (see IQB Trends in Student Achievement).

To effectively interpret test outcomes, proficiency level models need to be based on research in subject didactics and the psychology of learning. Proficiency level models break down a continuous performance spectrum into a small number of levels that allow for a meaningful interpretation in terms of content. Alongside the normative standard (“Regelstandard”), which was defined by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK), they include the minimum standard, the normative standard plus, and the optimal standard. Based on these levels, it is possible to describe the cognitive demands students who have achieved a particular test score are likely to master (Klieme & Leutner, 2006).

How are proficiency level models developed? 🔗

Proficiency level models are based on both theoretical and empirical findings in relation to the respective proficiency domain. Students’ performance and item difficulties are mapped onto a common metric (point-based scale) by using data from representative standardisation studies (see Köller et al., 2010; Pant et al., 2012). This allows the analysis of the cognitive skills required to solve problems related to particular tasks. This principle is used to break down the continuous proficiency scale into meaningful levels of proficiency.

To this end, expert groups – including representatives from subject didactics, test development, educational practice, and educational administration – establish threshold values (cut scores) through a procedure known as standard setting, which marks points at which task demands change qualitatively. The individual proficiency levels are then described in terms of their content in order to illustrate as clearly as possible the proficiency that students at the respective level possess. For instance, in the domain of reading in primary education, proficiency level II indicates that children cannot only identify and reproduce, but also form links between individual pieces of information.

Which educational standards are reflected in the proficiency levels?  🔗

• Minimum Standard: refers to a defined minimum level of proficiency that all students are expected to achieve by the end of a given educational stage (e.g., at the end of primary education). This minimum is below the average level of proficiency as defined by the KMK Normative Standard; however, with adequate support, it should still suffice for continued successful learning and active participation in society.
• Normative Standard: refers to a level of proficiency that students are expected to achieve on average by the end of a given educational stage in line with the normative requirements outlined in the KMK Educational Standards.
• Normative Standard Plus: refers to a level of proficiency above the normative standard that can serve as a goal for the further development of teaching and learning.
• Optimal Standard: describes a level of proficiency that can be achieved by students with very good or excellent individual learning prerequisites and high-quality learning opportunities both within and outside school, and that substantially exceeds the expectations set out in the KMK Educational Standards.

What is competence-oriented teaching? 🔗

Competence-oriented teaching is an educational approach that focuses not only on the acquisition of subject knowledge but also on the development of competences – that is, the skills and abilities that enable students to apply their subject knowledge effectively and flexibly in a variety of contexts.

The aim is to enable learners to apply the knowledge they have acquired in concrete situations, for example to solve a problem, give a presentation, or participate in a discussion. Learning arrangements should be intellectually challenging, cognitively engaging and motivating.

Teachers establish transparent proficiency expectations – detailing what students should know and be able to do by the end of a teaching unit – and consider their prior knowledge and learning prerequisites when planning lessons and targeted support measures. This requires a differentiated diagnostic assessment of students’ proficiency levels and their proficiency development. In addition to teacher-developed assessments, such as competence-oriented classroom tests and evaluations of oral contributions, the results of standardised assessments such as VERA and other assessment instruments are also used. In subjects for which educational standards have been established, the nationally binding competence goals defined by these standards serve as the target framework.