Divisions
The IQB’s divisions are structured according to school subject and level. The coordination is handled by teacher delegates who are supported by academic staff for the quantitative-empirical parts of their work. The divisions develop test items and trial them in pilot studies on the basis of the Standing Conference’s national educational standards. The IQB also conducts studies that use representative samples to define the difficulty levels of individual items. The data obtained in the studies also help the IQB and its cooperation partners from subject didactics to develop proficiency level models. The models take the spectrum of competencies achieved by students in one particular area (e.g. reading comprehension in German) and divide it into sections that can be isolated according to content. Descriptions of proficiency levels and example items make it possible to specify which tasks students will be able to master once they achieve a particular proficiency level. Proficiency level III equates to the normative standard that the Standing Conference defines as the one students should “normally” achieve at a given school level.
The test items developed in the divisions are used in the IQB’s national assessment studies, which are designed to monitor achievement of the educational standards. The IQB divisions are also responsible for reporting on the results of the assessment studies, which are carried out every five years at the primary level and every three years at secondary level I. The sections responsible for the primary level and secondary level I also develop items for Germany’s annual comparison tests (VERA). The IQB divisions responsible for secondary level II coordinated the development of the educational standards, illustrative learning tasks and example examination items for the general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur).
The IQB contains the following divisions, each of which relates to a specific subject and school level:
- Primary level: German
- Primary level: Mathematics
- Secondary level I: German
- Secondary level I: Mathematics
- Secondary level I: Foreign languages (English and French)
- Secondary level I: Science
- Secondary level II (German, mathematics, English and French)
Two other divisions, the Centre for International Student Assessment (ZIB) and the Research Data Centre (FDZ) support the IQB in its research activities.