National Assessment Studies and IQB Trends in Student Achievement

When it adopted its comprehensive strategy for educational monitoring, the Standing Conference made it a requirement for national assessment studies to be carried out at regular intervals. The studies aim to identify the extent to which students in Germany are achieving the national educational standards that are binding in all states, and to identify areas that require steering. National assessment studies are carried out every five years at the primary level and every three years at secondary level I (where they alternate between German/English/French and mathematics/science). The results give the states feedback on the proficiency levels that students in their schools have attained in the subjects tested. National assessment studies are part of a comprehensive system of learning assessments that, accompanied by supporting measures, aims to ensure competency-oriented teaching development and quality assurance in education. The results of the study are analysed at the level of each state’s school system. It is not possible to draw any conclusions about the performance of individual schools, classes or students from the published results.