Performance test at Saxon elementary school reveals strengths and weaknesses

A performance test at elementary school in Saxony has revealed weaknesses as well as strengths in girls and boys. The children were found to have good skills in mastering the alphabet, ordering numbers and dividing up a quantity, for example. According to the Ministry of Education, there is a need for action in areas such as fluent reading, spelling, inflection of verbs and the addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers.

"Just as in German, reading technique and comprehension must be practised so that texts with mathematical content can be analyzed and tasks understood and implemented," it said with regard to mathematics.

Saxony introduced the so-called learning level survey in grade 2 last school year. The aim is to respond to the increasing heterogeneity in the student body. They are also used for counseling sessions with parents. The learning assessments are not performance assessments and are not designed like a class test, it was said. "Securing the basics in the first two grades is of enormous importance. The mandatory learning assessments provide teachers with a standardized tool to check how well and confidently their pupils are prepared for further learning," explained Minister of Education Christian Piwarz (CDU).