As of: February 13, 2024, 1:47 p.m
By: Richard Strobl
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Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Education Theresa Schopper (right) wants to take action against language problems in primary schools.
(Symbolic images) © Collage: IMAGO / Funke Photo Services//IMAGO / Arnulf Hettrich
Insufficient language skills cause problems in Germany's schools.
Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Education now wants to introduce an extra school year.
Stuttgart – In December, experts reacted with horror to the poor performance of German students in the renowned Pisa test.
In Baden-Württemberg, too, the performance of primary school students in particular has fallen significantly in recent years.
The country now wants to respond to this situation and is planning an extensive school reform.
“I don’t want to send any more children to school who are not ready for school,” said Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Education Theresa Schopper (Greens) on Tuesday to
Südwest Presse
.
Schopper was formerly state chairwoman of the Green Party in Bavaria before moving to Baden-Württemberg and thus assuming government responsibility under Winfried Kretschmann.
When it comes to school readiness, Schopper refers in particular to the lack of language skills that many children have when they start school.
According to studies, these children are at risk of quickly being left behind.
BaWü plans fifth year of primary school if language skills are poor
They now want to take action against this with the help of a funding package in daycare centers and primary schools.
Accordingly, children aged four and a half should in future be tested for their language development as part of the school entrance examination and, if necessary, receive mandatory language support of four hours per week.
“Then we test the children again, six months before they start school.
Anyone who still needs support is placed in a junior class at school and receives further in-depth support,” says Schopper.
This junior level should be “virtually a ‘zero’ class,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture explained to
Bild
.
Children with poor language skills then have to do an extra round before the actual first class.
However, it is not yet clear whether this will last a whole year.
The details are still being worked out.
According to Schopper, it is not yet possible to estimate how many children will initially be supported in junior classes in the future.
However, the fundamental need for language support is known: “We expect that around 30 percent of four and a half year olds need support.
We are already seeing this magnitude,” Schopper told the newspaper.
After the Pisa debacle: BaWü is fighting school problems with a five-part concept
The performance of primary school students in Baden-Württemberg has fallen significantly in recent years.
A study in 2022 showed poor test results among fourth graders in math and German: almost one in five children did not meet the minimum standards in the two subjects.
The state government sees language promotion as a key to solving the problems.
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The projects are part of a five-part concept from Schopper.
In addition to language tests before starting school, pre-school language support and junior classes, Baden-Württemberg wants to close learning gaps among children and young people with the “Learning with Tailwind” program.
Schopper also wants to expand the use of so-called multi-professional teams as a fifth pillar.
This means the collaboration of social educators, speech therapists or occupational therapists.
(rist/dpa)