With the advance of artificial intelligence (AI), the Bavarian Teachers’ Association (BLLV) is calling for a reform of the classic grading system – and fast. “I believe that the rapid development of the AI does not allow us to slowly develop the performance evaluation. We have to realize that our performance system is old school,” said BLLV President Simone Fleischmann of the German Press Agency. “We finally have to stop seeing the grade as the only thing that makes you happy. In the private sector, everyone does assessments. What good does a five do for me then?”
On Friday it became known that some Hamburg students are suspected of having cheated in exams for the Abitur with the help of programs with artificial intelligence and of having used ChatGPT. According to the Ministry of Education, there are no such suspected cases in school-leaving exams in Bavaria.
“The nature of our school system, the system logic, is now reaching its limit. That has to do with the fact that we just stood still,” criticized Fleischmann. “We still want to select, sort out, give grades. But in future we have to judge the processes and not the result.” This is possible with performance talks or portfolios. “There are also achievements that make a person next to a high school diploma.”
Schools shouldn’t ignore societal developments, but rather accept them: “We don’t want to signal that we are negating developments in this promising area.” But schools would have to react to this – by teaching media skills and using a different evaluation system, Fleischmann emphasized. “Dealing with the information source is crucial.” You have to “rethink school” and the rapid technical development could – so they hope – lead to the sluggish education system being able to change much faster – “and not only in 20 years”.
Bavaria’s Minister of Education is skeptical about the demand. Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) does not want to do without grades at school in the future either. “I believe that we need grades and that many students want grades too. You need proof of performance to know for yourself how you stand in the individual subjects,” he told the German Press Agency.
“Things are mixed together that are not directly related,” said Piazolo. “In Hamburg, a few students cheat on their Abitur and the system of grades, which has been tried and tested for decades, is immediately called into question. There has always been cheating on exams, and not just since the introduction of AI.”
The Association of German Secondary School Teachers (VDR) does not think much of the demand either: “Grades and AI are mutually exclusive? The logic behind this supposed statement is not clear,” said VDR Federal Chairman Jürgen Böhm. “Only because digital devices were not checked during exams in Hamburg should grades be abolished? At the latest since the graphics-capable calculator, it has been the responsibility of the ministries and ultimately teachers to take special precautions during exams.”
To master the new digital possibilities, “to penetrate the AI with all the dangers and great options” “knowledge and ability and thus competencies are required,” said Böhm. Basic skills such as understanding and mastering language, mathematical skills and logical thinking are not dependent on AI or digital media. “It’s about basic cultural techniques that you have to master.” Böhm emphasized: “Differentiation and clear performance requirements are the key to educational success – then it doesn’t matter whether this educational success was achieved analogously, digitally or with AI.”