The last day of school is report day. And quite a lot of students who were aiming for the qualifying degree at middle school were hoping for more. The failure rate is relatively high in the qualification and cannot be compared at all with that of the Abitur or the secondary school leaving certificate, where only a few in a school year end up empty-handed. At the secondary school in Haar, for example, 18 young people took part in a regular class for the qualification test, and seven failed. On request, the Taufkirchen middle school reported a similarly mixed success rate. But how can the failure of up to 40 percent of the examinees be explained? Are weaker students in middle schools not being adequately supported? The school directors clearly disagree and refer to the special features of the qualifying degree. The career prospects of middle school students are now better than ever before.
Middle schools are complex institutions where students from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives work toward graduation. The qualification is a goal of many, but not for all students. Markus Fauth, rector of the middle school in Haar, explains that this degree is initially a voluntary matter that comes on top of the middle school degree. Not everyone takes this exam in the ninth grade. And those who face this are under particular pressure. Because unlike, for example, the middle school certificate or the Abitur, where you can get by with a few sufficient ratings, the 3.0 is the hard limit for qualification. With an average of 3.1 you failed, says Fauth. Nikola Kurpas, headmistress of the middle school in Taufkirchen, warns against comparing completion rates at secondary schools or high schools with the qualifications. “It’s like apples and oranges.”
Realschule students usually fail, high school students just barely make it.
This time 746 students took part in the qualification. A success rate will not be available to the school authorities until October. Pupils from middle schools took the exam, but also external students. Some Realschule or high school students have thought of taking the Quali with them to have something in their pockets. Anyone who thinks they are doing this in passing can experience a great disappointment. Markus Fauth says that Realschule students usually fail and high school students often just barely make it because they have advantages in mathematics and English. But it’s not a walk. The students at his middle school were all “excellently prepared” for the exam, says Fauth.
The fact that many still fail has something to do with the fact that many students struggle with deficits in German, for example, and only came from the D classes later to the regular class. When a student goes to a secondary school in Croatia or Romania, he first goes to middle school in Germany, explains Fauth. From his point of view, one issue, also with a view to the qualification, is that the better students in the seventh grade switched to the M branch and headed there for the middle school certificate by the tenth grade. The “draft horses” that could pull weaker ones along were missing in the regular classes.
Above all, however, Fauth and his rector colleague Kurpas in Taufkirchen emphasize that the qualification is not the prerequisite for a good start in professional life. “You have to be aware that it’s a special performance survey,” says Kurpas. At her school in Taufkirchen, everyone took the exam on recommendation, simply to have such an exam situation. Of 73 participants, 49 passed and 24 failed. A failure rate of 40 percent is not unusual and not a concern, says Kurpas. “To pass the qualification is difficult.” But those who graduate from middle school with an average of up to 4.0 also have good prospects on the training market, says Fauth. And according to the rectors, the success rate in Haar and Taufkirchen is almost 100 percent.
According to Fauth, there is also a graduation rate at his school for the intermediate school leaving certificate after the tenth grade, which is otherwise more familiar from the Abitur. One of 88 students failed, says Fauth. According to the school authority, you can take the qualification test again if you fail it. This is also possible after completing school as an external participant.