Status: 07/01/2022 4:28 p.m
According to a study, the performance level of fourth graders has dropped noticeably. They read, do arithmetic and write significantly worse than their peers ten years ago. The corona pandemic is one reason for this – but not the only one.
According to a study, fourth graders in Germany have increasing spelling, reading and math problems and have fallen behind significantly compared to fourth graders ten years ago. This is shown by a study presented by the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK), which examines the status of fourth-graders every five years.
At almost 1500 schools throughout Germany tested about 27,000 fourth graders between April and August 2021 – in the areas of reading, listening, spelling and mathematics. Compared to the last survey in 2016, the declines in reading equated to around a third of a school year and in spelling and mathematics to a quarter. Compared to 2011, the deficit is even around half a school year.
Every third person cannot write correctly
Everywhere the results have deteriorated. It is particularly noticeable when it comes to spelling: Less than half of the fourth graders (44 percent) reached the “standard standard”, i.e. what is expected on average from students of this age and almost a third (30 percent) missed it “Minimum standard” – means: Almost every third elementary school student in the fourth grade makes so many spelling mistakes that he does not meet the defined minimum requirements. About one in five people did not reach the minimum standards in reading, listening and mathematics.
The KMK sees a reason for the development in the pandemic: “The school closures and teaching restrictions during the Corona period have thrown back the students in Germany considerably in their social development and in their learning success.” KMK President Karin Prien pointed out that the tests were carried out immediately after the long school lockdown last spring and summer.
Lockdowns as a reason?
The authors of the study from the Institute for Quality Development in Education (IQB) assume that the corona restrictions are “at least partially” responsible for the results. Children in particular who are already struggling with learning problems would have suffered particularly badly from the loss of lessons. However, developments cannot be clearly and exclusively attributed to this, as there was already a negative trend between 2011 and 2016.
In addition to Corona, changes in the composition of the student body, new school requirements and organizational changes in the schools are mentioned as possible causes.
Immigrants have the biggest problems
The study not only confirms that success at school depends heavily on the parental home, but also comes to the conclusion that the connection between skills and the “socio-economic status” of the family has increased “significantly” in all areas. It is also pointed out that the “immigration-related heterogeneity” of the student body increased further between 2016 and 2021. The sharpest declines in skills are almost universally seen among foreign-born students. They were lower for non-immigrant students.
long-term problems
The President of the German Teachers’ Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, said the study gave educational policy in Germany “miserable testimony”. The results are also worrying because the foundations for further educational success are laid in elementary school. The scientific director of the IQB, Petra Stanat, said: “Almost 20 percent of the children cannot read well – this is a problem and it will be difficult to catch up.”