Abstract
The German school system has been undergoing significant reforms as it works to challenge long-held beliefs about the country’s traditional tiered system of schooling. Once believed to be a symbol of national strength, the sifting and sorting of children into one of three tiers of school at the age of 10 is now believed by many to be a limiting factor in potential for student growth and development (OECD 2011). In response to what has often been described as the “PISA shock,” Germany has, since the initial Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study (2000), seen a steady increase in PISA scores in literacy, mathematics and the sciences.
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Notes
- 1.
The Länder currently use different names for this type of school, for example Gemeinschaftsschule, Sekundarschule, Oberschule.
- 2.
The German word “Gemeinschaft” means “community.”
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Yee, B., Sliwka, A., Rautiainen, M. (2018). Germany: A System Undergoing Change. In: Engaging Adolescent Learners. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52602-7_4
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