Upper level profile

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The profile upper level is a form of the gymnasiale Oberstufe in the education system in Germany . It was introduced in some federal states between 2004 and 2010. With this model, the students do not choose courses as is usual with the reformed upper school , but rather choose specializations (so-called profiles ). The model should enable a broader general education than the specialized learning in the course system .

introduction

Since the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs decided on July 7, 1972 to introduce a course system for the upper school level in Germany, efforts have been made to reform the upper level since the 1990s. This tended to lead to a restriction of the previous, very wide range of options for students. The profile level represents a form of further development of the reformed upper level. As part of this “reform of the reform”, (at least) one advanced course and (at least) one basic course are linked to one another and form a profile. The resulting fixed learning groups should lead to a more homogeneous course landscape for the upper level. Due to the class system, there are usually larger learning groups in the upper level, which on the one hand leads to financial relief for the federal states, and on the other hand hinders the students' learning progress.

history

In Hamburg there was a scientifically accompanied school experiment for the upper level at the Max-Brauer-Schule in 1993-99 .

It was decided to introduce the upper level profile across the board for the 2004/05 school year in Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia.

In Lower Saxony , a profile upper level came into force in the 2006/07 school year, in which the teaching program is largely specified within a profile.

The northern German states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg have worked together to develop an upper level profile that has existed in Schleswig-Holstein since the 2008/09 school year and in Hamburg since the 2009/2010 school year. It consists of an area with basic competency subjects, a profile area to be designed by the respective school, and other compulsory subjects. There is no differentiation between basic and advanced courses; In Hamburg, however, in principle all subjects can be selected at two levels (basic and advanced). The two requirement levels are generally offered for the core subjects German, mathematics and foreign language, of which at least two must be taken at an advanced level. The profile-giving subject must always be taken at a higher level.

consequences

The introduction of upper-level profiles represents a rationalization measure with which resources are to be bundled and interdisciplinary work to be made easier, since the student can now examine a certain complex of topics from different perspectives. However, this is done with a restriction of his options, e.g. Sometimes already in the introductory phase of the upper level (i.e. before the actual course level).

Since the students are now forcibly grouped together in larger teaching groups, the state is saving teaching hours.

High profile level in Schleswig-Holstein

The upper profile level was introduced in Schleswig-Holstein in the 2008/09 school year. The first school year of the upper profile level is referred to as the “introductory phase”, the two following school years as the “qualification phase”. At the end of the introductory phase (transition from 11th to 12th grade in G9) there is a year-round certificate that decides on the transfer to the qualification phase. According to this, however, the certificates are always individual half-year certificates with which points are already collected for the Abitur. The transfer to the qualification phase takes place when the performance in all subjects is at least "sufficient" (4 points). Otherwise, the certificate conference can decide on the transfer, provided that successful participation in the qualification phase is considered likely.

The school subjects are divided into three fields of activity: “linguistic-literary-artistic”, “social science” and “mathematical-natural science”. In addition, there are the so-called "core subjects" German, mathematics and a foreign language. This classification influences the possible selection of examination subjects in the Abitur.

In principle, schools can offer “scientific”, “linguistic”, “social science”, “aesthetic” and “sporty” profiles. A profile consists of at least the three core subjects, a “profile-giving” subject, which must come from the task area of ​​the profile (e.g. aesthetic profile: art), and two “profile-supplementing” subjects, which can come from any task field and for the time of their "profile affiliation" should have a common thematic orientation with the profile giving subject. The profile-supplementing subjects supplement for a six-month period, but can be selected as often as required as profile-complementing subjects. The core subjects and the subject giving the profile are taught for three hours in the introductory phase and four hours in the qualification phase. In the core subjects as well as in the profile-giving subject, two class tests must be written per semester, in the other subjects a class test must be written. The constellations of subjects are specified by the school; Apart from the choice of profile, there are usually no direct options for pupils (exception: religious education). The regular number of hours for the entire upper level is 34 hours, the lessons generally take place in class.

The Abitur examination consists of four or five exams in different subjects. Two written exams must be taken in the core subjects, one in the profile subject. The exams in the core subjects are a central high school diploma . The other examination subject can be chosen by the student, but all three task areas must be covered. Therefore, the student can also choose to choose five examination subjects, two of which are orally examined, e.g. B. to bypass the written examination in one of the core subjects or due to the desire to select a certain subject as an examination subject.

An example : A student (from a language profile) is not particularly good at mathematics and therefore does not want to take a written Abitur examination in this subject. He can choose to choose a different core subject. If this core subject is not from the natural sciences (because the core subject combination does not allow this), the three task areas are not covered. The student must therefore either choose mathematics as a written examination subject or he can instead choose biology, chemistry or physics as an oral examination subject in order to cover the task areas without having to write his Abitur in mathematics. An oral examination must be taken in one of these examination subjects selected by the student; in the other, the students can choose between a presentation test, a written exam or a “special learning achievement”. 1/3 of the Abitur examination is included in the final grade. All results from the qualification phase that are included in the Abitur are rated equally.

criticism

In addition to the high hourly load in all upper school years, parents, students and teachers criticize the restriction of freedom of choice. Except in the subject of religion, which for legal reasons must neither be omitted nor without alternative, no subject choices were initially possible. After massive protests, the Ministry of Education and Women granted the individual schools the decision-making authority from April 2009 on whether the aesthetic subjects (art and music) in the class (and thus linked to the profile) or in courses (and thus selectable for students) should be taught.

Another criticism is that at least one subject is dropped after the eleventh year. Since only those subjects that are taken through the entire upper level can be selected as high school diplomas, this represents a considerable disadvantage for many students if, for example, their best natural science subject is lost, but they have not covered this area with other subjects in the Abitur.

Some people criticize the fact that two foreign languages ​​have to be studied in the upper profile level and not just one as in the upper course level. Thus, the Abitur is classified by some as more difficult, which means that it can no longer be clearly compared with the old Abitur.

In February 2010, the head of the four Norderstedt high schools submitted a letter of complaint to Education Minister Ekkehard Klug . In addition to a lack of choice, the incapacitation of the students and teaching in too large classes, they criticized an excessive workload. The reason for this is an increase from 26 to 34–38 hours per week in 13 subjects, 32 class tests per year and five instead of just four Abitur exams. Due to the high workload, there is hardly any time left for part-time jobs, hobbies and social contacts, so that “the entire youth would be lost”. Students would also fear a worsening of the grade point average, since low-performing subjects cannot be deselected and, in contrast to the course system, in which the advanced courses were rated more strongly, all subjects enter the Abitur with equal value. In addition, the omission of basic and advanced courses leads to large differences in performance. The students who want to do the Abitur in a subject are poorly prepared if a teacher arranges his lessons in such a way that even less-performing students can follow the lesson. The upper level of the profile is also accused of not specializing in spite of the term “profile”. So at a school z. B. in the scientific profile, the subjects from the scientific task field are reduced, but not from the other task fields.

In response to the criticism, the upper level profile is to be reformed with the 2010/11 school year. In the future, there will only be four examination subjects and more individual options with fewer lessons.

Comparison with developments in other countries

France

The establishment of profiles that should correspond as closely as possible to the various inclinations of the pupils (literary-linguistic-artistic, social, mathematical-scientific), reminds of the system of the upper level in France, which is also organized in profiles ( séries ), where the pupil is between the série littéraire (literary profile), the série économique et sociale (economic and social science profile) and the série scientifique (scientific profile) must decide. With this simple system, the system of various profiles that emerged after the Second World War was radically simplified in 1993. It is precisely this simplification that is the reason for the introduction of the upper profile level in several German federal states.

Switzerland

In contrast, a contrary tendency can be seen in Switzerland, where it was decided in 1995 to abolish the previously usual profiles in favor of an elective system.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Reiner Lehberger, Hans-Peter de Lorent: Schools in Hamburg: A guide through the structure and history of the Hamburg school system . Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-921174-23-4 , "Chapter 3.6 The study level in general schools", p. 83–88 (first edition: Brunswiker & Reuter).
  2. ↑ State ordinance on the organization of the upper level and Abitur examination in high schools and community schools. juris.de, October 2, 2007, accessed December 19, 2008 .
  3. ↑ Upper level profile. (No longer available online.) Schleswig-Holstein, archived from the original on July 7, 2013 ; Retrieved April 23, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Schleswig-Holstein - upper level profile (section “Art and Music”) . Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved on April 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ Student spokesman: "We are totally incapacitated!" , Hamburger Abendblatt (only for subscribers, from € 7.95)
  6. ↑ Trouble about senior level - now Kiel is planning the reform of the reform , Hamburger Abendblatt (only for subscribers, from 7.95 €)