Reformed upper school

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The reformed school (in Bavaria Kollegstufe ) is since 1972 a term for the education system of the last two school years (qualification level) in the sixth form , ie the 11-12. or 12./13. Grade level at German high schools , technical high schools or upper levels of comprehensive schools . In the reformed upper level, the class groups are dissolved with a timetable that is the same for all; instead, the students choose an individual combination of courses in different subjects ( course system ). The reformed upper level has been continuously reformed since its introduction in 1972.

Goal setting

Since the introduction of the mandatory Abitur examination in the early 19th century, there has been no continuous upper secondary school level with regard to the subjects and examination modalities, but rather constant reform efforts and adjustments to changed social conditions. In the 1960s, on the one hand, an expansion of the final numbers was required in order to fully utilize the talent reserves of society and to be able to bring more highly qualified school leavers to the labor market; on the other hand, the examination level should not fall in order not to lose touch in the international competition of industrial nations ( Sputnik shock ) . The solution should be an individualization of the school career according to personal talent focuses. Mathematics or Latin did not necessarily have to be taken in order to be successful in the course of study; demanding achievements and exams could be carried out in all subjects with university-like reference disciplines. This resulted in the principle of "equal rights for all school subjects" in the Abitur, a rejection of the traditional main subjects. Instead, the upper level should open up to free structures with options for selection.

The design of the upper school level as a course system as well as the Abitur as a cumulative examination accompanying training (which already includes course performance) go back in the Federal Republic of Germany to an agreement of the Conference of Ministers of Education of July 7, 1972, which replaced the Saarbrücken framework agreement of 1960. This means that the necessary achievements for passing the exam are not provided in the exam itself, but through achievements in the entire qualification level (roughly in the ratio 2/3 before the exam to 1/3 in the exam). Since then, the reformed upper level has been modified several times (“reform of the reform”), with the tendency to restrict the initially very large options; In particular, it is now hardly possible to deselect German or mathematics before the last school year and to choose some (considered easier) high school subjects.

The reformed upper level course system was adapted to higher education in some respects : the reformed upper level and the Abitur exams, which enable them to study at higher education, should familiarize students with the university's freer, independent learning structure beforehand. At the same time, this was a rejection of the traditional class association, which for some meant a too tightly established role distribution.

There are still similarities between college and university:

Course system
In many subjects you have different classmates, often in a different classroom. As majors have to two advanced courses (three in Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Baden-Wuerttemberg) demonstrate which have a higher number of weekly hours. In addition, basic courses are offered that have a different status: mere registration, mandatory inclusion in the point assessment or choice as a high school diploma (written / oral) can be weighted (see basic and advanced courses ). There are options in particular among the natural sciences and foreign languages ​​as well as the social sciences, among which history is emphasized through compulsory attendance.
skilled work
A work that approximates scientific requirements (assignment, literature work) in one of the advanced or basic courses, which requires independent work and is similar to a term paper at the university. It is not required in all federal states.

legal framework

The achievements from the qualification level and from the Abitur examination are included in the Abitur certificate; the structure of the upper level of the gymnasium is therefore largely based on the legal provisions on the Abitur examination. These regulations comprise a finely branched and highly connected network of rules, which combinations of courses

  • must be proven
  • in the high school rating introduced must be
  • can be chosen as the Abitur examination subject ,
  • can / must be chosen as a written Abitur examination subject .

Three-year duration

According to the agreement of the German Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the upper school level comprises a one-year introductory phase and a two-year qualification phase . In federal states that provide for the Abitur after twelve years of schooling (see duration of schooling ), the introductory phase falls into grade 10, which has a double assignment, in that it is necessary and at the same time already to obtain the qualification after class 10 ( secondary school leaving certificate ) Is part of the upper secondary school. The introductory phase can take place in the class or in the course system.

Fields of activity

Some allocation and collection rules refer to the division of the compartments into

  • the linguistic-literary-artistic field of activity (I)
  • the social science task field (II)
  • the mathematical-scientific-technical task field (III)

Sport is not assigned to any field of activity. Country-specific regulations apply to religion.

In addition, at many schools there are other electives outside of this framework, such as B. Low German, orchestra or choir, which can be brought in, but in which no Abitur examination can be taken.

When choosing the four to five Abitur subjects (the two or three advanced courses plus one basic course subject in writing and one or two basic course subjects verbally (colloquium)), all three areas must be covered.

Basic and advanced courses

Basic courses (or in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg gA courses (basic requirement level)) and advanced or advanced courses (or in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg eA courses (increased requirement level)) structure the learning offer “the level to".

Depending on the state, the students choose

  • two or three advanced course subjects, each taught four, five or six hours (standard)
  • three or more basic course subjects (at the vocational high school in Schleswig-Holstein exactly two, 1. four to six hours and 2. five hours) that are taught at least four hours.

One of the advanced course subjects must be German, mathematics, a continued foreign language or a natural science. The second subject can then be freely chosen from the school's offerings. Individual countries also limit the possible combinations of advanced courses.

The basic courses are at least two or three hours long, in German, foreign languages ​​and mathematics at least three hours.

Balance between specialization and choice

Overall, there is a trend in most federal states to restrict the specialization and (de) options of the students again and to focus more on a broader general education by placing greater emphasis on the so-called core subjects (German, mathematics, foreign language). By bundling course options into profiles, the abolished class groups are partially reintroduced. On the other hand, tests for mathematics, for example, have shown that the prerequisites for subsequent training at universities do not exist without demanding advanced courses, which is why models with more than three main subjects were withdrawn in 2016.

See also

literature

Historical

  • Heubrock, Dietmar : The reformed upper secondary school in the student judgment : Background, analyzes, etc. Conclusions e. empirical Exploratory study. Königshausen and Neumann, Würzburg 1979, 148 pages, ISBN 3-88479-004-8 .
  • Hitpass, Josef: Reformed Upper School - better than its reputation? Richarz, Sankt Augustin 1985, 134 p., (Contributions to Pedagogy; Vol. 4), ISBN 3-88345-653-5 .
  • College level at grammar school. Bayer. State Ministry for Education a. Kultus, Munich 1972, 452 pages, (School reform in Bavaria; Vol. 2).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Agreement on the design of the upper secondary level in the upper secondary level (resolution of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of July 7, 1972 in the current version of June 6, 2013) ( Memento of the original of May 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kmk.org
  2. ↑ Anja Kühne: High school students without choice. Der Tagesspiegel from May 27, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2014.