For better school quality in Berlin

For better school quality in Berlin

Using data efficiently: Pilot project "Focus on student performance" successfully completed

Text: Philipp Zettl | Policy Officer

Every day, schools collect a wide range of information about the performance of their pupils. To what extent is this data analyzed? Are data-based findings incorporated into the further development of teaching methods? As part of the Fokus Schülerleistungen pilot project initiated in 2018, a team from the VBKI systematically investigated these and other questions. In mid-June, Sybille Volkholz, member of the VBKI project team and former Senator for Education, presented the official final report of the project to the current head of department, Katharina Günther-Wünsch.

"The project impressively demonstrates the potential that lies in the systematic analysis of pupils' performance data. The insights gained enable us to take targeted measures and optimize individual support. These findings will be incorporated into my efforts to further improve school quality in Berlin and ensure equal opportunities in education for all."

Katharina Günther-Wünsch | Senator for Education, Youth and Family

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"Taking up the recommendations of the Köller Commission, our main concern was to focus on pupils' learning success. It is very encouraging to see how the participating schools have succeeded in systematically collecting and evaluating data on pupils' performance and using this as a basis for support measures and lesson development. We hope that this will set a precedent in Berlin."

Sybille Volkholz | Project Manager Focus on Student Achievement

The aim of the pilot, which was carried out in collaboration between the VBKI and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family, was to systematically evaluate pupils' learning success in order to improve the quality of teaching on the basis of solid and comparable data. At the heart of the project was a regular exchange between the eight participating schools and representatives from the business world. Together, they discussed strategies for dealing with performance data that have been tried and tested in everyday business life - and how to anchor them in everyday school life on the basis of clearly defined responsibilities and accountabilities. The participating companies included the HR consultancy Egon Zehnder, the consulting firm EY, Deutsche Bahn and Berliner Sparkasse.

With the conclusion of the project at the end of the 2023/24 school year, responsibility for the further implementation and continuation of the project content will pass into the hands of the Senate Administration. The participating schools are to act as multipliers in order to put the positive approaches on a broader footing.