German classes – half of them switch to regular classes after three semesters

In the 2018/19 school year, a total of 10,564 students were assigned to a German remediation class, the maximum duration of which is four semesters. After three semesters, 52 percent have such a high level of German that they can be considered regular students. Unlike non-degree students, they are therefore regularly assessed in all subjects.

37 percent improved their knowledge of German to such an extent that they could still switch to a less extensive German refresher course that ran parallel to the regular classes. The results of the so-called MIKA-D test determine the change.

Crafts, gymnastics and music are devoted to regular classes
In the German remedial classes, students who do not speak the language of instruction well enough and are therefore classified as exceptional students (among others) are supported in German for up to 20 hours per week in their own lessons. subjects such as crafts, music or gymnastics are only taken together with their regular lessons. However, there are only separate classes for eight or more students per location, and the German remedial classes are only for first-grade children or those who have just arrived in Austria.

Experts criticize the stigmatizing effect
That is why only some of the extraordinary students are actually taught in separate German remedial classes. In the 2018/19 school year, nearly 38,700 children and young people were granted extraordinary status, but only slightly less than 10,600 entered a separate German remediation class. The separate German remedy classes are, of course, highly controversial among experts. They see no pedagogical added value, warn about their stigmatizing effect on the students and see them as an obstacle to integration. The MIKA-D test used for classification has also been criticized as inappropriate. After four semesters, non-graduate students are definitely considered regular students and – regardless of German level – normally assessed in all subjects.

The number of undergraduate students has fluctuated widely over the years from around 25,700 (2010/11) to around 45,300 (2016/17 and 2017/18), according to the demand response figures. However, even the highest values ​​correspond to only eight percent of school-aged students (primary, secondary, and special schools). In 2020/21 (latest figures available) there were approximately 34,100 non-graduate students. About 38 percent of these received support in a separate German tutoring session and almost 62 percent in German tutoring in German, the language of instruction. In the 2018/19 and 2019/20 school years, the share of further training in German was still more than two thirds.

NEOS rejects non-integrative language support
For NEOS, the increase in non-integrative language support in the individual German support classes is incomprehensible. After all, experts would advise against this form of German promotion because it would not achieve the pedagogical goals. “This is beyond disappointing, especially against the backdrop of the Green government’s participation,” education spokeswoman Martina Künsberg Sarre said in a statement to APA. “Every child deserves fair opportunities and should be encouraged in a way that quickly integrates them into our society.” Künsberg Sarre also criticizes the fact that the Minister of Education ignores the advice of the experts, but at the same time in the response to the research there is no data, even four years after its introduction could show how German remedial classes perform compared to the German remedial courses.