{"id":91276,"date":"2026-07-09T12:55:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gedab.de\/2026\/07\/09\/statement-on-the-planned-mandatory-language-tests-abc-classes\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T13:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T13:30:11","slug":"statement-on-the-planned-mandatory-language-tests-abc-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gedab.de\/en\/2026\/07\/09\/statement-on-the-planned-mandatory-language-tests-abc-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"State\u00adment on the Plan\u00adned Man\u00adda\u00adtory Lan\u00adguage Tests & ABC Classes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of the writ\u00adten hea\u00adring con\u00adduc\u00adted by the Com\u00admit\u00adtee on Schools and Edu\u00adca\u00adtion and the Com\u00admit\u00adtee on Family, Child\u00adren, and Youth of the North Rhine-West\u00adpha\u00adlia State Par\u00adlia\u00adment,<\/a> Dr. Sey\u00adran Bos\u00adtanc\u0131<\/a>, Dr. Anna Alek\u00adsan\u00addra Wojciech\u00ado\u00adwicz<\/a>, and Bene\u00addikt Wirth<\/a> sub\u00admit\u00adted an aca\u00adde\u00admic opi\u00adnion on the motion filed by the FDP par\u00adlia\u00admen\u00adtary group (Docu\u00adment No. 18\/18111). In it, the aut\u00adhors examine the pro\u00adpo\u00adsed mea\u00adsu\u00adres from a per\u00adspec\u00adtive that ana\u00adly\u00adzes early child\u00adhood edu\u00adca\u00adtion within the con\u00adtext of a society shaped by migra\u00adtion and cri\u00adti\u00adcally asses\u00adses them in terms of their poten\u00adtial impact on edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal inequalities.<\/p>\n\n

Spe\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adcally, the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing mea\u00adsu\u00adres are being pro\u00adpo\u00adsed: a man\u00adda\u00adtory lan\u00adguage assess\u00adment for all child\u00adren aged four, as well as a pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adtory year for ele\u00admen\u00adtary school (ABC clas\u00adses). The goal is to iden\u00adtify child\u00adren with lan\u00adguage deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment needs at an early stage and to prepare them spe\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adcally for start\u00ading school.<\/p>\n\n

Howe\u00adver, the state\u00adment con\u00adcludes that neither mea\u00adsure is par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlarly effec\u00adtive in redu\u00adcing edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties. Ins\u00adtead, there is a risk of fur\u00adther exa\u00adcer\u00adba\u00adting exis\u00adting ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties. In par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, the aut\u00adhors cri\u00adti\u00adcize the fact that the pro\u00adpo\u00adsal views lin\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adstic edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties pri\u00adma\u00adrily as an indi\u00advi\u00addual pro\u00adblem affec\u00adting child\u00adren and fami\u00adlies, while struc\u00adtu\u00adral cau\u00adses are lar\u00adgely ignored.<\/p>\n\n

One major point of cri\u00adti\u00adcism con\u00adcerns the plan\u00adned lan\u00adguage pro\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adency assess\u00adments. Bos\u00adtanc\u0131, Wojciech\u00ado\u00adwicz, and Wirth point out that lan\u00adguage scree\u00adnings of this kind are pri\u00adma\u00adrily stan\u00addar\u00addi\u00adzed for child\u00adren who grow up mono\u00adlin\u00adgually. Their useful\u00adness in asses\u00adsing mul\u00adti\u00adl\u00adin\u00adgual deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfore limi\u00adted. This crea\u00adtes the risk of sys\u00adte\u00adma\u00adtic mis\u00adjudgments, in which mul\u00adti\u00adl\u00adin\u00adgual child\u00adren are hastily clas\u00adsi\u00adfied as nee\u00adding lan\u00adguage sup\u00adport, even though their lan\u00adguage deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment is pro\u00adcee\u00adding at an age-appro\u00adpriate level. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, dia\u00adgno\u00adstic pro\u00adce\u00addu\u00adres can\u00adnot be viewed in iso\u00adla\u00adtion from insti\u00adtu\u00adtio\u00adnal assess\u00adment pat\u00adterns, which expose migrant child\u00adren to an increased risk of being disadvantaged.<\/p>\n\n

The state\u00adment also takes a cri\u00adti\u00adcal view of the plan\u00adned pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adtory year for school, or the \u201cABC\u201d clas\u00adses. The aut\u00adhors point out that, to date, there is no con\u00advin\u00adcing sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic evi\u00addence of the effec\u00adti\u00adve\u00adness of addi\u00adtive and sepa\u00adrate lan\u00adguage sup\u00adport mea\u00adsu\u00adres. At the same time, such models carry the risk of sepa\u00adra\u00adting child\u00adren from one ano\u00adther even before they start school, stig\u00adma\u00adtiz\u00ading them at an early age, and fur\u00adther exa\u00adcer\u00adba\u00adting exis\u00adting edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties. Rese\u00adarch fin\u00addings, on the other hand, sup\u00adport inclu\u00adsive edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal set\u00adtings in which child\u00adren learn tog\u00ade\u00adther and acquire lan\u00adguage through ever\u00ady\u00adday experiences.<\/p>\n\n

Ano\u00adther key focus of the state\u00adment is on the struc\u00adtu\u00adral cau\u00adses of edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties rela\u00adted to lan\u00adguage. Many child\u00adren face une\u00adqual start\u00ading con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons even before they start school because they have no or only limi\u00adted access to high-qua\u00adlity early child\u00adhood edu\u00adca\u00adtion. The plan\u00adned lan\u00adguage assess\u00adments the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfore do not begin until a point in time when edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties have, in many cases, alre\u00adady emer\u00adged. As long as bar\u00adriers to early edu\u00adca\u00adtion remain, there is a risk that struc\u00adtu\u00adrally roo\u00adted dis\u00adad\u00advan\u00adta\u00adges will be inter\u00adpre\u00adted as indi\u00advi\u00addual short\u00adco\u00admings on the part of the children.<\/p>\n\n

Ins\u00adtead of intro\u00addu\u00adcing addi\u00adtio\u00adnal sel\u00adec\u00adtion tools, bar\u00adriers to access must be remo\u00adved to ensure that all child\u00adren have access to high-qua\u00adlity early child\u00adhood edu\u00adca\u00adtion. As an alter\u00adna\u00adtive, the aut\u00adhors advo\u00adcate for a con\u00adsis\u00adtent streng\u00adthening of inclu\u00adsive edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal struc\u00adtures: lan\u00adguage edu\u00adca\u00adtion inte\u00adgra\u00adted into daily life and sen\u00adsi\u00adtive to mul\u00adti\u00adl\u00adin\u00adgua\u00adlism in day\u00adcare set\u00adtings, bet\u00adter resour\u00adces and (fur\u00adther) pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment for day\u00adcare staff, as well as man\u00adda\u00adtory coope\u00adra\u00adtion bet\u00adween day\u00adcare cen\u00adters and ele\u00admen\u00adtary schools. It is not the child\u00adren who should have to adapt to a sys\u00adtem desi\u00adgned with their needs in mind; rather, edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal insti\u00adtu\u00adti\u00adons must be \u201cchild-fri\u00adendly\u201d and accom\u00admo\u00addate the diver\u00adsity of a society of immi\u00adgrants from day one.<\/p>\n\n

The detailed state\u00adment by Dr. Bos\u00adtanc\u0131, Dr. Wojciech\u00ado\u00adwicz, and Wirth can be read here:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n