Preparing to enter the district school

Recommendation

• During the second semester of the 5th year, the parents are required to attend a meeting with the teacher.
• The teacher responsible for the secondary school recommendations will inform the parents about the progress of and opportunities for their child. They will also receive information about which type of secondary school the child is likely to attend in the future.
• Enduring learning is more prominent than ever as a metric for the secondary school evaluation and recommendation process. Children can not longer rely on intensive revising for an entrance exam. They must have a consistently good performance in the 5th and 6th year of primary school.
• One important factor for the evaluation of a child's performance ability is the Check P5.
• Even if the meeting about your child hasn't gone as planned, it is not too late by any means! It is always possible to improve performance. Since 2017, secondary students who do particularly well in the core subjects have the opportunity to switch to Bez. at the end of their first semester without repeating any courses.

A new method of evaluating progress

Over the course of two weeks in September, the assessment tests Check P3 and Check P5 are held. The Checks are given to all 3rd and 5th year primary students in the cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-City, and Solothurn. The didactic concept behind the Checks and more info about the questions can be found at www.check-your-knowledge.ch. 

What are these test exactly, and how as they affect your child's education?

• The Checks are standardized performance tests developed by a university institute that was hired by the Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-City and Solothurn cantons. All students in these four cantons are given the Check tests at the beginning of their 3rd and 6th years of primary school and towards the end of their 2nd and 3rd years of secondary school (upper or lower level).
• The Checks are an assessment tool. They enable performance and progress comparison across more than just a single class.
• Primary students take the Check P3 (in their 3rd year) and P5 (in their 5th year). Both tests are given in paper form. In the Check P3, students are assessed in Mathematics and German. The Check P5 covers Mathematics, German, the first foreign language and the natural sciences.
• One important factor for assessing performance ability is the Check P5. It shows the level each child has reached by the beginning of their 6th year. Those who do particularly well on the Check P5 have a better chance of being recommended for the district school.

Transfer to the district – requirements

• There is no longer a transfer exam. The transfer takes place exclusively via the recommendation procedure. 
• The requirements for the transfer from elementary school to secondary school or district school have been slightly increased. It is not only the performance in the core subjects (Mathematics, German, and reality) that counts. For the transfer to the district school, newly in the extension subjects (French, English, movement and sports, artistic design, music, textile work, and handicrafts) predominantly good performance is required instead of sufficient performance as before.
• Additionally, not only future district school students but also, future secondary students must distinguish themselves in terms of independence, problem-solving, and comprehension skills. 
• The Entry into the district school opens the door to the gymnasium. Secondary students have very little chance of entering the gymnasium later.

  In our preparatory courses, we prepare students reliably and competently for the transfer to the district school.

Changing track in the upper level

Many parents become very anxious when their children do not make it into district school after the end of 6th year, and must enter secondary school after the summer holiday. Now is not the time to give up! It is possible to change schools during the upper level! Since the 2016/2017 school year, the following new rules are had been in effect:

• Students with especially good marks in the core subjects and a recommendation from the teacher may switch into the next higher school type (e.g. from secondary into district school) after the first semester, without needing to repeat any courses.
• As before, students may be recommended for the next higher school type at the end of the school year.

What does this mean?
It is important not to throw in the towel if the meeting with your child's 6th-year teacher does not go as desired. On the contrary, investing in your child's education is more important than ever. Your child may be able to improve his or her school performance so markedly that he or she is in fact recommended for district school. Or, you may be able to provide a solid foundation for switching from secondary to district school without losing time!