1 What is VERA?

The abbreviation "VERA" originally stood for "VERgleichsArbeiten in der Grundschule". Since 2009, however, comparative tests have also been written in the eighth grade in the subjects of mathematics, German, English or French and the term is also used for these tests.
The VERA project group at the Center for Empirical Educational Research at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau campus, which originally developed the comparative tests in elementary school, now offers several federal states an Internet portal for downloading the test materials and entering the results from the tests. The federal states of Bremen, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland currently have comparative tests evaluated by zepf.
Pupils' performance in these two subjects is assessed using test tasks based on the educational standards of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder. The results of the comparative tests can serve as a basis for teachers to develop their teaching and help them to assess their pupils from a different perspective. In this way, teachers can assess the learning level of their students, their class and their school in comparison with others.

2 Who develops the comparative tests?

Like the entire project, the development of the tasks was commissioned by the participating federal states. A group of teachers consisting of representatives from all federal states develops the tasks, which are tested in selected schools in advance. The quality of the tasks is checked and their level of difficulty and requirement profile are determined according to scientific criteria. The Institute for Quality Development in Education (IQB) is responsible for coordinating task development, statistical evaluation and test methodology.

3 Why are comparative tests written?

The educational standards for the subjects German, mathematics, English and French in the eighth grade describe the skills that students should have mastered by the end of the 10th grade. The comparative tests are written in the second semester of the eighth grade in order to provide teachers with objective information about the learning level of their students and, if necessary, to clarify the need for support for certain groups of students in certain learning areas. Comparing the results with other classes, the school, the entire federal state or a socially similar group gives teachers a perspective that goes beyond the internal classroom reference system.

4. does my child have to take part in VERA?

Participation in VERA is compulsory for all pupils in the eighth grade (although not in all subjects). However, there are two exceptions: If your daughter/son needs special educational support or has lived in Germany for less than twelve months and therefore does not yet have a sufficient command of the German language, it is at the teacher's discretion whether she/he should take part.

If your daughter/son takes part in the comparative tests in such a case, she/he will receive individual feedback, but her/his results will not be taken into account in the comparison of the classes.

5. is VERA graded?

Your daughter/son's work will not be graded. After all, the main purpose is to provide teachers with feedback on the extent to which their pupils have already acquired the skills set out in the educational standards.

6 What tasks are set?

As a rule, the tasks do not relate to the material directly covered by the students in the previous lessons. Instead, they test knowledge and skills that have been acquired in the classroom over the long term. These are not based on the curricula of the individual federal states, but on the nationally defined educational standards of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder.

7 Should my child prepare?

As VERA tests skills acquired over the long term, it is neither necessary nor advisable for your daughter/son to prepare for the comparative tests. Your daughter/son will be informed about the procedure and requirements of VERA in class in good time before the comparative tests. Please only encourage your daughter/son to do her/his best.

8 When do the comparative tests take place and how long do they last?

The comparative tests take place annually in spring. The dates are set anew for each federal state and are announced by the responsible ministries and state institutes. You can find the contact persons for your federal state under VERA 8: Contact persons.
The processing times depend on the sub-performance areas of the subjects examined and range from 20 to 60 minutes.

9 How are the comparative tests evaluated?

After your daughter/son has written the comparative tests, the teachers will correct the tasks. Correction instructions are available for this purpose, which are the same for all participating schools. The class and student results are then entered on the VERA website in a protected area by the teachers and evaluated by the scientific team in Landau.
The feedback is anonymous and is first sent to the teacher in the protected area of VERA. Only the teachers of your daughter/son can therefore assign the results to the respective pupil. The data protection regulations are strictly adhered to in this procedure. In most federal states, teachers are obliged to report their child's results back to the parents.

10 How do I find out how my child has performed?

In most federal states, you will receive a feedback form from your daughter's/son's teacher after the comparative tests have been evaluated, from which you can see how your daughter/son performed. You can ask your daughter's / son's teacher for the regulations specific to your federal state.
The assessment is carried out by assigning a so-called competence level, which has no equivalent in school grades. You can find out exactly what is meant by the competence levels in the feedback form or on the project page.

11. May I look at my child's test booklet?

That depends on which federal state you live in. In most federal states, parents have the opportunity to view their children's VERA test booklets (e.g. at a parents' evening). In some states, pupils can take the test booklets home with them after some time.

12. who can I contact if I have further questions about VERA?

In this case, please contact the teacher responsible for administering VERA at your daughter's / son's school. If they are unable to answer your questions directly, there is the possibility that the teacher will call the telephone support for VERA and obtain information. This information can then be passed on to you.

13 What are competence levels?

The students' test performance is reported back to the teachers and you as parents/guardians as so-called competence levels. Competence levels are content-related descriptions of the children's abilities in the individual subjects tested and their specific sub-areas (called competence areas). They are described in competence level models developed by the Institute for Quality Development in Education (IQB) in Berlin for the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. Competence levels should not be equated with grades.

To the VERA8 portal