Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB)

The Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) is a research institute of Germany's 16 federal states, based at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. As a partner of the federal states, it supports them in developing and securing quality within the general school system, working on the basis of educational standards adopted by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). Its work covers educational monitoring, implementation support, and empirical educational research, and includes the IQB Trends in Student Achievement, the Nationwide Achievement Tests (VERA) in Grades 3 and 8, and coordination of the Joint Pools of Abitur Exam Tasks of the Federal States.

Following Germany's disappointing results in international large-scale assessments of student achievement, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) founded the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) in 2004. In December 2004, the IQB began its work under the leadership of Prof. Dr Olaf Köller. In June 2010, Prof. Dr Anand Pant and Prof. Dr Petra Stanat took over as directors of the IQB. Since 2016, the IQB has been headed by Prof. Dr. Petra Stanat (Academic Director) and Dr. Anne Jostkleigrewe-Paulus (Executive Director). The IQB's work is based on the educational standards adopted by the KMK. Following the introduction of these competence goals for the general school system, the IQB's initial focus was on translating them into measurable test items, developing, piloting, and standardising task pools for German and Mathematics at primary level, and for German, Mathematics, first foreign languages (English and French), and the sciences (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) at lower secondary level. On this basis, proficiency level models were developed. Since 2008, the IQB has regularly assessed the extent to which the educational standards are being met through studies initially referred to as "IQB National Assessment Studies" and, since 2016, as "IQB Trends in Student Achievement." As early as 2006, the KMK series of measures for quality improvement and monitoring in education included plans to introduce Nationwide Achievement Tests (VERA) in primary education.

A research institute of Germany's 16 federal states and a partner of the federal states in developing and securing quality within the general school system.

• IQB Trends in Student Achievement

  National educational monitoring based on the KMK educational standards, regularly assessing the extent to which the educational standards are being met.

• Nationwide Achievement Tests (VERA)

  Tests and didactic materials provided to the federal states, carried out each year in Grades 3 and 8, giving teachers regular feedback on student progress towards meeting the educational standards.

• Joint Pools of Abitur Exam Tasks of the Federal States

  Coordination of the development of joint pools of Abitur exam tasks based on the educational standards for the General Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

• IQB task browser

  A browser where all tasks and answer keys can be found.

1. 1Homepage - IQB Homepageiqb.hu-berlin.de
2. 2History - IQB Homepageiqb.hu-berlin.de
3. 3About the IQB - IQB Homepageiqb.hu-berlin.de
4. 4Services - IQB Homepageiqb.hu-berlin.de
5. 5Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB)wikidata.org