Lower Secondary Level: What is new?
 |  | The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) plans to promote the harmonisation of the nationwide obligatory schools through the HarmoS project. This should assure an improvement of the schooling quality and should ensure an optimisation of the inter-cantonal schooling mobility. |
Reform projects in the fields of the compulsory schools
The project (2003 - 2007 / 2008) comprises the development and regulation of the competency models and the minimum standards for certain fields of core subjects (native language, foreign language, mathematics and natural science) at the end of the second, sixth and ninth schooling year. The binding regulation for the standards of education will be regulated in a new inter-cantonal agreement. This inter-cantonal agreement will also regulate core requirements of the compulsory schools such as the school enrolment age, earlier and more flexible enrolment or the duration of the obligatory schooling period. Projects aimed at making school enrolment more flexible are already being carried out in numerous cantons (see basic and elementary level).
Language tuition
The coordinated further development of the language classes focuses on early and consistent promotion of local language skills (first national language) and providing a solid basis in a second national language as well as English, with the possibility of learning a third national language.
The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) has decided to introduce a first foreign language as of the third schooling year at the latest and a second as of the fifth schooling year as the latest as a long term goal of the foreign language tuition. An obligatory second national language and a further foreign language belong to the language repertoire. Depending on each cantonal situation, the implementation of the EDK language resolution will begin in 2010 or 2012 at the latest. The sequence of the foreign languages is regulated within the Regional Conference of the EDK.
Numerous cantons carry out self-evaluation projects for quality assurance in the fields of compulsory schools: Certain evaluation instruments allow the teachers to compare the success of learning of the one class to that of other classes.
Projects for the further development of the lower secondary level are being carried out in numerous cantons. Basically there is a strive to facilitate transfer between the types of schools with basic demands and those of extended demands. For this reason, numerous cantons are introducing integrative or cooperative models on the lower secondary level (integrative model for tuition in combined regular classes and level tuition in the main subjects, cooperative model with separate regular classes and level tuition in the main subjects). This eases transition to another school.
Transfer to vocational education
Numerous cantons are implementing projects for the final year at lower secondary level to prepare adolescents for their transfer to vocational education. The projects are testing, among other options, final assignments, individual skill and performance assessments through certain test tasks and a specific correction of learning deficiencies. Furthermore, the possibility of introducing graduation certificates at the end of compulsory schooling is being discussed.
The transfer from the compulsory school to the upper secondary level will be optimised throughout Switzerland and vocational education at an upper secondary level will be guaranteed for all adolescents.
Curriculum
Most of the cantons have revised their curriculum for the lower secondary level in the previous year. New curricula are characterised by an increase in their binding character, where precise statements concerning the expected performances of the pupils are made.
PECARO
In West Switzerland, a framework plan has been developed that aims at harmonising the Western Swiss curricula. The "Plan d'études cadre romand" (PECARO) defines the goal description in the form of responsibilities and places minimum expectations on the pupils and the schools. PECARO formulates the goal description for the pre-school level and the compulsory school. Different versions of this framework plan are planned for teachers, individuals involved with the development of teaching material and curricula and the parents.
In German Switzerland, discussions have been held regarding whether or not a common curricula should be developed for the compulsory schools in German-speaking Switzerland.
The project (2003 - 2007 / 2008) comprises the development and regulation of the competency models and the minimum standards for certain fields of core subjects (native language, foreign language, mathematics and natural science) at the end of the second, sixth and ninth schooling year. The binding regulation for the standards of education will be regulated in a new inter-cantonal agreement. This inter-cantonal agreement will also regulate core requirements of the compulsory schools such as the school enrolment age, earlier and more flexible enrolment or the duration of the obligatory schooling period. Projects aimed at making school enrolment more flexible are already being carried out in numerous cantons (see basic and elementary level).
Language tuition
The coordinated further development of the language classes focuses on early and consistent promotion of local language skills (first national language) and providing a solid basis in a second national language as well as English, with the possibility of learning a third national language.
The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) has decided to introduce a first foreign language as of the third schooling year at the latest and a second as of the fifth schooling year as the latest as a long term goal of the foreign language tuition. An obligatory second national language and a further foreign language belong to the language repertoire. Depending on each cantonal situation, the implementation of the EDK language resolution will begin in 2010 or 2012 at the latest. The sequence of the foreign languages is regulated within the Regional Conference of the EDK.
Numerous cantons carry out self-evaluation projects for quality assurance in the fields of compulsory schools: Certain evaluation instruments allow the teachers to compare the success of learning of the one class to that of other classes.
Projects for the further development of the lower secondary level are being carried out in numerous cantons. Basically there is a strive to facilitate transfer between the types of schools with basic demands and those of extended demands. For this reason, numerous cantons are introducing integrative or cooperative models on the lower secondary level (integrative model for tuition in combined regular classes and level tuition in the main subjects, cooperative model with separate regular classes and level tuition in the main subjects). This eases transition to another school.
Transfer to vocational education
Numerous cantons are implementing projects for the final year at lower secondary level to prepare adolescents for their transfer to vocational education. The projects are testing, among other options, final assignments, individual skill and performance assessments through certain test tasks and a specific correction of learning deficiencies. Furthermore, the possibility of introducing graduation certificates at the end of compulsory schooling is being discussed.
The transfer from the compulsory school to the upper secondary level will be optimised throughout Switzerland and vocational education at an upper secondary level will be guaranteed for all adolescents.
Curriculum
Most of the cantons have revised their curriculum for the lower secondary level in the previous year. New curricula are characterised by an increase in their binding character, where precise statements concerning the expected performances of the pupils are made.
PECARO
In West Switzerland, a framework plan has been developed that aims at harmonising the Western Swiss curricula. The "Plan d'études cadre romand" (PECARO) defines the goal description in the form of responsibilities and places minimum expectations on the pupils and the schools. PECARO formulates the goal description for the pre-school level and the compulsory school. Different versions of this framework plan are planned for teachers, individuals involved with the development of teaching material and curricula and the parents.
In German Switzerland, discussions have been held regarding whether or not a common curricula should be developed for the compulsory schools in German-speaking Switzerland.
