Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology
The FIPS+Study
FIPS+ is a tablet-based measurement tool for early learning assessment in Grade 1. It is designed to show teachers what skills a child has at the beginning of grade 1 and what he or she has learned over the course of a year.
FIPS+ is based on the PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary School) instrument that has been used in English-speaking countries for over 20 years and has already been successfully implemented at selected primary schools in Hesse and Bavaria.
The FIPS+ study investigates the recording of learning status and learning development in grade 1. With the study, we want to test the further developed instrument for learning assessment and examine the implementation in a school setting at primary schools in Baden-Württemberg.
In the FIPS+ study, first graders are followed throughout their primary school years up to grade 4. This is the only way to investigate the possible long-term positive influences of FIPS+. The pupils are interviewed twice in grade 1 (at the beginning and end of the school year) as well as at the end of grades 2, 3, and 4.
To get a comprehensive picture of the participating children, their parents and teachers (form, German, and mathematics teachers) get interviewed each school year.
In their first school year, the children complete the FIPS+ tasks once at the beginning of the school year and once at the end of the school year. They do this in individual sessions on tablet computers. One session per child lasts 20 to 40 minutes (duration depends on the child's learning level). In the study, schools are randomly assigned to one of two groups:
In group A, the children work on FIPS+ under the guidance of their class teachers. The teachers receive individual feedback on the learning level of each child.
In group B (control group), the first graders work on FIPS+ under the guidance of research assistants. The teachers do not receive individual feedback on the children's learning levels. They use common methods to assess the learning level of their pupils. However, the school has the opportunity to use FIPS+ in the next school year.
The study is designed to test how FIPS+ can be implemented in everyday school life at primary schools in Baden-Württemberg. Therefore, the teachers of group A are asked to identify and document ideas for the incorporation of FIPS+ into day-to-day school life. For this purpose, they are credited with 0.5 teaching hours per week. Some of the suggestions on how to carry out the learning assessment in addition to daily school life are, to merge classes or to carry out the assessment in extra hours or outside of class time.
The analysis of the FIPS+ results is done computer-based. The evaluation programme illustrates the performance and learning growth of each individual pupil as well as the performance distribution within the class in the designated task areas. The results show the teachers of group A whether a child is at the same level of proficiency as most of the other first graders or whether he or she is showing below- or above-average performance.
The form, German, and mathematics teachers of group A receive an insight into the learning status of the children promptly after the implementation of FIPS+. In order to use the learning assessment in the most effective way, the teachers can share the results with the corresponding subject teachers and jointly consider which actions in and outside of class are necessary and useful for the development and support of each child. The teachers of group B (control group) do not receive any feedback, as only by comparing the two groups the benefits of FIPS+ can be reliably investigated and verified. All test results are entirely anonymous to the researchers.
All elementary schools with their 1st graders in the 2019/2020 school year that have nominated children for the Hector Children's Academy in the past can participate in the study. One 1st grade class per school will be drawn randomly to participate in the study. Currently, 88 schools are already participating in the study. In the 2019/2020 school year, an additional 112 schools are invited to pilot FIPS+ in their first grades.
Participation is voluntary and can be terminated at any time without giving a reason. After a data protection review, the study was approved by the Ministry of Education.
The first cohort of FIPS+ started in the academic year of 2018/19 and ended in the summer of 2022. The second cohort, which started one term later (the academic year of 2019/20), is now in grade four and is expected to reach the end of the study at the end of this academic year. We would like to sincerely thank the participating families, teachers, and school administrators for their participation in the FIPS+ core study.
At the moment, the FIPS+ study is in the process of data preparation: The responses of the children, teachers, parents, and school administrators are being systematically processed. We are working together on this with the IEA Hamburg (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). In order not to interfere with the ongoing study process, the study results can only be announced after the end of the study. This means that the participating classes of the second cohort must also have completed the study. The latest developments of the FIPS+ study as well as the study results will be announced in the future via the FIPS+ newsletter. Would you like to stay updated? You are welcome to subscribe to the FIPS+ newsletter by sending an e-mail to fipsplusspam prevention@hib.uni-tuebingen.de!
