The FIPS+Study

The FIPS+ study investigated the assessment of learning outcomes and learning development in Year 1. The study tested the further developed FIPS+ instrument as a learning assessment tool and examined its practical implementation in everyday school life at elementary school in Baden-Württemberg.

As part of the FIPS+ study, more than 2,700 first-graders at around 164 schools in Baden-Württemberg were followed throughout their primary school years up to Year 4 from 2018 to 2023. This also allows the possible long-term positive effects of FIPS+ to be investigated. The children were surveyed twice in Year 1 (at the beginning and end of the school year) and at the end of the school year in Years 2 to 4. 

In order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the participating children, their parents and teachers (class, german and math teachers) were also interviewed in each school year and information on the schools was collected. 

In their first school year, the children completed the FIPS+ tasks once at the beginning of the school year and once at the end of the school year in individual sessions on a tablet. One session per child lasts 20 to 40 minutes with FIPS+ (duration depends on the child's learning level). As part of the study, the classes were randomly assigned to two groups:

• In group A, the children worked on FIPS+ under the guidance of their class teachers. The teachers also received individual feedback on the learning progress of each child and the class as a whole.
• In group B (control group), the first-graders completed FIPS+ under the guidance of research assistants. The teachers did not receive any individual feedback on the children's learning progress. They used the methods normally used in their lessons to record learning progress. However, the school was able to use FIPS+ in its first classes in the next school year.

Due to the special circumstances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated hygiene regulations, some adjustments were made to the originally planned study design in order to be able to continue the surveys optimally and safely. At the same time, this also offered the opportunity to learn a lot about distance learning.

The study tested the integration of FIPS+ into everyday school life at elementary school in Baden-Württemberg. The teachers in Group A were therefore asked to find and document ideas for the use of FIPS+ in everyday school life. They were given 0.5 teaching hours per week in the first year for this purpose. Ideas for a successful assessment of learning progress with FIPS+ in parallel to everyday school life included, for example, combining classes or carrying out the assessment in additional off-peak hours and outside of lesson time.

The evaluation of the FIPS+ results is automated. The evaluation program illustrates the performance and learning progress of each individual pupil as well as the distribution of performance within the class in the specified task areas. The results show the teachers in Group A whether a child is at the same learning level as most of the other children in Year 1 or whether it is performing below or above average.

The FIPS+ results gave the class, German and math teachers in Group A an insight into the children's learning status shortly after the test was carried out. In order to make the best possible use of the learning progress assessment to support the children, the teachers were able to share the results with the relevant subject teachers and jointly consider which instructional and extracurricular measures are necessary and useful to support the children. Group B (control group) did not receive any feedback in this school year, as the benefits of FIPS+ could only be reliably examined and verified by comparing the two groups. For the researchers, the results were and are anonymous and cannot be assigned to any child. 

Participation in the study was of course voluntary at all times and could be terminated at any time without giving reasons. The study was approved following a data protection review by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs and an ethical review by the DIPF Ethics Committee.

The first cohort started in the 2018/19 school year and ended in summer 2022. The children in the second cohort, who started one school year later in 2019/2020, completed the study in summer 2023. 

We would like to thank the participating families, teachers and school administrators for taking part in the FIPS+ study!  

After the end of the study, the responses from the children, teachers, parents and school administrators were systematically analyzed. We worked together with the IEA Hamburg (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). 

The processed data is currently being analyzed and publications are being prepared. As soon as this process is complete, detailed study results will be published. 

Some initial results are briefly presented below: 

• The FIPS+ program was rated as very positive overall by both the participating children and the participating teachers. Almost all children enjoyed the FIPS+ tasks and the teachers rated the program on average as useful and the results as relevant and understandable.
• By using FIPS+, the teachers were able to assess the abilities of their pupils at the beginning and end of Year 1 more accurately than without FIPS+.
• The use of FIPS+ had a small positive impact on performance in mathematics and reading. Subject-specific interest and self-concept (arithmetic, reading and writing) as well as the perceived quality of teaching were hardly influenced.
• Teachers who implemented FIPS+ were more likely to nominate children who were in the top 10% in math skills or reading skills to the Hector Children's Academies program than teachers who did not implement FIPS+.
• Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic: Preliminary results mainly indicate a negative effect of teaching during the pandemic compared to regular teaching on subject-specific interest and self-concept (numeracy, reading, writing).

The results are promising. However, when it comes to questions of implementation in everyday school life, it must be borne in mind that teachers were critical of the time-consuming nature of FIPS+. The majority were in favor of more efficient testing, for example in small groups. 

For this reason, a new measuring instrument (PINGUIN) was developed in cooperation with the universities in Berlin, Kassel, Ulm and Würzburg to record learning progress based on the findings of FIPS+. PINGUIN is carried out in groups on a tablet. Pupils receive the instructions via headphones. Further information on the measuring instrument and the study can be found here.

As a continuation of the FIPS+ study, we would also like to survey the children who took part in the FIPS+ study and their parents again. The aim is to investigate where the children are today and how they have developed in terms of various characteristics. The aim is to conduct an online survey in which the children's development, their (vocational) interests and choice of school focus as well as other characteristics such as their academic performance, STEM successes, creativity or even their motivation and leisure behavior are recorded.

The latest developments in the FIPS+ study and the study results will be announced in future via the FIPS+ newsletter. Would you like to stay informed? Then send an e-mail to fipsplusspam prevention@hib.uni-tuebingen.de and ask to be included in the FIPS+ newsletter!