Schrodinger, the German schools arent really more advanced than the english.
In our experience, they are more advanced at foreign languages and German grammar, but lag behind in maths and science.
For example, dd in the second year of secondary school (6. Klasse) is just doing decimal fractions. We did them in primary school.
Also, the science is very far behind english schools.
dd spends hours sitting very frustrated as the rest of the class study basic english - she already speaks english and french!
Now, I've just learned a whole load of stuff that might be relevant to others, and I'm feeling quite positive at the moment!
Dd is in the HS 6. Klasse. Our HS is a Volksschule, you cant do anything there.
She has several choices at the end of this year...
With a Durchschnitt of 2,0 in De, Eng and Ma, she can go to the RS (more on this in a moment).
With a Durchschnitt of 2,33, she can go to the Wirtschaftschule. I am not keen on this, for example she would study bookkeeping instead of maths, which would make it harder to go to university. Anyway, you come out of the WS with a Mittlererabschluss which - crucially - has the SAME weight as the Realschule one, if you get good marks.
With a slightly lower Durchschnitt (not sure exactly what), she can move to another HS, that offers the "M-Zug". This means, she can do the Mittlererabschluss, and again, if she gets good marks, it will have the same weight as the RS one. Thus, there is a BACK WAY into university via the HS. The disadvantage is, that the chidlren study fewer subjects, for example they have to choose one science, Physics or chemistry or biology.
Our preferred route is still the RS.
- the Durchschnitt of 2,0 has to be gained on her end of year Zeugnis, so she still has time. This is good for dd, last year she did far better in the summer term.
- if she doesnt get 2,0 in these 3 subjects, then she will have to take an exam in EVERY subject that she got less than 2, EXCEPT those subjects that arent offered at the Hauptschule.
(Only the Germans could dream up a scheme that is fair, and so complicated!)
These exams would be taken in September.
So, if she doesn't get the average of 2, she'll be facing exams in possibly Deutch, Maths, English and Religion (any subject where she got less than 2 in her end of year Zeugnis).
Whether she gets to the RS by exams or by Zeugnis, she will be on Probezeit until Februry next year, and will be expected to reach RS standard in History, Geography and the sciences, which werent really taught a lot in the HS.
Is that all quite clear?
dd is now mega-focussed. She recently got a 2 in an Aufsatzprobe, and wrote a Matheprobe in decimals yesterday, for which we are hoping for a 1 or a 2. We revised a lot from the RS Mathe book.
Her teacher told me "Dd darf nicht in der HS bleiben, sie ist zu intelligent...."
I am hoping that poor ds, who is in the 4th class and struggling with a teacher who doesnt like him, will get the same teacher next year.