[School entry examinations in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1949 to 1989 - An overview of formal...

Summarising the formal and substantive enrolment practice of school entry examinations (SEU) in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Through a systematic literature review using a conventional as well as internet-based sources, specialised literature on specific topics and original documents were made available following selected search terms to capture essential characteristics of SEU in the GDR and to present them in a general context.

In the GDR, regular school enrolment took place at the age of 6, although SEU implementation practice during the 1950s and 1960s was fundamentally inconsistent in terms of form and content. On the basis of mandatory annual screening examinations for children, the medical screening examination at pre-school age of 5-6 years was formally valid as a SEU. On a case-by-case basis, the responsible paediatricians carried out supplementary, but non-standardised developmental tests. From the 1970s onwards, the increasing density of kindergarten in the GDR led to their specialist staff getting more involved in the assessment of pre-school children's competences relevant to schooling. In addition, screening at the age of 4-5 years also became more relevant for developmental diagnostic purposes. While various examination procedures were initially used, a standardised inventory of instruments for assessing learning ability, intellectual development and language development gradually emerged during the 1970s. These two staggered SEUs between the age of 4 and 6 years enabled preschool children to be supported if necessary, so that children with developmental delays could be given adequate developmental and educational opportunities. This concept also enabled an intensifying, partly informal cooperation between the specialist staff in the kindergartens, paediatricians, parents and school headmasters.

Overall, the SEU in the GDR was based on a professionally and a well thought-out concept from the 1970s onwards. At this time, the standardised, staggered and multidisciplinary approach was methodologically superior to school enrolment practice in West Germany.