IQB und SWK und ihr Beitrag zur Reform der Grundschule – Befindet sich die evidenzbasierte Reform in der Krise oder führt sie aus ihr heraus?

The paper examines the role of the national school monitoring system in initiating educational reforms. It is assumed that the IQB is not only a data provider but rather appears as a reform actor together with the advisory board (SWK). The analysis of the reform program suggests that the measures follow an evidence-based policy. Expansion of monitoring across the different stages of education (from early childhood education to teacher professionalization) are envisioned. For primary school research, the reform intentions offer important impulses and stimuli for discussion. At the same time, they must be subjected to a theoretically and empirically informed analysis, especially with regard to unintended side effects. The reform aims to reduce disparities in primary school and imagines a central lever (evidence, diagnostics, standardisation) and a pedagogical monoculture. Homogeneity is assumed (all children benefit from more diagnostics and testing), which can unintentionally produce more “at-risk children”. However, the envisaged reform runs the risk of losing sight of the actual “at-risk group”, which is a justified reason for reform.