Education through Language and Literacy (ELaL)

Education through Language and Literacy (BiSS) was a research and development program. Within the framework of the program, the language support, language assessment, and reading promotion initiatives introduced in the federal states were scientifically evaluated and further developed with regard to their effectiveness and efficiency.

More than 600 schools and daycare centers across all federal states participated in BiSS. They joined together in over 100 networks to implement and further develop coordinated measures for language education and language support in the following years. The selected measures were intended to ensure continuous and effective support for children—from the beginning of institutional care through to the end of secondary education—in key language competencies. Some of the implemented measures were evaluated to determine which approaches most effectively support children and adolescents in their language development. In addition, the program supported the professional development and further qualification of participating early childhood educators and teachers.

The scientific design and support of the program were carried out by a consortium of institutions. This consortium consisted of the Mercator Institute for Language Support and German as a Second Language, in cooperation with the Department of Intercultural Education at the University of Cologne; the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF) in Frankfurt am Main; and Humboldt University of Berlin in cooperation with the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB). The Mercator Institute was responsible for the area of professional development and, among other things, developed blended-learning courses for the sustainable qualification of participating educational professionals and teachers in the federal states.

Within the framework of the “Education through Language and Literacy” (BiSS) initiative (2013 to 2019), researchers supported, further developed, and evaluated concepts and measures for language support. A total of ten evaluation projects accompanied and assessed concepts and processes of language education. In addition, five development projects tested and further refined innovative measures and programs for language education and support. Out of 106 participating networks, 49 BiSS networks were scientifically supported by universities and higher education institutions.