Im Kontext der zunehmenden Aufgabe des Kurssystems zugunsten neigungsbezogener Profile in den Oberstufen allgemeinbildender Gymnasien prüfen wir, ob die Wahl eines sprachlichen Profils zu günstigeren Leistungsentwicklungen im Fach Englisch führt als die Wahl eines nicht-sprachlichen Profils. Insbesondere aufgrund der profilbezogen unterschiedlichen Belegungen von zweiter, dritter und ggf. vierter Fremdsprache wäre eine günstigere Entwicklung des sprachlichen Profils durch positiven Transfer zwischen schulisch erlernten Fremdsprachen zu rechtfertigen. Wir nutzen längsschnittliche Daten von N = 1.171 Schülerinnen und Schülern in 11. bzw. 13. Jahrgangsstufen aus Schleswig-Holstein. Wir beschreiben zunächst die an den fünf Profilen in der Qualifikationsphase belegten Fremdsprachen. Bezugnehmend auf den zurückliegenden Ländervergleich im Fach Englisch zeichnen wir Leistungsentwicklungen in zwei Teildomänen, dem Lese- und Hörverstehen, von der 9. über die 11. bis hin zur 13. Jahrgangsstufe nach. Mehrebenenanalysen sprechen sodann für eine schwache Bestätigung profilbezogener Transfereffekte, die sich gegenüber Effekten der leistungsbezogenen Komposition auf Klassenebene abgrenzen lassen.

The popularity and relevance of the English language has made foreign language education a mainstream endeavor around the globe (Dixon et al. 2012;Hu 2007). English language proficiency is considered a basic skill (Cha and Ham 2008;Graddol 2006) that students from different language backgrounds are expected to demonstrate, regardless of whether they are native speakers or non-native speakers. This holds true for all dimensions of language proficiency, however, the comprehension of written texts is one of the most important academic skills for students to acquire and improve (Edele and Stanat 2016;Urquhart and Weir 2013). Therefore, reading is considered a major prerequisite Abstract Background: English language proficiency is considered a basic skill that students from different language backgrounds are expected to master, independent of whether they are native or non-native speakers. Tests that measure language proficiency in nonnative speakers are typically linked to the common European framework of reference for languages. Such tests, however, often lack the criteria to define a practically relevant degree of proficiency in English. We approach this deficit by assessing non-native speakers' performance within a native speakers' framework. Method:Items from two English reading assessments-the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the National Assessment (NA) for English as a foreign language in Germany-were administered to N = 427 German high school students. Student abilities were estimated by drawing plausible values in a two-dimensional Rasch model. Results:Results show that non-native speakers of English generally underperformed compared to native speakers. However, academic track students in the German school system achieved satisfactory levels of proficiency on the PISA scale. Linking the two scales showed systematic differences in the proficiency level classifications. Conclusion:The findings contribute to the validation and international localization of NA standards for English as a foreign language. Practical implications are discussed with respect to policy-defined benchmarks for the successful participation in a global English-speaking society.

Throughout Europe, there is a growing trend for students to start learning foreign languages at elementary school. Although policymakers expect early‐start programs to boost second language skills, empirical findings are mixed; recent studies have raised many questions. In this large‐scale study, we aimed to close some of these gaps. We examined the effects of early‐start English on receptive language proficiency in a random sample of 19,858 students from 1,431 Year 9 classes in Germany, comparing the reading and listening comprehension of early starters (English from Year 1), a middle group (Year 3), and late starters (Year 5), and analyzing to what extent foreign language instruction at secondary level builds on students’ existing knowledge. By Year 9, the proficiency levels of the three groups differed only slightly. We provide evidence that this lack of long‐term impact may be attributable to English teaching at secondary level being insufficiently adaptive to students’ prior knowledge.

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