"No Student Has Ended Up in Psychiatry Because of Pop Quizzes" (A Rebuttal)
April 13, 2025
The Debate Over Spontaneous Assessments
Recently, a student named Amelie presented a petition to the Bavarian State Parliament to abolish pop quizzes and unannounced tests, supported by over 50,000 signatures. Even before official parliamentary review, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder publicly dismissed the initiative. This was criticized by Roland Grüttner, a former principal, in a guest commentary. Now, education researchers Thomas Gottfried and Prof. Klaus Zierer from the University of Augsburg offer a rebuttal.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder. Photo: Bavarian State Government
Pedagogical Cancel Culture – A Plea for Freedom in Schools and Democracy
Current Bavarian school regulations allow, but do not require, teachers to use short assessments and pop quizzes as forms of minor performance evaluations. Various written, oral, and practical assessment methods are also available “according to the requirements of the respective school type and grade level as well as the individual subjects” (Art. 52 Abs. 1 S.2 Bavarian Education and Instruction Act).
No teacher must quiz, no teacher must give pop quizzes, if they do not consider it pedagogically sensible within their professional responsibility. The implementation of the petition would eliminate this possibility and further restrict the already significantly reduced scope of action for teachers, without pedagogical justification.
The frequently cited study is unsuitable for such a reform because its research design does not allow for these conclusions. No student has ended up in psychiatry because of quizzes or pop quizzes. The physical and psychological burdens that today's youth undoubtedly experience primarily result from completely derailed media consumption. According to the Postbank Digital Study 2024, someone who spends over 70 hours a week on the internet lacks any time for reflection and recreation. In addition, there is a lack of exercise, poor nutrition, fragile family structures, and a lack of ideological-religious orientation. The barrel is already full and often only overflows due to an overextension at the wrong type of school.
Above all, this initiative is untenable from an educational science perspective: Both oral assessments (“quizzes”) and pop quizzes (“Exen”) can be effective and valuable instruments for school and classroom development and can therefore effectively support the state's educational mandate (cf. Art. 131 Bavarian Constitution), which is not only about imparting knowledge and skills, but also about forming heart and character.
"Our society is essentially a performance-based society, and it is the school's job to responsibly introduce children and adolescents to this world"
Pedagogically responsible implementation provides valuable feedback on what the student knows, how they learn, and what they don't know. They promote continuous and progressive learning by enabling in-depth knowledge acquisition and sustainable knowledge acquisition through conscientious and regular work habits. Quizzes and pop quizzes meet the human need for achievement and train the ability to exert oneself spontaneously at any time to achieve something.
Our society is essentially a performance-based society, and it is the school's job to responsibly introduce children and adolescents to this world. A professional and pedagogically sensitive approach to performance assessments ensures a humane learning and testing culture, which a cuddle corner and soft-soap pedagogy is detrimental to. Education in the sense of lifelong learning presupposes not always taking the path of least resistance, but actively, interestedly, motivated and resiliently dealing with limits and failures to acquire the strength and resilience that one needs for a lifetime later in professional life, in the family and in society.
Besides this crucial pedagogical argument, it should be noted that around 54,000 signatories represent only a very small minority of the Bavarian population (0.4% of 13.5 million) and only 3.1% (of the 1.7 million) of students. It would be profoundly undemocratic to make a pedagogically wrong decision with a minority vote of those who are only interested in comfortable education without effort and achievement. News4teachers
Navigating the Future of Education: Introducing BlitzFast
The debate surrounding traditional assessment methods raises important questions about the future of education. Are we truly preparing our children for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead? At BlitzFast, we believe that education needs to evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
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BlitzFast was born from the vision of Engin, a father of four who recognized the limitations of traditional education firsthand. Inspired by the challenges his own children faced, including issues like bullying, Engin set out to create a better alternative.
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In Summary
- The debate around traditional testing methods highlights the need for educational innovation.
- BlitzFast offers a forward-thinking alternative, leveraging AI to personalize learning and equip children with future-ready skills.
- We're seeking parents to join our test group and help us build the future of education.
- Join the BlitzFast revolution today! https://blitzfa.st