📋 Tender Overview
The Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing (LUCET) at the University of Luxembourg has just published the results of the EpStan 2025 report which relate to public European schools. The report, entitled , compares the skills development of students in these schools to that of their peers in the national system. The analysis of the academic career of students in public European schools indicates once again that learning in a language close to the language spoken at home promotes academic success. The choice of literacy language offered in European schools (German, French or English) thus seems to constitute a real lever for equity within a very diverse school population, where the linguistic profile remains a determining factor in success. Students attending an EPS showed a more positive mean score development in mathematics, particularly when the language of instruction is closer to the language spoken at home. (European Public School Report 2025, p. 104) These results also match the scientific findings from the four pilot schools of the ALPHA - zesumme wuessen reform. The Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, underlines: By giving students the opportunity to follow their schooling in a language close to that spoken at home, we are strengthening not only their skills and their motivation, but also the ability of parents to support them in their education With the ALPHA - zesumme wuessen reform, which will give all parents of students in the national system the choice between German and French as a language of literacy, we will offer all students a fairer start to school and better chances of success. The report on public European schools highlights the following findings in particular: More marked progress in mathematics in public European schools On average, students in public European schools show more favorable progress in mathematics than their peers in the national system. This effect is particularly visible among students who traditionally encounter more academic difficulties: those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, those with a migratory background or those who speak neither Luxembourgish nor German at home. Student groups that have repeatedly been found to be at a higher risk of struggling academically in Luxembourgs education system (...) showed a more positive development in mathematics when attending an EPS. (European Public School Report 2025, p. 104) Motivation and academic well-being In public European schools, more vulnerable students (low socio-economic status, migratory background) express increased motivation when learning in a language that is familiar to them. Strengthened parental support in public European schools Parents of students in public European schools, in particular those with a migratory background or whose family language is neither Luxembourgish nor German, feel more able to support their child in their main language of instruction. This support makes it easier to follow homework, understand instructions and communicate with the school. Parents of EPS students perceive themselves as more able to support their child academically based on their own language skills. (European Public School Report 2025, p. 91) The report also indicates that students in public European schools have on average a higher socio-economic level than those in the national system. This observation also underlines the relevance of the ALPHA - zesumme wuessen reform, given that the generalization of the choice of language of literacy will allow all students in basic education, including the most vulnerable, to benefit from it. Standardized tests are organized each year in classes of cycles 2.1, 3.1 and 4.1 of basic education and in classes of 7th and 5th of secondary education. Evaluated by the Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing (LUCET), they provide important information on students linguistic and mathematical skills, their motivation to learn and their attitude towards school. They are thus used to assess the quality of the school system and to guide educational policy.
