Berlin School Pilot Shows Reading Proficiency Can Be Improved Among Older Students

Berlin, October 2026. The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results have highlighted a concerning trend in reading proficiency among young people. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2025, only 68 percent of 15-year-olds in Germany reached at least proficiency level 2 in reading. This marks a significant decline since the PISA surveys began, with the average reading score dropping by 28 points between 2015 and 2025.

This decline has prompted renewed attention on how to improve reading skills, not just among younger students but also among older adolescents and adults. A multi-year school pilot project, funded by the Erhard Hoepfner Foundation between 2003 and 2006, has provided valuable insights into this issue. The "Improved Reading" initiative, conducted at ten Berlin schools, aimed to specifically enhance reading proficiency among upper secondary school and 10th-grade students.

The project involved 15 two-day reading training sessions with a total of 272 students. The participating schools included seven gymnasia, two intermediate secondary schools (Realschulen), and one Waldorf school. Thirty-eight percent of the participants were in 10th grade, while 62 percent were in upper secondary school. Notably, three of the courses were conducted in English.

The results of the school pilot were impressive. The average reading speed at the start was about 200 words per minute. Over the course of the sessions, reading speed tripled on average, while text comprehension increased significantly. This resulted in an average increase in the so-called Effective Reading Rate (ERR) by a factor of 3.7.

It was also noteworthy that the weaker participants benefited disproportionately. While the top 25 percent increased their reading efficiency by a factor of 2.7 on average, the bottom 25 percent achieved an improvement factor of 5.5. In 10 out of 15 courses, the results even exceeded the average improvements that Improved Reading had achieved at the time among predominantly older participants at colleges and in companies.

The evaluation report at the time explicitly stated that reading promotion in upper secondary school is hardly any less necessary than it is for the 15-year-olds tested by PISA. Over 70 percent of the evaluations across ten categories surveyed fell into the "excellent" or "very good" range, and there was also very positive feedback from the accompanying teachers.

Improved Reading, a training system developed since the 1960s, combines physical eye training with cognitive reading strategies. The method aims to achieve a flexible, sustainable improvement in reading efficiency. The company has been offering training in Germany since 2001, with more than 50,000 participants taking part in in-person and online courses. The training programs have been shown to increase the ERR by an average factor of 2.7; over 80% of participants at least doubled their ERR.

The Berlin school pilot program demonstrates that systematic reading training can provide significant momentum, even if it is a short, intensive training session. The results highlight that reading proficiency is not a skill that is fully developed by the end of elementary school. Although many adolescents read fluently, they continue to use inefficient reading patterns, such as reading word by word, unnecessary backtracking in the text, or failing to adjust their reading speed to the task and level of difficulty.

The findings from the school pilot program have broader implications for education policy. While a two-day training program cannot replace long-term educational policy, it can provide a valuable boost. The key, according to the evaluation report, is to continue applying and practicing the techniques learned afterward.

To further promote reading literacy, Improved Reading has launched a campaign with window displays in Berlin and 400 posters. The campaign highlights the ongoing importance of reading proficiency, emphasizing that it is not just a matter of deficits but also of untapped potential.