When will my child receive compensation for disadvantages?

Lia is a bright sixth-grader. She got through her primary school years without any problems worth mentioning. But for a few weeks now, she has hardly done anything for school. Due to a sharp drop in performance, her transfer to the most demanding type of secondary school class is suddenly in doubt.

Robin is in the fourth grade. He has found learning difficult since the beginning of his school days. Although the boy always applied himself fully, it took him longer than his peers to learn almost everything. Now, in middle school, the performance gap is widening. This worries Robin and his parents.

Disability-related disadvantages must be compensated according to the law, especially during examinations.

Eronita moved to Switzerland with her parents a year ago. She has had to learn German from scratch and has made rapid progress. Nevertheless, her school performance is not yet on a par with her intellectual potential.

Lia, Robin and Eronita are currently struggling with different difficulties and «disadvantages» in terms of their learning and success at school. Are they therefore entitled to compensation for disadvantages at school? No, they are not. However, they are entitled to targeted support on their learning and development path. But more on that later.

The Federal Constitution prohibits discrimination

It is undisputed that there can and must be compensation for disadvantages for individual pupils. What kind of children and young people are these? Where is it defined who is entitled to it? And what exactly are measures to compensate for disadvantages?

The first answer can be found in the Federal Constitution. Article 8 states that no person may be discriminated against on the grounds of origin, gender, social status or disability.

The last point is concretised in the so-called «Disability Equality Act». This stipulates, among other things, that disability-related disadvantages in education must be equalised, particularly in examinations.

Measures must always be determined individually and must never be implemented as standard.

This is exactly what is meant by «compensation for disadvantages»: if a person is unable to demonstrate their knowledge and skills properly due to a disability, they must be granted individual compensation for disadvantages.

Unequal treatment in order to achieve equal treatment

Imagine a young man who is about to take his final apprenticeship exam to become a carpenter - a demanding apprenticeship that requires a great deal of practical and theoretical knowledge. The final oral examination in the subject of vocational knowledge is coming up. For 30 minutes, he has to prove what he knows about this subject. He has prepared well and has mastered the material. The only problem is that he stutters a lot, especially in stressful situations. It is foreseeable that he will only be able to demonstrate a small part of his knowledge during this oral examination.

This is where the Disability Discrimination Act comes into play. The examination conditions must be adapted for this young man due to his disability. A written agreement is drawn up in a joint meeting involving the school management. It states that an individual, one-hour written examination will be conducted.

This prevents discrimination against the examinee on the basis of his disability. In other words, equal treatment is achieved through deliberate unequal treatment.

Concrete guidelines are needed for the assessment in individual cases

The question of compensation for disadvantages cannot always be answered as clearly and unambiguously as in the example of this carpentry apprentice. How should the situation be assessed in the case of a mild autism spectrum disorder? In the case of dyslexia? Or in the case of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

It is not easier to pass an exam or get a better grade thanks to a disability. That would be unfair.

It is actually a little more complicated here. That is why it is important to use more than just the legal texts as a basis for decision-making. More concrete guidelines are needed in order to be able to jointly assess when compensation for disadvantages is justified and when it is not. The following three points in particular should be considered:

• Eine Funktionseinschränkung im Sinne einer Behinderung muss klar diagnostiziert sein. Weil ein Nachteilsausgleich nur dann infrage kommt, wenn eine ausgewiesene Behinderung vorliegt, braucht es ein Gutachten einer anerkannten Fachstelle. Neben der Diagnose muss beschrieben werden, wie sich die behinderungsbedingten Funktionseinschränkungen beim Lernen und in Prüfungssituationen konkret auswirken.
• Massnahmen des Nachteilsausgleichs müssen individuell fest­gelegt werden. Nachteilsausgleichsmassnahmen dürfen nie standardmässig umgesetzt werden, beispielsweise im Sinne von: «Bei Schülern mit ADHS-Diagnose geben wir bei allen Prüfungen 20 Prozent Zeitzuschlag.» Vielmehr muss individuell eingeschätzt werden, welche Massnahmen im individuellen Fall angemessen und fair erscheinen.
• Die Bildungsziele, die es zu erreichen gilt, dürfen inhaltlich nicht reduziert werden. Daher ist es falsch, von «Prüfungserleichterungen» zu sprechen. Dieser Begriff suggeriert, dass man dank einer Behinderung einfacher durch die Prüfung kommt oder eine bessere Note erhält. Das wäre gegenüber den anderen Schülerinnen und Schülern unfair.

The most common measures to compensate for disadvantages

The most common measure to compensate for disadvantages is to allow more time for examinations. This measure is suitable, for example, in the case of a diagnosed reading and spelling weakness: with more time, the tasks can be better grasped and checking what has been written again can reduce the number of spelling errors.

Another option (as in the example of the carpentry apprentice) is to change the examination mode: written instead of oral, or vice versa.

Permission to use certain aids can help to reduce disability-related restrictions. In the case of motor disorders, it is often easier to write with a keyboard than by hand. In the case of pronounced reading difficulties, a tablet can be helpful, with which texts can be photographed, digitised and listened to via headphones.

Pupils who are dependent on absolute silence during examinations, for example due to an autism spectrum disorder, can be given permission to take the examination in a separate room.
This list makes it clear once again that no changes are made to the content of the learning material in the case of disadvantage compensation measures. Only the external framework conditions for learning or examinations are adapted. This is always associated with organisational effort for the school. A certain amount of effort on the part of the teachers can be expected. However, this effort must remain within reasonable limits so that it is manageable in everyday school life.

Difficulties in learning, but no compensation for disadvantages?

Let's remember Lia, Robin and Eronita again. They all have a hard time learning, but compensation for disadvantages is not appropriate for them. Why exactly - and how can they be given appropriate support?

• Lia macht zwar eine schwierige Phase durch, hat deswegen aber nicht eine eigentliche Behinderung. Nachteilsausgleich ist bei ihr deshalb nicht der richtige Ansatz. Wichtig ist, dass an einem Standortgespräch ihre aktuelle Situation besprochen wird. Vielleicht finden die Beteiligten gemeinsam hilfreiche Lösungen. Allenfalls ist der Beizug des Schulsozialarbeiters oder der Schulpsychologin sinnvoll.
• Robin ist zunehmend nicht mehr in der Lage, die regulären Lern­ziele zu erreichen. Angepasste Lernziele sowie eine entsprechende sonderpädagogische Unterstützung erscheinen für ihn sinnvoll. Um dieses Vorgehen zu prüfen, sind ein Standortgespräch und eine Einschätzung des Schulpsychologischen Dienstes wichtig. Weil bei einem Nachteilsausgleich immer reguläre Lernziele verfolgt werden, sind Nachteilsausgleichsmassnahmen bei Robin nicht passend.
• Eronita muss bezüglich ihres Nachteils, die Unterrichtssprache noch ungenügend zu beherrschen, gezielt mit Unterricht in «Deutsch als Zweitsprache» unterstützt werden. Weil erkannt wurde, dass sie voraussichtlich hohe Lernziele erreichen kann, muss sie auf diesem Weg von ihren Lehrpersonen gut begleitet werden. Ein Nachteilsausgleich wäre bei ihr weder zu legitimieren, noch würde ihr diese Massnahme etwas bringen.

How can parents or teachers proceed if they are unsure whether compensation for disadvantages is appropriate for a pupil?
The first step is always a joint assessment. The following «five-point questionnaire» may be useful. The answers to the example of the carpentry apprentice described are also included.
1 What is the core of what is to be achieved?
It should be possible to demonstrate knowledge of vocational skills in the final apprenticeship examination.
2. does the pupil have the potential to demonstrate the required performance?
Yes, the young person has the ability to acquire this knowledge.
3. has a disability been diagnosed by a recognised specialist agency?
Yes, the severe stuttering has been documented in a speech therapy report.
4. what barriers exist due to the disability?
The knowledge learnt in the vocational subject cannot be demonstrated in the scheduled 30-minute oral examination due to severe stammering.
5 What compensatory measures can help to overcome this barrier?
The examination is conducted in writing. The duration is set at one hour.

Equalising measures should rarely be used

Measures to compensate for disadvantages should rarely be used in primary schools. Most difficulties in learning can be compensated for with differentiated lessons or special educational measures. For pupils with a disability, however, it can be very important to agree on compensation for disadvantages so that they can achieve the educational goals that correspond to their abilities.

Information on compensation for disadvantages

You can find out more about this topic on our author's website: peterlienhard.ch/contents/nachteilsausgleich.html
There you will find the following links and documents to download:

• Der «Orientierungsrahmen Nachteilsausgleich» sowie die «Wegleitung Nachteils­ausgleich» bieten vertiefte Informationen zum Nachlesen.
• Ein Kurzfilm des Zürcher Volksschulamts erklärt den Nachteilsausgleich kompakt in drei Minuten.
• Ausführlichere Informationen erhalten Sie in einem 45-minütigen Referat von Peter Lienhard.
• Schriftliche Nachteilsausgleichsvereinbarungen liegen in Form eines leeren Rasters und eines ausgefüllten Beispiels vor.

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