{ Case Study }
Digitization Meets Didactics.
Successful Collaboration on a Digital Reading Assessment between XDEV and the University of Regensburg.
{ Challenge }
An Ambitious Digital Project for Bavaria’s Elementary Schools
The PISA studies of recent years were a clear wake-up call for Germany’s education system. Time and again, weaknesses among students were identified—especially in reading literacy. Germany ranks below the OECD average in this area, and there is a clear need for improvement. After all, reading is one of the most essential skills children must acquire as they grow up.
In Bavaria, targeted measures were taken in response. One of them is the Bavarian Reading Assessment (BYLES, short for “Bayerisches Lesescreening”)—a digital testing method designed to assess the individual reading level of children in grades 2 through 4. This large-scale project was carried out by a research group at the University of Regensburg—with technical support from an experienced software partner: XDEV.
{ Task }
Enabling Targeted Support for Children
Since the 2024/2025 school year, the Bavarian Reading Assessment (BYLES) has provided elementary schools in Bavaria with a standardized digital diagnostic tool. It is designed to help teachers make reading progress visible—for themselves, for their students, and for parents or guardians.
Implementing the project was complex: several times a year, hundreds of thousands of children complete a digital reading test. Teachers need a user-friendly, secure, and reliable solution. The system must be high-performing, scalable, and flexible enough to meet both the requirements of the Ministry of Education and the ideas of the developers involved.
Mario Frei and Stefan Böhringer from the University of Regensburg have been involved from the very beginning. Frei recalls: “After the public tender, we were looking for a partner to support us in developing a scalable Java-based environment that meets industry standards.” Böhringer, responsible for the technical implementation, adds: “In the end, XDEV submitted the most compelling proposal—and we immediately sensed a strong personal commitment to the importance of the project.”
Because beyond the pure Java implementation, one aspect is especially central to BYLES: educational equity. Only those who understand where children are struggling can provide truly targeted support.
{ Results }
Data Privacy-Compliant and Engaging – A Screening with Real Added Value
Before the system could be rolled out in classrooms, the project team had a lot of groundwork to do. XDEV was involved in meetings with the Bavarian Ministry of Education from the very beginning and provided intensive support to the project leads. “We had meetings almost daily – and the XDEV team members felt like part of our team,” says Mario Frei, describing the close collaboration.
This tight integration was essential to meet the ambitious timeline. “XDEV joined the project in January 2024 – and just eleven months later, the first screening went live,” explains Böhringer.
The challenges were diverse: In addition to ensuring the software’s performance and flexibility, data privacy had to meet the highest standards. After all, sensitive personal data is collected from tens of thousands of students. The solution: All data is stored exclusively in encrypted form within the BYLES environment. Only the respective teacher can view names and test results using an individual decryption key. Not even the school administration has access—ensuring strict protection of sensitive information.
Teachers also play a key role during the screening itself: they activate the children’s individual QR-code logins and use the results to provide targeted support. The screening is designed in such a way that task difficulty automatically adapts to each child’s progress. This creates a personalized learning experience for every student—offering valuable insights into their strengths and weaknesses. The tasks range from word-image matching to reading comprehension and even exercises in critical thinking. In the initial rollout, 180,000 children already took part in the screening.
“The screening has been well received,” the project leads summarize. Even during development, there was close coordination with teachers. After the rollout, the team received a lot of feedback—all of it positive. Minor technical adjustments were implemented quickly and smoothly thanks to XDEV.
“The screening is a great example of how public digitization projects can run smoothly,” says Mario Frei, pleased with the results. As part of the PISA Initiative in Bavaria, the program continues to be freely available to all elementary schools—with the hope that even more schools will benefit in the future.
