Patterns of school choice at the transition from lower to upper secondary education are commonly investigated from the perspective of equity. The focus lies on differences in school choice between school types of different perceived academic hierarchy, i.e. those preparing for university access or not. The assumption of meritocratic systems is that schools of higher academic standards should be chosen by students of higher competencies. Bruneforth, Weber & Bacher show for Austria, that secondary effects of inequality have an equally strong influence on choice than the effects of performance (primary effects of inequality). Yet, they argue, that differences in school choices are lessened by Vocational Colleges for Higher Education (BHS), which provide the same credentials as academic general schools (AHS), both allowing university access. However, differences between students choosing vocational colleges or academic schools are not investigated, although they attract students from quite different social backgrounds. In the absence of a hierarchical difference between the school types, the perspective of primary and secondary effects of school choice cannot be used to discuss those school choice patterns. Coradi Vellacott & Wolter (2005) offer an alternative perspective, with their definition of equity, which refers to an educational environment in which individuals make choices based on their abilities and talents, not on the basis of stereotypes, biased expectations or discrimination. Based on this definition, all social segregation between school types would need investigation, even if between schools of identical hierarchy but different orientation.

From the perspective of the education system, patterns of school choice can also be looked at from the perspective of allocation of students with certain talents, skills and competencies to different schools. With the introduction of Educational Standards in Austria in 2009, clear expectations are set what lower secondary school leavers  should master when entering upper secondary schools: Education Standards in Austria focus on those skills at the end of grade 8 that are seen as necessary base for competence development in further education. In that sense, they express the expectations of upper secondary schools on the outcomes from lower secondary schools. Yet, student assessment studies show for Austria, that a substantial number of students in upper secondary schools do not master minimum skills (OECD, 2012).

The intention of this paper is to analyse data from the assessment of education standards in the area of mathematics (2012) with respect to the transition of students to upper secondary schools and the mastering of minimum and regular competency levels.  

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