and Sekundarschule in Berlin. Performance of students attending the Realschule According to the PISA examination the students attending a Realschule were outperformed by those attending a Gymnasium. However, they did better than those attending a Hauptschule or a Gesamtschule school. Criticism The German tripartite system of education has been widely criticized for separating children along class lines at a very early age. For instance, in some German states, a decision is made in the sixth or even the fourth grade about whether a child is to continue in the Gymnasium, the Realschule, or the Hauptschule. Only the Gymnasium is a university-preparatory school, so critics argue that a decision is made as early as the fourth grade about whether a child will be allowed to attend college. The system is considered so onerous outside Germany that the OECD even sent a special envoy to Germany to condemn current German practice. Specifically, the Brazilian expert found that German schools separate children according to social class, with children of academics and professionals more often being sent on to a Gymnasium, and working-class children being sent to a Realschule or a Hauptschule. According to critics, the system is widely considered within Germany to be socially useful in the sense that the upper class is able to reserve the best schools for itself without having to resort to private schools. Finally, no democratic society outside the German-speaking world has tripartite school systems that separate children largely according to background; this finding was the main complaint about Germany in the recent PISA study. Proponents of the tripartite system consider the arguments brought forward by the critics to be invalid. They point to the fact that not only Gymnasium, but also comprehensive schools and schools serving mature students such as the Kolleg or the Berufsoberschule offer the possibility for the Abitur. Also it is possible to attend college without holding the Abitur. They also hold the opinion that state-funded Realschulen and Gymnasiums offered many working-class children the possibility to move up the social ladder. Also, proponents of the tripartite system fear the abolishing Gymnasia and Realschulen will lead to the growth of a private school sector. Proponents of the Realschule also hold the opinion that it aids students' personality development. According to a study those attending a Realschule became more altruistic and more likely to care for others over time. The "Erweiterte Realschule" and "Realschule Plus" The