Every school is confronted with performance measurements. Experts assess the opportunities and limitations of performance measurement in our schools in a comprehensible form. The articles deal with: - the current state of discussion, - the needs and problems of school performance measurement, - the methods and content areas, - national and international studies, - the necessity, problems and benefits of comparative performance measurement. International comparative school achievement measurements have demonstrated that German pupils only acquire mediocre competences in mathematics and science lessons. This result has led to heated discussions on educational policy and pedagogy. Critics doubt whether such empirical studies are of any practical use at all, given modern educational goals such as personal and school autonomy and so on.