2024

Measures for the assessment of pupils and students

On 16 October the law no. 150/2024 has been published in the Official Journal. It concerns the reform of summary judgements in primary schools and of the assessment of students’ conduct that was approved definitively by Parliament on 25 September (please see below). 

The measures introduced by law 150 are:

1) At primary level, the periodic and final assessment of learning and conduct will be expressed through summary judgements (excellent, good, fair, sufficient, insufficient, seriously insufficient) that replace the existing descriptive judgements. The judgements will be supplemented by a detailed description of the level of learning achieved by the pupil in each discipline. 

2) The assessment of the student’s conduct refers to the entire school year. In lower and upper secondary schools, if the behavioural assessment is less than six tenths, the class council decides on non-admission to the next class or to the final state examination.

If the assessment is equal to six tenths in the behaviour, the class council, during the final assessment, suspends the judgement and assigns the student a critical essay on active and supportive citizenship; failure to submit the essay before the start of the following school year or an insufficient assessment by the class council shall result in the student's non-admission to the next school year or to the final exam.

The measures will enter into force on 31 October. However, the application of the measures as of the 2024/2025 school year depends on further action on the existing legislation and the issuing by the Ministry of Education and Merit of a special ordinance with operational guidelines for schools.

Civic education

In September 2024, the Ministry of education and merit has published the ‘Guidelines for the teaching of civic education’ (Linee guida per l’insegnamento dell’educazione civica, annexed to the DM 183/2024). From school year 2020/2021, ‘civic education' is a compulsory and cross-curricular subject at all levels of education, preprimary included, and these Guidelines replace the former ones issued in 2020.

According to the new Guidelines, the contents of civic education refer to three main areas:

• Italian Constitution (general principles, the organisation of the State and of regional and local authorities, symbols of the Italian and EU institutions, study of general laws and meaning of legality, etc.);
• Economic development and sustainability (valuing work and entrepreneurship, protection of the environment and of heritage, health education, respect for animals, etc.);
• Digital citizenship (responsible use of technologies, awareness of risks, approaches to the use of technologies). The use of smartphones by pupils and teachers is forbidden up to lower secondary education for both personal and didactic purposes.

The Guidelines also describe the learning targets and achievements, for the first and second cycle of education respectively, that pupils are expected to achieve through the teaching of civic education.

Revision of some measures for the assessment of pupils and students

On 25 September 2024, the Chamber of Deputies has approved the Bill n. 1380 containing, among the others, dispositions that revise the existing measures on the assessment of students' behaviour at secondary level and the revision of judgements at primary level.

As for primary education, the bill foresees that summary judgements will replace the existing analytical statements based on four levels of attainment. The Minister of education and merit will publish an ordinance to detail the new assessment measures.

As for student's behaviour, which is at present assessed with a synthetic judgement at lower secondary level, the Bill foresees that it will be replaced by an assessment in tenths. For all secondary levels, an assessment lower than 6/10 leads to grade retention or non-admission to the final State exams. An assessment equal to 6/10, the student is required to draw up a report on active citizenship.

Another measure envisaged by the Bill is the payment up to 10 000 EUR to the school, in case of conviction for offences committed against the head teacher or school staff.

The Bill needs now to be published on the Official Journal and will enter into force after 15 days from its publication.

Strengthen specialization pathways dedicated to teachers supporting students with disabilities

Due to the lack of teachers supporting students with disabilities, DL 71/2024 has strengthened the offer of specialization pathways for teachers supporting students with disabilities.  Besides universities, in charge of this kind of teacher training/specialization, the National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research - INDIRE is involved on an extraordinary and temporary basis in the activation of pathways for teachers to be completed within 31 December 2025. The training foresees the achievement of thirty credits. Teachers having gained, within the last five years, at least three years of teaching experience supporting students with disabilities can have access to these paths. A Decree of the Ministry of education and merit (MIM) defines the professional profile of the specialized teacher, the formative contents corresponding to the credits released, the requirements and the modalities for the activation of pathways, the maximal costs, the final examination, and the composition of the examination board, which also includes an external member, appointed by the regional school office. The MIM establishes every year the need of teachers supporting students with disabilities, at each school level, to activate the abovementioned pathways.

To ease the educational and didactic continuity, upon request of families and in the student’s best interest, as evaluated by the school head, the same teacher can be confirmed, provided she/he has a teaching specialization title, and can be reassigned to the same student. This latter condition occurs only in case the teaching position is still vacant and teaching staff with permanent contracts/positions have already been placed.

The Decree has been published in May 2024 and has ended its approval procedure for the conversion into law in late July 2024.

New models for the national certification of competences

In January 2024, the Ministry of education and merit has published the DM 14/2024 containing the new models for the certification of competences acquired by pupils at the end of primary, lower secondary and compulsory education, as well as at the end of adult education courses.

The certification models are based on the key competences for lifelong learning, while they differ as for the analytic description of the competences.

The certification of the competences acquired during and at the end of upper secondary education will be introduced gradually starting from a network of schools. This trial phase is necessary given the variety of types of upper secondary paths, both general and vocational.

Certifications will be released by schools and delivered to families and to the schools of the next level and, in case of the certifications released at the end of lower and compulsory education, competences are included in the personal student's e-portfolio.

As for adult learners, the certifications are delivered to the adults themselves, except for minors.

The Ministry will soon provide school with specific guidelines that will be updated once the implementation of the certification of competences at upper secondary level is completed.

Introduced a new type of liceo

In late December 2023, the Parliament has approved the legge 206/2023 that launches a general strategy of valorisation, promotion and protection of Made in Italy. This general strategy also envisage the introduction, from school year 2024/2025, of the liceo of Made in Italy in addition to the existing six general paths. The aim of this course of study is to provide students with all competences necessary to promote Made in Italy. General upper secondary institutions can start this type of liceo since the first grades, while the already existing branches specialising in economy-social subjects will transform in the option for Made in Italy. The publication of the regulations on curricula and timetables of this new type of liceo is expected in the next few months. 

Enrolments to the new liceo have started in January 2024.

2023

Published the Decree on the initial training and recruitment of secondary teachers

On 26 September, the Prime Minister Decree (DPCM 4 agosto 2023) on the new initial training for secondary school teachers, was published, as set out in Law 79/2022 that modified the Decree 59/2017, which had introduced the former reform of the initial training and recruitment for secondary teachers (please see below for a summary of the contents of the DPCM).

Signed the Decree on the initial training and recruitment of secondary teachers

On 4th August, the Prime Minister Decree (DPCM) was signed, defining the new initial training courses for secondary school teachers, as set out in Law 79/2022, which introduced the reform of the training and recruitment system for teachers at this school level.

According to the reform, future secondary school teachers will have to acquire, in addition to a master's degree, at least 60 credits in qualifying training courses. Courses of 30 or 36 credits are also envisaged for those who have already served at least three school years and for those who have obtained 24 credits under the previous training system.

The DPCM, currently awaiting publication, defines the content and structure of the training. Of the 60 credits, at least 10 must be acquired in the pedagogical area and at least 20 credits in direct or indirect practical training.

The training courses end with a final qualifying examination that includes a written test and the simulation of a lesson. The qualification is of unlimited duration and is not in itself a qualification to work as a tenured teacher, which can only be accessed through competitive procedures.

Lastly, it provides for a system of course accreditation by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research (ANVUR), which will also carry out a periodic evaluation of the courses in order to ensure the homogeneity of the training offered.

2022

The Guidelines for guidance

In December 2022, the Ministry approved the guidelines for students' guidance (Linee guida per l'orientamento), which aim at strengthening the connection between lower and upper secondary education, tackle early school leaving and promote access to tertiary education. The main new features of the Guidelines are:

- From the 2023/2024 school year, 30 hours of guidance are introduced in lower and upper secondary schools, organised in modules and managed autonomously by the school. Each orientation module involves personalised learning that is recorded in the student's digital portfolio (E-Portfolio).

- Each school identifies tutor teachers to help students review the key parts of each personal E-Portfolio and to help families in their choice of educational paths and/or career prospects.

- In the coming years, guidance will be a strategic priority of the initial training and CPD of teachers of all grades and in the induction year, and specific training initiatives will be planned for tutor teachers.

- On an experimental basis, 'training campuses' will be set up to offer a complete overview of all secondary study paths.

- Students and families will be able to make use of a digital platform that provides information and data on upper secondary education, on tertiary education and data useful for the transition into the world of work.

Finally, a specific reference figure is envisaged in the school who, together with families and students, will facilitate the choice between continuing their studies or entering the world of work, while at the same time facilitating the match between students' skills and the demand for work.

The reform of initial training and enrolment of teachers of the secondary level of education

On 29 June 2022 the Parliament approved the reform of the initial training of secondary school teachers, within the law that establishes the use of the financial resources coming from the New Generation EU Plan (law 79/2022).

Initial training and qualification

Law 79 establishes a new process of initial training, qualification, and access – selection and induction - to the profession of teacher in secondary schools.
In particular, the new procedure is organised as follows:

• Future teachers will attend a qualifying university programme, corresponding to at least 60 ECTS
• National competitions will be held every year 
• The induction period of one year will end with a final test and assessment 

The qualifying university programme can be either concurrent or consecutive to the acquisition of a second-cycle qualification necessary to teach. The qualifying programme includes a traineeship at school and a final test with a mock lesson aimed at verifying the teaching skills and the subject-related knowledge. These courses will be organised by universities.

Qualified teachers will have access to national competitions held every year and those who pass the competition will be hired for an induction period of one year. At the end of the induction phase a final assessment will verify teaching competences acquired by the teachers and in case of positive assessment, he/she will have a permanent contract.

Continuing professional development (CPD)

Law 79 confirms that CPD is mandatory for all teachers. It will be conducted during the working hours and will cover also digital competences and the critical and responsible use of digital devises. 

In addition to compulsory CPD, law 79/0222 has introduced the opportunity for teachers to acquire competences useful for practicing innovative methods of teaching, under a professional development system scheduled every three years. Training will be carried out voluntarily for teachers already working with a permanent contract and will be mandatory for newly hired teachers. CPD activities will be conducted outside the working hours and teachers may receive an economic compensation upon positive assessment of three consecutive training schedules. The amount of the accessory remuneration is established by national collective bargaining within the limits of the resources allocated at central level and cannot be less than 10% and more than 20% of the current salary. The newly established Higher school for education (Scuola di alta formazione dell'istruzione - SAFI) is committed with the definition of this training system, with providing guidelines as well as of the accreditation and monitoring of structures providing courses.  

Law 79/2022 entered into force on 30 June 2022 and its implementation will require the publication of applying regulations.

Final State examinations – specific measures for the school year 2021/2022

On 31 January 2022, the Ministry of education has released the draft documents that establish the organisation of the State exams held at the end of lower and upper secondary education.

Specific measures have been taken to meet the difficulties students have experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lower secondary education: students will take two, instead of two, written tests and one interview. The two written tests verify the competences in Italian and in mathematics, while the interview verifies the competences in all the curricular subjects. Tests are drawn up by the examination board of the school.

The participation in the national standardised tests is not a requirement for the admission to the exam.

Upper secondary education: students will take two, instead of three, written tests and one interview. The first written test verifies the competences in Italian, and it is drawn up at central level. The second written test verifies the competences in a curricular subject typical of the different branches of each type of upper secondary school and it is prepared by the examination boards of the schools. The interview verifies the competences in all the curricular subjects.

The participation in the national standardised tests and in the compulsory traineeship activities is not a requirement for the admission to the exam.

The Ministry of education published the final text of the Ordinances on 14 March 2022.