Secondary education in Italy

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Secondary education in Italy lasts eight years and is divided in two stages: scuola secondaria di primo grado ("lower secondary school"), also known as scuola media, corresponding to the ISCED 2011 Level 2, middle school and scuola secondaria di secondo grado ("upper secondary school"), which corresponds to the ISCED 2011 Level 3, high school. The middle school lasts three years from the age of 11 to age 14, and the upper secondary from 14 to 19.

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Scuola secondaria di primo grado ("middle school")

A scuola secondaria di primo grado (aka scuola media), in San Giorgio su Legnano Scuole Medie SGSL.JPG
A scuola secondaria di primo grado (aka scuola media), in San Giorgio su Legnano
A scuola secondaria di primo grado (aka scuola media), in Suzzara Scuola media Suzzara.JPG
A scuola secondaria di primo grado (aka scuola media), in Suzzara

The scuola secondaria di primo grado (lower secondary school), commonly known as scuola media inferiore (lit.'lower middle school') or scuola media ("middle school"), it follows the definition of an ISCED 2011 Level 2 school. [1] It is compulsory for all pupils. It lasts for three years, roughly from age 11 to 14. It is the first stage where students are taught by subject specialists. It consolidates the subjects taught at the scuola primaria, adding technology, music and a language other than English (typically French, German or Spanish, even though most primary schools already teach some basics of two foreign languages). [lower-alpha 1]

The middle school has a common program of study for all pupils; it covers all the classic subjects that would be recognised in a comprehensive school: Italian language and literature, history, geography, mathematics, natural sciences, English and a second foreign Language, technology, art (both history and practical), music, civics and physical education. [2]

Lower secondary school exam

At the end of the third year, students take an examination which includes:

The final score is given as an average of the test scores – a number from 1 to 10. 6 and above are considered pass marks. Successful students receive a diploma di licenza media ("lower secondary school diploma"). [2]

Scuola secondaria di secondo grado ("high school")

A high school in Rome, the Liceo Torquato Tasso Liceo classico statale Torquato Tasso.jpg
A high school in Rome, the Liceo Torquato Tasso
A high school in Como, the Liceo Alessandro Volta Liceovoltacomo.jpg
A high school in Como, the Liceo Alessandro Volta

The scuola secondaria di secondo grado ("upper secondary school") – commonly known as scuola media superiore (lit.'high middle school') or scuola superiore ("high school") – lasts five years. [lower-alpha 2] It follows closely the pattern of typical ISCED 2011 Level 3 school. The first two years when the student will be under 16 years old, are compulsory, the other three years are voluntary. There is an exam at the end of the final year, called esame di stato or, previously, the esame di maturità ("maturity exam"); this exam takes place every year between June and July. [3] The course is designed to give students the skills and qualifications needed to progress to university or higher education college. [4]

Students may choose what level of school to attend, there are three types of scuola secondaria di secondo grado that range from the academic to the vocational. All students follow a common course of core subjects during the first two years augmented by subjects from their elected specialism. [2]

Programs of study are generally introduced at national level. Currently, most secondary schools provide some common structure and core subjects [6] [5] :3 (such as Italian language and literature, history, geography, philosophy, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, one or more foreign language and physical education), while other topics are specific to one type of establishment (i.e. Ancient Greek and Latin in the liceo classico; economy and law in a istituto tecnico economico; art history and drawing in a liceo artistico). [5] :3 A typical Italian student is age 19 when they enter university, while in other countries 18 is the more common age.

In 2018, the Italian secondary education was evaluated as below the OECD average. [7] Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near OECD average in mathematics. Mean performance in Italy declined in reading and science, and remained stable in mathematics. [7] Trento and Bolzano scored at an above the national average in reading. [7] Compared to school children in other OECD countries, children in Italy missed out on a greater amount of learning due to absences and indiscipline in classrooms. [8] A wide gap exists between northern schools, which perform near average, and schools in the South, that had much poorer results. [9]

Liceo

A high school in Bergamo, the Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi 721BergamoLiceoSarpi.jpg
A high school in Bergamo, the Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi
A high school in Palermo, the Liceo classico Vittorio Emanuele II Liceo Classico Vittorio Emanuele II (49878877776).jpg
A high school in Palermo, the Liceo classico Vittorio Emanuele II

The education offered by a liceo ("lyceum") is mostly academic. Individual lyceums will cover the core subjects and specialise in specific fields of study; this may be the humanities, science, or art. The principal focus is to prepare students for university and higher education. [5] :3

Types of liceo include:

Historically:

Istituto tecnico

A high school in Empoli, the istituto tecnico economico Raffaele Piria Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Raffaele Piria - panoramio.jpg
A high school in Empoli, the istituto tecnico economico Raffaele Piria
A high school in Verbania, the istituto tecnico tecnologico Lorenzo Cobianchi Istituto Lorenzo Cobianchi, Verbania (Italy).jpg
A high school in Verbania, the istituto tecnico tecnologico Lorenzo Cobianchi

The education given in an istituto tecnico (technical) offers both a wide theoretical and pratical education and a highly qualified technical specialization in a specific field of studies (e.g.: economy, humanities, administration, law, accountancy, tourism, information technology), often integrated with a three-six months internship in a company, association or university, during the fifth and last year of study. [5] :17

Types of "istituto tecnico" include:

Istituto professionale

A high school in Ferrara, the istituto professionale Luigi Einaudi Ferrara 2014 04.jpg
A high school in Ferrara, the istituto professionale Luigi Einaudi

The istituto professionale ("professional institute") is a vocational college, with a short duration of 3 years specifically structured for practical activities, with the aim to facilitate the direct entry of the pupil to the labour market (technical, agriculture, gastronomy, handicrafts).

This type of school offers a form of vocational education oriented towards practical subjects and enabling the students to start work as soon as they have completed their studies.

Adult education

The Italian school system also features the scuola serale (evening school), aimed at adults and working students.

The istituto d'arte was once a specific type of istituto professionale which offered an education focused on art history and drawing. Today it forms part of the liceo artistico.

Terminal examination

Every kind of Italian secondary high school ends with an examination whose final score is on a 100-point scale:

Students are examined by an exam committee which is divided equally between their own teachers and teachers from other schools. The first and second tests are written by the Ministry of Education, while the oral test is prepared and administered by the exam committee. [10]

The total score is the sum of the pre-exam score, the written tests' scores and the oral test score. If the total points exceed 100, the final score is reduced to 100. If, during the years, the students stand out for their scores (the student never gets less than 8 in the final scores of the last three year, and has more than 9,1 as GPA), they get a "100 cum laude", which gives students a reduction of the first year's university fees. The secondary high school exam is passed with a score of 60 or more, and any secondary high school diploma is valid for access to any university course of any university faculty.

This system has changed many times during the last 20 years; before, the score was expressed in terms of sixtieths so the exam was passed with a score of 36/60 or more, and the top score was 60/60; this was a consequence of being the sum of the scores expressed by the 6 members of the evaluating team, each of them having the ability to express a score in a range from 1 to 10.

The secondary high school exam is officially called esame di Stato (state exam), although the old name esame di maturità (maturity exam) is still in common use.

Summary

Education and certificate awarded:

levelnamedurationcertificate awarded
Lower secondary education
ISCED 2011
Level 2
Scuola secondaria di primo grado; "scuola media" (first grade secondary school; "middle school")3 years (age: 11 to 14)Diploma di scuola secondaria di primo grado (was "licenza media")
Upper secondary education
ISCED 2011
Level 3
Scuola secondaria di secondo grado; "scuola superiore" (second grade secondary school; "high school")5 years (age: 14 to 19)Diploma di liceo
Diploma di istituto tecnico
Diploma di istituto professionale
Formazione professionale (vocational education) (until 2010)3 or 5 years (age 14 to 17 or 14 to 19)Qualifica professionale (3 years), Licenza professionale (5 years)

See also

Notes

  1. Before the Moratti reform the scuola secondaria di primo grado was called scuola media inferiore[ citation needed ]
  2. Before the Gelmini's school reform (2010), some istituti professionali once offered a vocational certificate after three years.

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References

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  3. esame_di_stato Esame_di_stato On line
  4. Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 89/2010 - Regolamento di revisione dei licei. Available here. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Per non perdere l'orientamento, a complete guide to secondary education in Italy
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  7. 1 2 3 "PISA 2018 results". www.oecd.org. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. "Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Italy report" (PDF).
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  10. 1 2 3 Senato della Repubblica, ed. (2007). "Legge 1 gennaio 2007, n. 1 - "Disposizioni in materia di esami di Stato conclusivi dei corsi di studio di istruzione secondaria superiore e delega al Governo in materia di raccordo tra la scuola e le università"" [Law 1 January 2007, N. 1 - "Disposals about the final state exams of secondary high school and government delegation about connection between the school and the universities"]. parlamento.it (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  11. Conseil de la Vallée d'Aoste - Consiglio regionale della Valle d'Aosta, ed. (1998). "Loi régionale n° 52 du 3 novembre 1998". conseil.vda.it (in French).
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Bibliography