Overview of Education System
The Italian Constitution recognizes and guarantees the right to education for all of its citizens.1 It requires the state to maintain a public school system and allows for the coexistence of state and nonstate schools.2 The Republic establishes general norms for education, and the overall responsibility for education lies with the Ministry of Education (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, or MIUR). The Ministry operates at the national level and is responsible for organizing the various education levels, as well as managing personnel in public schools and curricula in public and private schools.3 At the local level, regions are responsible for vocational training; other responsibilities, such as the management of preprimary schools, often are delegated to provincial and municipal authorities. Schools have autonomy with regard to didactics, organization, research, experimentation, and development.4
Education is compulsory from ages 6 to 16, or until a professional qualification is obtained.5 The Italian school system is organized into preprimary education followed by two education cycles. Preprimary education is provided to children ages 3 to 6 and is not compulsory. The first cycle of education is divided into five years of primary school and three years of lower secondary school. Students who wish to progress to upper secondary education are required to pass an examination. A single curriculum, established at the national level, is common to all levels within the first cycle of education. The second cycle of education consists of five years of upper secondary school and vocational education and training. Upper secondary schools including Lycee (general schools), technical institutes, and vocational institutes are governed by the state. Vocational training is provided by certified education and training agencies that are governed at the regional level.6,7
In 2013, the Sistema Nazionale di Valutazione (SNV), or National Evaluation System, was set up to steer school policies and promote the full implementation of school autonomy. The SNV is responsible for evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of the school system and aims to improve the quality of education and student achievement.8 Within the SNV, schools are required to submit an annual self-evaluation report based on a format established by the MIUR and to set up an improvement plan that is consistent with the improvement goals identified in the self-evaluation report.9