Assessment during this phase of education is generally carried out by individual schools in accordance with criteria determined by the Ministry of (Public) Education (MPI). The National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System (Istituto Nazionale per la Valutazione del Sistema educativo di Istruzione e di formazione - INVALSI) is the body appointed by the MPI which has responsibility for assessment.27
Until the 2004/05 school year, the licenza elementare - the national primary school leaving examination was taken on completion of Year 5 in primary education, age 11. This allowed entry to a lower secondary school.68 The licenza elementare is now not held as it is no longer required for lower secondary school entry, as primary and lower secondary education now form 'sub-divisions' of what is the first cycle of education. (Source: Eurydice Unit, Italy: http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php)
In the 2007/08 school year, the MPI introduced the requirement for INVALSI to assess pupil achievement in Italian, mathematics and science by means of national tests. The tests are to be administered in a sample of schools. They will take place in Years 2 and 5 of primary school (children aged seven/eight and 10-11 respectively) (and also in Years 1 and 3 of lower secondary school, for 11- to 12-year-olds and 13- to 14-year-olds; and in Years 2 and 5 of upper secondary school for 15- to 16-year-olds and 18- to 19-year-olds respectively). These tests will be administered by trained teachers, external to the participating school. Assessment results will be made available to participating schools; the aim is to promote and develop school self-evaluation. (Source: Eurydice Unit, Italy: http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php)
Annual assessment in primary education (on the basis of year-round continuous assessment) is used to determine student progress in comparison with entry levels and may be used to help indicate the student's attainment levels in comparison with target levels. Consequently, it measures student achievement to date, helps to identify student need and to inform decisions on teaching and learning.25
The final assessment which takes place at the end of each school year (on the basis of continuous year-round assessment) also determines admission to the following year, although non-admission to the next class is rare in Italy and only takes place in exceptional cases. Should a class teacher consider it necessary to propose that a student not be admitted to the following year, he or she must submit a report recommending this course of action for the approval of the Interclass Council (Consiglio di interclasse).25
The aim of the new assessments of a sample of children in Years 2 and 5 in some primary schools (see 6.2.1) is to promote and develop school self-evaluation. (Source: Eurydice Unit, Italy: http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php)
All students are involved in regular, ongoing classroom assessment. A sample of children in Years 2 and 5 in some primary schools are also involved in new national tests in Italian, mathematics and science introduced in the 2007/08 school year. See 6.2.1 for further information. (Source: Eurydice Unit, Italy: http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php)
Continuous assessment
Student progress, evaluated in the context of their academic potential, willingness to learn, social development and general level of maturity,53 is assessed throughout the school year, on the basis of individual teachers' observations of written and oral classwork and homework. This assessment is performed by the Interclass Council (Consiglio di interclasse), an assembly of teachers of all the parallel classes. For the purposes of assessment, the school year is divided into periods of three or four months. There is a final assessment, based on the year's work, at the end of the year for admission to the following year; non-admission only takes place in exceptional cases at the recommendation of the Interclass Council.20
Esame di licenza elementare - discontinued from 2004/05 school year
Until the 2004/05 school year, at the end of (Year 5 of) the scuola elementare (age 11) students took the primary school leaving examination, the esame di licenza elementare. This was awarded by a specially appointed commission made up of state school teachers. The licenza elementare was previously required for students to gain access to compulsory lower secondary school (scuola media). The examination consisted of two written papers, relating respectively to language and expression, and logic and mathematics, and one oral examination covering all subjects together.20,21 The primary school leaving examination is no longer required to proceed to lower secondary education, as primary and lower secondary education now form 'sub-divisions' of the first cycle of education in Italy. (Source: Eurydice Unit, Italy: http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php)
Students' progress and maturity is assessed throughout the school year on the basis of individual teachers' observations of written and oral classwork and homework. Final assessment is performed by the Interclass Council (Consiglio di interclasse), an assembly of teachers of all the parallel classes.20
Current Ministry directives on assessment were originally established by Law No. 517 of 4 August 1977,2 which introduced a new system for grading students during compulsory education (ages 6-14 to September 1999, ages 6-15 from the 1999/2000 school year). In line with this directive, since 1977, assessment in all scheda personale (student reports) has no longer been expressed in the form of numerical marks (usually a decimal grade, that is to say a mark out of 10) or by means of letters (A, B, C, D, E), rather students have been regularly provided with a 'a written evaluation of their level of maturity'.31 That is, scheda personale have shown the overall development and formation of the student's personality and his or her commitment to learn.20
A five-level grid ("the assessment grid") was introduced in the summer of 1996 to assist teachers in providing their written evaluation for assessing students in compulsory education. This grid provides teachers with five options:
From this grid, teachers select the relevant category to describe a student's attainment level. The grid is intended to provide clarity.49
Failure at any stage is unusual, but should this occur, it generally entails having to repeat the year, before promotion to the next school year or access to the next school phase can be granted.27 Previously, students had to take September 'resit' examinations in any subjects) in which they were judged to be failing, prior to being permitted to progress to the next class or phase. Support/additional teaching (in a student's weak subject(s)) is now provided and resit examinations have been abolished.46 See section 6.3.7 also.
Marks are communicated to students and their parents.27 Reporting to parents at the primary level usually takes place through individual interviews. On such occasions, parents receive a child's assessment report - the scheda or scheda personale. Such meetings usually take place at the end of the first four months of the school year, and at the end of the school year when children receive their final report. Assessments are not expressed in the form of numerical marks; reports provide evidence of the overall development and formation of the student's personality, his or her commitment to learn, their participation in school life and provide a systematic observation of their progress and level of maturity. The final (year-end) report highlights progress achieved in relation to entry levels, interests shown and aptitudes which have been encouraged. It may also indicate how far a student has progressed in relation to targets set, with a view to planning future strategies. Reports also mentions students' social skills. 68, 20, 33
In the 1997/8 school year, 0.6 per cent of students repeated Year 1 in state and non state primary schools.21