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Chapter 1
The Italian School System and the European Context
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Basic timetable of 30 hours per week (
normal time
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Extended time
of 36 hours per week, which can rise to 40 hours upon authorisation
by the Regional School Office. The timetable includes the time spent in the school
canteen.
The parents or tutors are responsible for choosing the option at the time of registra-
tion.
The first classes are made up, as a rule, with no less than 18 and no more than 27
pupils, and can reach 28 in case of pupils extra registered.
The teaching of two European languages was provided:
the first is necessarily Eng-
lish
, with three hours per week. The second language has two hours per week and,
based on the Programme of Studies, must normally be chosen between French,
Spanish or German.
1.2.4
National Guidelines for the first cycle
The National Guidelines of 2012 point out that the
primary school and the lower sec-
ondary school
should jointly make up the first cycle of education. Hence, the choice
of the vertical curriculum, built through school autonomy within the framework of-
fered by the Specifications.
The starting point is the
Student’s Profile
, which describes the skills related to the
teaching disciplines and the full exercise of citizenship that a student must have at
the end of the eight years of the first cycle of education.
Then, there are the curricula of disciplines (in order Italian, English and a second
European Union language, history, geography, mathematics, science, music, arts and
image, physical education, and technology).
For each of these disciplines, the
learning objectives
are identified:
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At the end of the third grade of primary school;
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At the end of the fifth grade of primary school;
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At the end of the third grade of lower secondary school.
1.2.5
Periodic and final evaluation. The final state exam in the first cycle
of education
In secondary school (lower and upper), the school year is valid when the pupil has
attended at least
three quarters of the customised annual timetable
.
The class council is
responsible for the periodic and final evaluation
, chaired by
the head teacher or a delegate. Pupils must be assessed for each discipline and for
behaviour with
grades expressed in tenths
. Teaching Catholic religion is evaluated
using synthetic judgement.
To be eligible for the next year or for the State exam, pupils must acquire sufficient
knowledge in all disciplines, including the grade for behaviour. In case of
deficien-
cies in one or more disciplines
, the class council may approve admission by majority.
In this case, it makes a specific note in the evaluation document to call for the re-
sponsibility of the family and the student to make up.