EVALUATION AND CERTIFICATION OF COMPETENCIES: SURVEY ON PRACTICES, TOOLS, OPINIONS, AND DIFFICULTIES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Competency certification represents a key element in the sustainability of educational systems. Most European countries use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods for competency assessment. The certification has become mandatory in Italy, starting from the first cycle of education until the end of secondary school. Our investigation, conducted through a questionnaire addressed to 383 secondary school teachers, aims to describe the current school reality and investigate the practices, tools, opinions, and difficulties of teachers in evaluating and certifying competencies in the indicated school level. The areas of criticality among teachers, in general, lie in the fact that competency certification is generally carried out using annual disciplinary assessments or by converting grades into competency levels. Specific teacher training in this regard is required, and we will monitor the outcomes of the application of new certification models. 1