Masterpiece and Maturity, students are confused: for one in three there are no indications from the professors
A few weeks before the State Exam, there are still few certainties among students and teachers about the new tools put in place by the Ministry of Education
ROME – The Masterpiece is certainly the most ‘talked about’ novelty of the 2024 Maturity exam. And also the one that is putting graduates in difficulty the most. As revealed by a survey carried out by Skuola.net on a sample of 500 fifth graders, only 16% consider it an opportunity in favor of students. Meanwhile, to reassure all graduating students, the Ministry of Education and Merit has clarified in a recent note that the words Masterpiece and Maturità should not be related. Viale Trastevere clarifies that it is not subject of the final State exam interview of the second cycle of education and does not flow directly into the student’s CV, which the Commission takes into account when carrying out the interview”.
The Masterpiece, in fact , was created as a self-evaluation tool for the student, who is asked to report and report, for each year of high school, at least one significant and representative experience of the skills acquired in school or outside school, individually or in a group. Everything happens in digital form on the Unica ministerial platform, introduced this year and where the E-Portfolio resides, a digital document that tells the story of the ‘life, death and miracles’ of each student. It’s a shame that the teachers have interpreted this innovation in a heterogeneous way. Linking it to the Maturity exam: in 1 case out of 10 the students were told that it will certainly be one of the elements evaluated during the oral interview. 1 in 5 was instead told that it must be uploaded to the Unica platform but that it will not be considered in the exam. Things went worse for those – 1 out of 3 – who remained in the vagueness of “could be considered during the exam”. While nothing was communicated to the remaining third.
In the age of social media, clearly, certain information goes beyond individual schools: the Masterpiece quickly became a trend on TikTok, further fueling the confusion, because each student shared the instructions of their teachers who , in fact, could be different from those received in class by those who viewed the contents. The advice, in these cases, is to follow the instructions of your teachers who will then make up part of the exam commission. Also because, sifting through the FAQs (frequently asked questions) on the platform Unique, it is said that “it can be enhanced if particularly representative of an activity of significant interest carried out within school or outside of school”.
STUDENTS’ NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS ON THE MASTERPIECE
In light of what has just been said, it is no surprise that almost 7 out of 10 students judge the Masterpiece negatively. More specifically, over half (52%) say that it is a mistake to upload the accruing an additional burden; We remember, in fact, that the task is the responsibility of the students. And another 16% even bring up possible discrimination, stating that the Masterpiece can create a distance between those who have nothing to report, for the most varied reasons, and those who have instead been able to have many experiences . Only 1 in 6, however, finds it a good thing, which can help to show off. A final 16% is missing: they are those who do not express their opinion on the issue, as they do not have sufficient elements in hand to judge.
Once the initial confusion has been overcome, apart from the 10% who were unaware of the news, almost all the graduates have uploaded a Masterpiece to their E-Portfolio or will do so shortly. On the 19th % have already reported more than one document, 28% have limited themselves to just one, 37% have put it among the things to do. Just 6% think they can’t find even one idea to include. Each Masterpiece must then be associated with a thematic area in which the experience developed. The most popular? Approximately 1 in 4 chose goals achieved in the cultural or artistic field, almost 1 in 5 volunteered and active citizenship activities, just as many reported projects in the field of foreign languages.
THE STUDENT’S CURRICULUM
The E-Portfolio also contains another element which, however, must absolutely be filled out in view of the Maturity: the Student’s Curriculum. Here, as we have seen, the legislation is clear: it will be taken into account during the exam and the information provided by the student will help to get an idea of the path followed even beyond of school activities. Awareness, in this case, improves, but not as much as one would expect for a tool already known in previous editions of the exam. In fact, the majority of graduates are divided between those who have already filled it out (31%) and those who are stalling but will do so soon (37%). However, there remains a 10% who are having difficulty understanding what needs to be done and, even, a 16% who fall from the clouds and have no idea of the need to participate in compiling the student’s CV. Finally, 6% decided for ‘No, thanks’: they will probably leave it blank.