New individual education plan (IEP) templates have been launched in Italy as part of a decree defining support measures for learners with special educational needs (SEN).
After a wide‑ranging consultation with teachers, schools and stakeholder associations, Decree number 182 came into force on 29 December 2020. It builds on Decree 66 of 13 April 2017 on promoting inclusive education for learners with disabilities, which states a requirement for a national IEP template. The new decree provides clear information and tools to help schools support learners with disabilities and SEN.
As part of the decree, four IEP templates have been produced, for pre-primary, primary, lower- and upper-secondary education. They outline the support measures in place for an individual learner, including the need for teaching assistants and other professional staff, personal hygiene requirements and transport services. They also clarify the best teaching strategies for the learner, and how to evaluate the learner’s development and the success of the support measures.
The templates aim to help educational professionals create learning environments that include all learners. They will be introduced gradually over the next year, and schools and teaching staff will receive training and mentoring related to the templates.
The decree includes a set of guidelines on using the templates. It also includes assessment tools to help identify learners’ support needs and the resources required to meet those needs.
The decree and its related documents, including the IEP templates, are available on the Italian Education Ministry website (in Italian). More information is also available on the Italy Legislation and Policy page of the Agency website.