A law for gifted students, and a chance to recognise one another
A reflection for everyone working in education, in schools, in educational centres and in professional practice, on the Italian bill dedicated to gifted students and on what becomes possible when different skills and perspectives begin to talk to each other.
In many classrooms there is a student who raises difficult questions for the adults supporting them. They understand quickly, finish before their classmates, get bored, sometimes interrupt the lesson, at other times withdraw into a silence that is hard to read. The difficulties they show often escape the models we usually rely on to interpret difficulties at school. So teachers, educators, pedagogists, psychologists and families end up asking the same question, each from their own perspective:
«What could really help this young person?»
For a long time the answers remained partial. Each professional observed one part of the situation, and the exchange between different areas of expertise was anything but systematic. That picture is now changing, and the change concerns the whole educational community.
What is happening in the Italian Parliament
On 7 October 2025 the Senate approved the bill titled Disposizioni in favore degli alunni e degli studenti ad alto potenziale cognitivo e delega al Governo per il riconoscimento dei medesimi, that is, provisions in favour of pupils and students with high cognitive potential, with a delegation to the Government for their formal recognition. The text is now before the Chamber of Deputies as bill A.C. 2654: the committee stage has concluded and the floor vote is awaited.
The measure is not law yet. Final approval requires the parliamentary process to be completed. It nevertheless represents the most significant step taken in Italy on this subject in recent decades.
Its main points include the formal recognition of these students, their inclusion within the framework of special educational needs, specific teacher training, the launch of a three-year pilot plan, the establishment of a technical and scientific committee, and coordination with the national health service.
The principle running through the whole text is clear: a student with high cognitive potential may have specific educational needs that call for attention, shared planning and appropriate support.
A note on language may be useful. The bill uses the Italian institutional expression alto potenziale cognitivo, high cognitive potential. In educational and scientific contexts the term giftedness is also widely used, describing a condition marked by high cognitive and emotional intensity, complexity of functioning and distinctive ways of learning. It does not simply coincide with school achievement or with a high IQ score.
A shared view gives a fuller picture
One of the most interesting aspects of the bill is that it acknowledges the contribution of different professions. The text refers to teacher training, to the support of a technical and scientific committee, and to coordination with the health system. It is a choice that mirrors what happens in educational practice: no single figure holds all the elements needed to understand a student fully.
The teacher observes how the pupil functions within the class group, their relationships with classmates, their response to the activities proposed and to school demands. The educator often meets the young person in different settings, where relational patterns and interests less visible at school come to the surface. Pedagogists, psychologists and researchers contribute interpretive tools that help give meaning to the observations gathered. The family, finally, knows the continuity of everyday life, the passions, the fragilities and the resources that rarely emerge elsewhere.
Every perspective is genuine. None, however, is sufficient on its own.
When these observations remain isolated, the risk is that of building incomplete interpretations. Conversely, dialogue between different areas of expertise makes a richer reading possible, and educational planning more coherent.
A direction of work for the whole educational community
Final approval of the law will still take time, but some indications can already guide educational work.
Behind certain behaviours it helps to ask which needs generate them. The student who finishes a test quickly and then loses interest, or the one who gradually stops making an effort despite having good abilities, may need learning experiences that are more stimulating and more meaningful. This reading becomes more solid when it arises from dialogue between those who observe the student in different settings.
The quality of what is proposed also deserves attention. Repeating activities already fully mastered rarely sustains motivation. Opportunities for depth, exploration and problem solving are often better suited to these students.
Personalisation becomes genuinely effective when it takes shape through shared planning. Generic guidance leaves little room for educational action; objectives built together by school, family and professionals make it possible to define concrete and coherent strategies.
A final element concerns the relationship with making mistakes. Many gifted students grow up experiencing success with relative ease and can develop a strong fear of getting things wrong when they meet genuinely challenging tasks. Building environments in which error is treated as an integral part of learning is a responsibility shared between school, family and professionals.
These are not universal formulas. They are directions of work that gain value when skills talk to each other and different perspectives come together. Perhaps this is the most important contribution the bill brings to the educational debate: a reminder that understanding a student calls for a collective view even before new legal instruments.
A view no one holds alone
If, over the years, you have found yourself at a loss in front of a student with these characteristics, you were probably not the only one. For a long time giftedness remained at the margins of both initial and ongoing training for the educational professions. Teachers, educators, pedagogists, psychologists and other professionals have often had to build their skills and experience in the field, with few shared references and limited institutional attention.
This too is why the debate now reaching Parliament marks a significant step. It grows out of the commitment of those who, long before the subject entered the political agenda, recognised these needs in classrooms, in educational services, in professional practice, in research and in universities, and helped make them visible.
The legislative process may take more or less time to conclude, but a direction has already emerged. The quality of inclusion depends on the ability to recognise that every student has specific educational needs, and that offering the same opportunities does not necessarily mean proposing the same paths.
Understanding a student calls for a shared view. Each professional observes one part of the reality, each family knows another. It is from the meeting of these perspectives that a fuller understanding arises, and with it a more effective educational response.
Note on the parliamentary process. The information given here is current as of 28 September 2026. The bill was approved by the Italian Senate on 7 October 2025 and transmitted to the Chamber of Deputies, where the committee stage concluded on 4 February 2026 and the floor vote is awaited. As the measure is still under examination, we recommend checking its current status on the official websites of the Chamber and the Senate.