curriculum

Curriculum Overview

The High School (grades 9-12) curriculum consists of a core program in English, Mathematics, Science, World Languages, (Dutch, French, Spanish) and Social Studies. During these four years there are two distinct phases to our students' education. In the pre-IB years of Grades 9 and 10, students make selections that will prepare them for the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a rigorous program that provides a framework for our curriculum and guides our approaches to learning.  As they move into Grades 11 and 12, many students choose to participate in the full IB Diploma Program. This program is a rigorous university preparation course of study that is recognized as meeting university entrance requirements in over 100 countries in the world.

Students not choosing to participate in the full IB Program usually take one or two IB courses along with other high school courses offered at AISR, which meet the standards for our High School Diploma. Non-IB courses are available in all curricular areas and are taught at the level of a typical universi typreparatory course found in U.S. high schools. Virtually all AISR graduates move on to university or their next level of higher education.

PISA and International Schools' Assessment (ISA)

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating economies and administered to15-year-olds in schools.Three assessments have so far been carried out (in 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009). Data for the assessment which took place in 2009 will be released on 7 December 2010. Tests are typically administered to between 4,500 and 10,000 students in each country. It is funded and maintained by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More information on this is available when you click on the following image:

The American International School of Rotterdam actively manages its performance levels and that of its students benchmarking against PISA using the students’ International Schools’ Assessment (ISA). The Grade 9 and 10 National Comparisons Reports for the ISA compare the performance of Grade 9 or 10 ISA students in Mathematical Literacy and Reading with the performance in PISA 2003 of samples of 15-year-old students from 41 countries. ISA provides an insight into students’ proficiency in the areas of Mathematical Literacy, Reading, Narrative Writing and Expository Writing.