American System Instructional Framework Standards
AERO: American Education Reaches Out
AERO Common Core Plus Curricular Standards are used for the curriculum framework for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Music, and Art. The AERO curriculum framework was set up by the US State Department to provide a curriculum that is aligned with the Common Core Standards (for English Language Arts and Math), and the Next Generation Science Standards (for science). AERO standards are adapted for the needs of US curriculum schools operating outside the US. to serve the needs of multi-national student bodies
Our standards-based curriculum provides the foundation for preparing students to think creatively, communicate effectively, and be enthusiastic learners. The curriculum is designed to ensure that students are receiving the precise building blocks that will prepare them fully for the next phase of their education.
CCS: Common Core Standards
The school’s curriculum content is shaped by the United States Common Core Standards(CCS) for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Common Core is informed by the highest, most effective standards from across the United States and countries around the world. These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life. The Common Core was developed and deployed in the United States in 2009. The initiative combated the stagnant academic progress of the nation’s students due to a lack of educational standardization.
The standards are:
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Research- and evidence-based
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Clear, understandable, and consistent
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Aligned with college and career expectations
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Based on rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills
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Informed by other top-performing countries to prepare all students for success in our global economy and society
NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a set of K–12 science standards that were developed in the United States. The NGSS identifies scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas in science that all K–12 students should master to prepare for success in college and 21st-century careers.
SHAPE:
SHAPE America's National Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education define what a student should know and be able to do as a result of a highly effective physical education program.
ISTE: The International Society for Technology in Education
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the foremost organization in teaching technology in the classroom. As a result, the ISTE has more than a dozen quality standards for how students, teachers, administrators, coaches, and computer educators should approach technology in the classroom.
CCTC: Common Career Technical Core
The Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) is a set of rigorous, high-quality benchmark standards for Career Technical Education (CTE). The goal of the CCTC is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a global economy.
ISCA: The International Model for School Counseling Programs
Students will be supported by Counselors who will implement a guidance program based on the standards of ‘The International Model for School Counseling Programs.’ The Guidance curriculum follows learning standards that are aligned from Pre-K to Grade 12 and are developmentally appropriate.
Using the CASEL competencies as a framework, the ISCA standards guide, and support counselors and programs. Core Counseling Curriculum consists of structured developmental lessons designed to assist students in achieving the desired competencies and to provide all students with the knowledge and skills in the four domains ( academic, career, personal/social, and global perspective). This curriculum is infused throughout the school’s overall curriculum and is presented systematically through Nursery- Grade 12 classrooms, individual student planning, and group activities.
Early Years
Academic Programs:
Early Childhood encompasses both Pre-KG and KG. Students range from 3 to 6 years old during their time in this program. The Early Years Program follows the Creative Curriculum and the AERO Common Core Plus Curricular Standards for Science and Math.
Mathematics
Integrated into the learning standards provided by the Creative Curriculum for Math are the AERO Common Core Plus Curricular Standards for Pre-Kindergarten. These standards are divided into the mathematical domains of counting, numbers in base ten, operations and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, and geometry. In addition, children are immersed in learning developmentally appropriate mathematical practices so that they are ready to meet the expectations of the Common Core during their next phase of learning.
Student Support
Students in the Early Years program will be supported by an Early Years Counselor who will implement a guidance program based on the standards of ‘The International Model for School Counseling Programs.’ The Guidance curriculum follows learning standards that are aligned from Pre-K to Grade 12 and are developmentally appropriate.
Science
AERO Common Core Plus has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. The NGSS also provides some pre-learning standards for the early years. Our school integrates the NGSS into the investigations and topics provided by the Creative Curriculum. The standards are taught through hands-on experiments and collaborative learning. The NGSS approach learning in a cyclical format. Ideas are introduced in earlier stages and built upon at more advanced levels at later stages of a child’s education.
The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten at SAIS is a US common core aligned, comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning. The Creative Curriculum fosters exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and critical thinking. The curriculum offers children thematic-based opportunities for hands-on exploration and discovery that help build lifelong critical thinking skills and foster confidence. The theme-based curriculum is aligned to objectives for development and learning and offers educators daily opportunities to individualize instruction. These research-based objectives are the heart of the curriculum and define the path teachers take with children in their classrooms.
The Creative Curriculum builds upon decades of research, offering a developmentally appropriate, inquiry-based curriculum that incorporates best practices for teaching. It delivers a research-based, whole-child approach to project-based learning. Through in-depth investigations of science and social studies topics that integrate literacy and mathematics concepts, we can encourage students to think critically, solve problems, and connect ideas.
Elementary School
A standards-based curriculum provides the foundation for preparing students to think creatively, communicate effectively, and be enthusiastic learners.
Students are engaged in hands-on project-based learning, driven by their own curiosity and interests. Through project work, children actively investigate their interests, discover new ideas, and develop their own theories, learning to think critically and creatively. Project-based activities engage students in authentic learning and connect them with their environment and community.
Our dynamic learning community is committed to meeting the needs of all students in a warm and caring atmosphere. The emphasis is on the education of the whole child. As students are most receptive to learning when they feel safe, secure, and happy, an emphasis on social and emotional learning will be integrated into homeroom classes with the support of our Elementary counseling program.
Academic Programs:
The Elementary school encompasses students in Grade1 through Grade 5.
The Elementary program follows the AERO Common Core Plus Curricular Standards for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Music and Art, the SHAPE Standards for Physical Education, and the ISTE standards for technology.
Guided by our mission, values, and beliefs, it is our goal to have all students meet or exceed our standards and benchmarks in learning. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that students are receiving the precise building blocks that will prepare them fully for the next phase of their education.
Middle School
Our Middle School program is designed to inspire students to achieve their academic goals and to develop their abilities as self-directed learners. It acknowledges the power of their ideas, develops their ability to collaborate and to think independently, and challenges them to find solutions to problems in order to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
We don’t believe that worksheets foster a curious mind, or that textbooks alone can inspire creativity and enthusiasm. Through the integration of project and problem-based learning, we will connect what we want to see in the world with what we do in school every day.
In addition to the wide range of academic courses, Middle School offers an extensive range of athletic and co-curricular options. Through participation in sports, clubs, and activities, students have many opportunities to grow and learn beyond the classroom.
Academic Programs
The Middle School program at our school follows the AERO Common Core Plus Curricular Standards for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Music and Art, the SHAPE Standards for Physical Education, and the ISTE standards for technology.
Middle School students participate in year-long courses in language arts, math, social studies, science, Arabic, Islamic Studies, and physical education. In addition, students are encouraged to try out a variety of electives to determine where their passions lie. Many electives are offered as semester-long courses so that students have the opportunity to pursue a broader range of subjects. Electives include options in the arts, computer programming, robotics, and world languages.
The curriculum is designed in interdisciplinary, project-based units that challenge students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers.
High School
We believe that education is not solely about academics. Learning is a continuous and holistic process that engages the whole child. High-quality teaching supports students in their journey to discovering their place in the world and understanding their responsibility to contribute positively to it. Students engage in hands-on learning, design, exploration, and innovation, and are given a broad range of choices, enabling them to pursue their individual passions.
We see students as partners in learning and recognize that students have something to teach us:
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Students can teach us about their future hopes and dreams.
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Students can teach us how they learn best. Students can teach us about the conditions that support their learning.
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Students can teach us about their interests and areas of expertise as well as the personal experiences of race or otherness that shape their worldview.
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Students learn by teaching.
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By listening to our students, we will help them grow as learners and achieve their goals.
Academic Programs:
In addition to the wide range of academic courses, the High School offers an extensive range of athletic and co-curricular options. Through participation in sports, clubs, and activities, students will have many opportunities to grow and learn beyond the classroom.
The American High School Diploma program is aligned to the AERO Common Core Plus curricular standards and offers courses in English, Science, Humanities, Math, Programming, Robotics, World Languages, Physical Education, and the Arts. The curriculum is designed in interdisciplinary, project-based units which challenge students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. Technology standards are interwoven into all curricular units.
For more details about the standards we are following at SAIS-Dubai, you are kindly requested to check the following link.