Authorization+letter+and+follow-up

Our authorization letter from Spring 2006, with commendations and recommendations, can be found below. Comments in red are from our post-authorization response in April 2007.

[|Post authorization report w comments.pdf]

Information on subsequent follow-up to the recommendations is given in blue below.


 * Section A: Philosophy**

1. That the school continue to promote the DP in the school community to ensure that the beliefs and values of the programme are well understood among the various stakeholders. The DP programme should whenever possible be promoted in its completeness, as opposed to "diploma and/or certificates".
 * Standard A1 Recommendation:**

The practices noted in the post-authorization response have continued. In particular, presentations to parents and students emphasize the Hexagon Core elements as distinctive aspects of the IB Program, as well as the IB Program's emphasis on inquiry and the development of critical thinking, and the opportunity to explore issues of local and global significance.

However, we are a school that offers both AP and IB, in a community that highly values having a broad range of choices. This makes the promotion of the full Diploma program challenging, as many students opt for a combination of AP courses, IB Certificates, and general HS courses. While we realize that the option to pursue the IB Hexagon Core elements as individual subjects starting in August 2012 is not mandatory for schools, we have some concerns that this will make it even harder to promote the full Diploma in this environment. The HS Articulation committee, including the DP Coordinator from this school and our sister campus, will be studying this issue and will decide on appropriate action.

1. That the school further develop their understanding of international educations beyond experiences students have by virtue of their school (campus) being located outside of the USA, as there are many nationalities and cultures represented in the student body.
 * Standard A2 Recommendations:**

Evidence can be found in the self-study section of the document.

2. That the school conduct and audit of both its curricular and non-curricular programmes to identify opportunities to better promote international-mindedness and raise cultural awareness.

Evidence can be found in the self-study section of the document.

3. To assist in the development of the international nature of the Diploma Programme, the campus is recommended to:

(a) explore alternative, internationally-relevant standardized benchmark testing, e.g. PISA/ISA, to gauge the progress of students

Our standardized testing program has been studied at the administrative level at the school (Elementary, Middle, High on both campuses) and the NWEA MAP tests have been chosen as best suited for our various needs in this area. Use of these assessments will begin in SY 2011-12.

(b) identify a Language A1 Self-Taught or school assisted programme coordinator to ensure a balanced programme of study for those students requesting a language A1 other than English;

Ms. Mary Pat Weber currently fills this role. She is an English A1 moderator (IOC) and has filled the role of Language A1 Self-Taught Coordinator at other international schools.

(c) plan to implement English A2 for those students who study a language A1 other than English.

This course has been offered to students at course selection since the program's beginnings. In our second Diploma cohort (May 2009 session), the course was canceled because of insufficient enrollment (2 students). As a result, we created a co-listed non-IB course called Global English to support our ability to enroll sufficient numbers of students, and the course has been successfully offered since. Starting in August 2011, we will offer both English A Literature and English A Language and Literature at HL and SL.


 * Section B: Organization**

1. That the job description of the DP Coordinator designate include responsibilities for development of the programme, as well as maintenance.
 * Standard B1 Recommendations:**


 * [|SAS IB coordinator job desc.pdf]

2. Notwithstanding the involvement of the college counselor at appropriate stages, lines of responsibility for introducing/explaining/course selecting students (sic) in the Diploma Programme should be clarified.

The DP Coordinator works closely with all four HS Counselors on all matters related to IB students, in both formal and informal ways. The Coordinator's office is in the Counseling area, facilitating frequent conversation and easy follow-up. While we view this spirit of collegiality as the most important component in terms of this recommendation, the following areas of primary responsibility are also in place:

Responsibilities of the DP Coordinator
 * Introducing the program to parents and students
 * Meeting with new full IB Diploma students to discuss program requirements and overall objectives
 * Communicating with students, parents and counselors regarding predicted grades
 * Ensuring that all formal IB requirements are met -- e.g. registration and course requirements

Responsibilities of the HS Counselor
 * General oversight of students' academic and non-academic progress during the four years of HS
 * Ensuring that students meet SAS graduation requirements
 * Communicating with students and parents regarding the college/university application process

3. A written language policy for second language teaching and A1 self-taught and school assisted language support needs developing. This should include guidelines for students entering the school for the first time in the first year of the Diploma, as well as clear expectations about prior language experience necessary for the various language options within the Diploma.

As noted in Section B, and in the Summary of Main Conclusions, due to the rapid growth of the school and the volume of other initiatives over the past five years, this has not yet been done, but is planned for SY 2011-12.


 * Section C: Curriculum**

1. That a skills audit is conducted to ensure that students are adequately prepared academically for the DP.
 * Standard C1 -- Recommendations:**

Vertical articulation is a component of our internal SAS curriculum review. We believe that our strong results also demonstrate that students are well-prepared academically for the DP.

2. That a structured and systematic programme aimed at developing research skills and essay writing skills in the years preceding grades 11 & 12 be introduced.

We do not have a systematic approach to research and essay writing in grades 9 and 10, but research is undertaken by students in most major subject areas:
 * English -- One research project each in grades 9 and 10, connected to cultural and/or historical context of a work studied, submitted as a written research essay
 * Social Studies -- for grade 10:
 * World History -- Create a newspaper front page or a propaganda poster based on historical research
 * AP US History -- 2 research projects
 * 1920's -- either written research assignment based on some aspect of the Red Scare, or a tribute to a cultural icon of the 20's
 * 1945-1990 -- written research assignment, on either social impact of war, or leaders of civil rights, anti-war, or women's movement
 * Science -- students prepare written research articles/posters
 * Grade 9 -- related to some aspect of cell unit
 * Grade 10 -- related to a disease with a genetic basis
 * Math -- Algebra 2/Trig (most common math course for grade 10 students) -- written assignment based on a use of statistics in the media, with extension designed by student
 * Arts
 * Visual Arts -- research is documented in journal/investigation workbook, presented in both written and visual form
 * Dance -- research on a dance company, artist, or style of dance, with choice of presentation format
 * PE/Health -- One research project each in grades 9 and 10, on a current health topic, with a digital presentation

3. That the practice of 'reflection' be incorporated as an integral part of the teaching and learning practices of all subjects prior to, and throughout, the DP years.

As with the previous recommendation, we do not have a systematic program for this practice, but evidence is presented in Section C that reflection is valued and practiced in many courses across the curriculum. Reflection is also an integral part of our CAS program.

Our draft Assessment Policy includes the statement that effective assessment "allows students to ... engage in self-reflection, to understand their own learning, and and plan the next steps of their own learning." The implementation phase of the Assessment Policy over the next few years will therefore require systematic attention to the practice of reflection.


 * Standard C2**
 * Recommendations -- none**

Though there are no recommendations in this area, it should be noted that with the growth of the school, the common planning period mentioned in the authorization letter no longer exists. Structured common planning takes place in twice-yearly cross-campus department meetings involving both SAS campuses, and in monthly department meetings (though as noted, these monthly meetings are used for both curricular and managerial matters). Teachers meet for collaborative planning during shared planning periods if available, during lunch, or after school. The desirability of more structured common planning time is frequently raised, and we have begun discussions about changes to the daily schedule (e.g. the redistribution of time currently used for homeroom and breaks) that may allow for more common planning time, among other uses.

1. That students participate in a process that builds awareness and ownership of codes of ethical behaviour and academic accountability that leads to the development of a statement of consequences should plagiarism occur.
 * Standard C3**
 * Recommendations:**

As noted in Section C, our student handbook clearly spells out the consequences for plagiarism and cheating. As also noted, in the Summary of Main Conclusions, the creation of a climate of academic honesty and not just enforcement, including the participation of students, is needed.

2. To help students develop the skills that avoid breaching academic honesty, opportunity should be given in all subjects to undertake research work.

Research work undertaken by students in courses across the curriculum is noted under Recommendation 2 for Standard C1.

3. That the school determines the subject offerings in the Diploma based on student interests and future needs, with consideration given to options available on the Puxi campus.

Students have commented that the Puxi campus offers a few IB courses that we do not (Business and Management, Social and Cultural Anthropology, and Film). However, we feel our offerings (see Appendix 2) allow for a range of student choice in each subject area, and are in line with our somewhat smaller enrollment (for the HS as a whole, 527 vs 650+), as well as available staffing and departmental priorities.

4. That the school explores innovative ways to take advantage of the academic resources available at the sister campus. Teleconference/video links with courses offered at SAS Puxi could allow Pudong students to take alternative DP courses (and vice versa).

After a considerable discussion around the time of the initial response to the authorization recommendations (spring 2007), it was felt that our existing videoconference technology is not robust or reliable enough for shared courses by videolink. At this point, we are looking more towards Pamoja and their DP online courses for this kind of access to courses which we don't offer here. To date, no students have elected to enroll in Pamoja courses (even the ones offered at the Puxi campus but not here), even though the option has been presented to students and parents. We are hopeful that as Pamoja increases its offerings, particularly in the area of languages, that this will change.

1. That future curricular review cycles align with current IB Diploma 5+2 curricular review cycles.
 * Standard C4 Recommendations:**

This has not been possible in all subject areas because our curriculum review is undertaken by both campuses simultaneously and spans pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. However, the needs of the IB program are given sufficiently high priority to allow us to respond to changes in IB courses, even if they don't coincide with our curriculum review cycle. The revisions to the courses in Groups 1 and 2 provide a good example of this -- steps taken to prepare for these revised courses are detailed under C1.11.

2. The school is encouraged to incorporate both peer- and self-assessment into its learning practices.

Again, we do not have a systematic program for this practice, but evidence is presented in Section C, especially under C4.5, that peer and self-assessment are valued and practiced in many courses across the curriculum.

3. That Diploma candidates' learning is regularly assessed against the objectives and assessment criteria specific to each subject.

Evidence can be found in Section C, in particular under C4.13.

4. That the assessment and reporting policy be extended and modified to include relevant information for parents and students.

Evidence can be found in he self-study section of this document. In addition, during the implementation of our Assessment policy, these issues will be revisited in depth.


 * Section D: The Student**


 * Standard D1**
 * Recommendations -- none**

1. That the campus develops a policy on extended essay supervision to ensure that teachers are not overloaded and that students are provided with appropriate amounts of support.
 * Standard D2 -- Recommendations:**

Evidence can be found in Section D.

2. That the opportunity to supervise extended essays be offered to all teachers across the campus.

A majority of EEs are supervised by IB teachers. However, every year, some EEs are supervised by HS teachers not currently teaching IB, and in situations where we are looking for particularly specialized expertise, the DP Coordinator may seek out supervisors outside the HS -- during our first four EE cycles, we have had EEs supervised by two school-wide administrators, and a middle-school teacher, with appropriate guidance from the DP Coordinator.

3. That the DP Coordinator ensures that all supervisors and students understand their responsibilities with respect to the Extended Essay.

Evidence can be found in the self-study section of the document.

4. That the school defines the role of the CAS Coordinator, and establishes a set of principles that explain the role of CAS in the Diploma Programmme.

The CAS Coordinator:
 * Shares primary responsibility with the DP Coordinator for explaining the goals and requirements of CAS to parents and students
 * Has primary responsibility for working with CAS mentors and activity supervisors, explaining the goals and requirements of CAS, and clarifying their roles
 * Has primary responsibility for evaluating students' overall progress in CAS, and for keeping students and parents informed of this progress
 * Frequently acts as a liaison with other divisions of the school, parents, and/or community organizations regarding new CAS opportunities.

The following excerpt regarding the role of CAS in the Diploma Program is taken from our student handbook:

** Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) ** Participation in the school’s Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) program is intended to develop a student’s creative, artistic and physical well being. The CAS requirement seriously considers the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a refreshing counterbalance to the academic self-absorption, some may feel within a demanding school program. It also considers seriously the goals of educating the whole person and fostering a more compassionate citizenship. Through participation in CAS activities, students are encouraged to share their energies and special talents, while developing awareness, concern and the ability to work co-operatively with others. Ms. Mary Pat Weber is the Pudong CAS Coordinator. Questions should be directed to her at MaryPat.Weber@saschina.org.

5. That specific timelines and sequencing for the deployment of the EE and TOK are developed and promulgated amongst the student body.


 * The EE timeline has appeared in Section D of the self-study and is attached again here -- [|EE timeline 2011-12.pdf]
 * The scheduling of TOK has been discussed under A1.8 (concurrency of learning). The dates for TOK presentations and due dates for essays are included in the Y2 assignments calendar under recommendation 6.

6. That a timeline for internal deadlines for development and receipt of IA material be developed with faculty. This calendar should be distributed to parents and students.

We use a Google calendar for this purpose: ** @https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=1rbtolhtrbpafdele441449gs8%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Asia/Chongqing **