SECONDARY ACADEMICS AT ISLAND ACADEMY

The Upper School recognizes that the highest aspiration of the educational process is to imbue the human mind with knowledge, tolerance and vision, and to stimulate a lasting desire to learn. Our programs are designed to ensure, as much as possible, that graduates are prepared to meet the admission requirements of the most competitive colleges and universities, to excel in such institutions, and to attain their personal and career goals.

All school programs are designed to develop students' academic and leadership abilities and their personal, social and civic awareness. Teachers, who are highly-trained specialists with in most cases at least a Masters degree in their subjects, recognize and prioritize that individual needs must be met: they work hard at developing a close relationship with their students, one of the hallmarks of an Island Academy education.

Grades 7-11

The Secondary curriculum from ages 12 to 16 prepares students for the eventual challenges of the IB diploma program. The curriculum from grade to grade evolves with an increasingly focused attention given to both in-depth subject knowledge and considerations of research abilities, self-motivated learning techniques, and community service.

With the first year of Secondary School, students make the transition into secondary academics, with a curricular approach that offers vertical consistency with the grades immediately prior and subsequent. To the four Core Subjects of Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, formal and specialist-taught classes are introduced in Spanish, Art, Music, and Information Technology.

In the years thereafter, students take the full spectrum of requirements (Literature, Math, Social Studies/History, IT, Visual Arts, Spanish, a Lab Science, PE). A student-centred approach is adopted which aims to go beyond compartmentalized pedagogy to embrace a holistic attitude involving instructor and learner, emphasizing the interconnectedness of academic subjects. This horizontal linkage of subjects is central to the eventual approach defining the IB Diploma, while the steady blossoming of learning, thinking and research skills in these five years prepares students for the challenge of the final two year program.

While aiming towards the IB in these five years, students are also concurrently studying for the exams set by the Caribbean Exams Council (CXC). The CXC exams are the Caribbean equivalent of the GCSE exams in England. The range of exams offered at the CXC level includes: English: Language and Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Information Technology, Spanish, and Visual Arts. Students may also prepare for CXC exams outside of the school curriculum on their own.

Island Academy strongly encourages all students to take the PSAT in Grade 11 year and to repeat this practice test in anticipation of the SAT, which should be taken in the Grade 12 year..

At the same time, the secondary curriculum prepares students for a the Island Academy high school diploma and the academically rigorous IB Diploma. Both programs increase student acceptance rates into top world universities, and the IB diploma program also offers the possibility of scholarship and college credit for classes taken while still in secondary school.

IB courses include English, Spanish, Mathematics, History, Biology, Visual Arts, ToK (Theory of Knowledge), CAS (Community, Action and Service) and an Extended Essay. Chemistry will be added to the IB course selections at IA in time for the 2011 school year.