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GENERAL INFORMATION
ADMISSION STATEMENT:
International School Bangkok accepts students who can be successful and grow in our school given our resources and program. Admission to ISB is contingent on completion of all requirements provided by the ISB Admissions Office. Once prospective students are approved by the Admissions Office, then they are scheduled for a program planning session with a school counselor.
GRADE PLACEMENT:
Grade placement of students is determined by the Middle School Principal upon recommendation of the counselors at the time of admission. Grade placement is, in most cases, based upon the age of the student and/or the number of years of schooling successfully completed.
Students who have not completed a grade level will, in the majority of cases, be placed in that grade again upon admission if it is the age-appropriate level for ISB. Students who have finished a grade level and apply to ISB after the beginning of the school year will, in the majority of cases, be placed in that grade again upon admission if it is the age-appropriate level for ISB and depending on the timing of the arrival.
Students with learning needs learn best when they are educated with typically developing peers to the maximum extent possible. We are able to meet the needs of most students in the regular classroom with differentiated instruction through accommodations and consultation. Some students may receive additional support in class through:
• small group instruction,
• specific, directed support, and co-teaching
Students with mild and moderate learning needs who require a higher level of support may attend a small group learning support class to work on the individualized learning goals on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:
This Program of Studies will help students and families plan their academic program. Before selecting courses, it is helpful to know the requirements, objectives, and general sense of the course. When planning a program, the follow questions can be useful:
1. What courses are required in my grade level?
2. What courses would provide me a good level of challenge?
3. What elective courses would be fun to explore and allow me to take safe “risks” to extend my learning in a balanced manner?
4. What learning am I passionate about?
5. Have I considered my home learning, activities, out- side interests, and out of school responsibilities when choosing my courses so that I can maintain a healthy, active, and balanced life?
COURSE SELECTION / PLACEMENT:
Early in the second semester, students register for classes for the following year. Students have some choice in elective courses, depending on their grade level, and will be placed in those as best we can, depending on class enrollment, scheduling constraints or conflicts, and course requirements. Students will be placed automatically in required courses (e.g. PE, Social Studies, Math, Science, English, etc.) according to their grade and current teacher recommendation. On occasion, a student schedule may need to be changed due to administrative reasons such as balancing the number of students in a particular class section. A change may also occur, on rare occasions, at the start of a semester due to the availability of electives in a given period. We appreciate your flexibility when this occurs.
COURSE CHANGES:
We do our best to schedule students correctly the first time. It is therefore very important for students and parents to discuss and decide upon course choices as best they can during the registration period. Occasionally, a student starts a course and realizes that the level of challenge in the curriculum is not right for him/her. Students may request to add and/or drop courses during the first five days of the semester. Approval for these changes is subject to available space and a clear understanding about the reasons for the change. Teachers, counselors and administrators may discuss the change request before approving it, based on individual circumstances.
Typical reasons for a change being approved include:
• Medical reasons
• A prerequisite has not been completed
• The student has been misplaced
• The student’s preference for that choice has changed (or it wasn’t a high choice in the first place).
As a general rule, we do not make schedule changes for a student to be placed with friends or with a particular teacher.
It is important to note that requests that come at the start of the school year are often hard to meet because classes have already been scheduled, are often full, and conflicts may prevent a change. This is why it is so important for students to get the requests right during the registration process. We intentionally build the schedule to accommodate requests as best we can.