King’s Academy P.O. Box 9 Madaba - Manja 16188 Jordan tel +962 430 0230 email info@kingsacademy.edu.jo www.kingsacademy.edu.jo CEEB Code 681069
KING’S ACADEMY Profile 2019-2020
Mr. Peter Nilsson, Head of School
email: pnilsson@kingsacademy.edu.jo
Ms. Hala Yaish-Salah, Dean of University Counseling email: hsalah@kingsacademy.edu.jo
Mission In a setting that is rich in history and tradition, King’s Academy is committed to providing a comprehensive college-preparatory education through a challenging curriculum in the arts and sciences; an integrated co-curricular program of athletics, activities and community service; and a nurturing residential environment. Our students will learn to be independent, creative and responsible thinkers within an ethical community that encourages young men and women of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to excel, to cherish one another and to prepare for leadership.
History An independent, coeducational boarding and day school in Madaba, Jordan that opened its doors in 2007, King’s Academy provides outstanding young men and women from Jordan, the Middle East and the world a unique educational experience, blending an American style of education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences with Middle Eastern history, traditions, language and cultural values.
Accreditation and Memberships In the spring of 2011 and at the conclusion of its fourth year, King’s Academy was awarded full accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The school is also licensed by the Jordanian Ministry of Education. In September 2010, King’s Academy became the first Arab school to gain full membership in the global Round Square organization, dedicated to internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership and service. King's Academy is a member of the Mastery Transcript Consortium and a founding member of the Global Online Academy (GOA), a consortium of the world’s leading independent schools whose mission is to translate into online classrooms the intellectually rigorous programs and excellent teaching that are hallmarks of its member schools.
Equity and Educational Opportunity King’s Academy was founded to create what his Majesty King Abdullah II calls “a new tribe in the region...the tribe of the talented meritocracy.” As the only coeducational residential boarding school of its kind in the region, King’s Academy remains the most diverse school in the Middle East and is a pioneering leader in need-based financial aid. Some 50 percent of King’s students receive need-based aid with a total 2019-2020 financial aid budget of US $12.5 million. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 630 students are enrolled at King’s Academy, of whom approximately 148 are seniors. They come from over 40 countries, including various desert towns and villages throughout Jordan. This level of diversity allows King’s to create a unique community that educates students in ways the formal curriculum alone cannot and to forge a school culture that promotes social equity.
A Liberal Arts Education for the 21st Century: Curiosity, Creativity and Independence •
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In keeping with our “Portrait of a Graduate,” we seek to graduate students who are able to: Embrace challenge, discomfort and struggle as a source of resilience, creativity and continued improvement Live curiously; express joy in their learning
September 2019
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Independently direct their own learning and pursue their passions with determination and discipline Transfer their learning to new and urgent problems in the service of their communities and the world Create positive change through engagement, collaboration and citizenship Model, everyday, the virtues of kindness, gratitude and care for others and lead through example
Service and Leadership King’s requires students to participate in an ambitious co-curricular program in the arts, athletics and community service that emphasizes service to others, teamwork, initiative, and community and civic engagement. King’s students feel a great sense of ownership in the culture of the school, serving in a variety of leadership positions: as residential proctors, junior counselors, environmental stewards and as elected representatives to the Disciplinary Committee, Academic Honor Committee and Student Leadership Council. They volunteer extensively in the local community and schools, work in refugee camps, Habitat for Humanity builds, water conservation efforts and fundraising initiatives to address urgent issues of poverty, social justice and human rights.
The Fine, Performing and Persuasive Arts In the hope of unlocking each child's creative potential and individuality, King’s Academy offers a range of courses and co-curricular activities in the arts. In addition to classes in the traditional and modern arts of dance, ceramics, mosaics, painting, photography, drawing, acting, animation and design, King’s has a youth orchestra and a rich theatrical program. Over the last few years, the school has put on performances of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Noel Coward’s Private Lives and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, most of which were premiered here in Jordan at King’s for the first time. King’s also offers a comprehensive and required program in public speaking. Every year each student performs a public declamation in Arabic and English during an all-school competition. Students also participate in Model United Nations (MUN), mock trial and Jordanian Model Parliament.
Curriculum and Course Requirements Students take a remarkably ambitious course of study, including four years of both Arabic and English, and, in grades 11 and 12, an average of six courses per year. In addition to required courses in the core disciplines, student chose from a wide array of advanced 600 level college-level electives, including 27 courses at the AP level, over 60 courses from the Global Online Academy, and a number of 700 level courses that are typical of the work students do in the first or second year of college. King’s offers a number of “capstone” designated courses, including (but not limited to) the College Board’s two-year capstone sequence. Students who complete at least one GOA course and a designated capstone course are awarded a Diploma of Distinction recognizing students who exhibit or publish original work of scholarship, research or creativity.
King’s Academy Profile 2019-2020 www.kingsacademy.edu.jo
The curriculum encompasses eight academic departments: Interdisciplinary programs, Communication; Rhetoric and the Literary Arts – which includes both English and Arabic languages and literatures; Mathematics and Computational Thinking; History, Religion and Society; Art, Design and Technology; Physical and Life Sciences; and World Languages. The courses below are the graduation requirements of this year’s senior class. For entering 10th, 11th and 12th graders, graduation requirements are pro-rated according to the number of years enrolled at King’s Academy.
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Communication, Rhetoric & the Literary Arts • • •
• Four years of CRLA English • Four years of CRLA Arabic • Four years of Mathematics and Computational Thinking • Three years of Physical and Life Sciences (four years recommended), with advanced laboratory courses taught in grade 11 or 12 • A two-year sequence on World History (grade 9) and the History of the Middle East in a global context (grade 10)
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• At least one additional year-long course or three term-long courses from the Department of History, Religion and Society in grade 11 or 12
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• Two semester long courses in the Department of Art, Design and Technology
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Middle School In fall 2016, King’s Academy opened a middle school for grades 7 and 8. The addition of these grades allows King’s to deepen its mission, extend the educational runway for students, and design a more powerful and integrated curriculum. The Middle School program is both foundational and innovative, drawing on the College Board’s QUEST framework for teaching and learning. That framework emphasizes the skills of questioning, thinking critically and creatively, reading, writing and communication. It seeks to ignite young people’s natural curiosity, wonder, creativity and excitement for learning.
Course Offerings 2019-2020 Beginning in 2019-20 King’s will operate on a two-semester basis. There are 164 school days.
Art, Design & Technology • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
3D Arts Advocacy (GOA) Arabic Folklore: Dabkeh Arabic Music Ensemble Architecture (GOA) Art and Design Chamber Music Evening Choir Computer Science II: Game Design and Development (GOA) Digital Photography (GOA) Evening Dance Ensemble Evening Improv Evening Orchestra Filmmaking (GOA) Graphic Design (GOA) Guitar Guitar Orchestra Instrument Lessons Year I Instrument Lessons Year II Instrument Lessons Year III Instrument Lessons Year IV Introduction to Dance Introduction to Theater Lens-Based Arts
September 2019
Scene Study Seminar: Plays on the Page and Stage Fall Music Strings Advanced Dance Tutorial Advanced Music Theory Advanced Studio Art
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Intermediate Arabic 1 Intermediate Arabic 2 Intermediate Arabic 3 Introduction to Arabic Literary Genres Accelerated Introduction to Arabic Literary Genres Arabic Literary Appreciation Accelerated Arabic Literature and Cultural Studies Islamic Civilization Arabic Literature and Cultural Studies Seminar: Film-Based Novels Seminar: Popular and Traditional Arabic Literature Seminar: Women in Arabic Literature Portfolio: Arabic Creative Writing Arabic Capstone Seminar English Language and Composition 1 English Language and Composition 2 Introduction to English Literary Genres Accelerated Introduction to English Literary Genres English Language and Composition 3 Arabic Literature in a Global Context Accelerated Arabic Literature in a Global Context Seminar: Gender in Literature and Film Seminar: Historical Fiction Seminar: Plays on the Page and Stage Seminar: The Art and Literature of Immigration and Occupation Seminar: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Dystopia Portfolio: The Art of Nonfiction Portfolio: The Art of Poetry Portfolio: Creative Writing Advanced Inquiry: Film Studies Advanced Portfolio: The Art of Argumentation Advanced Seminar: Provocative Voices in Literature Advanced Seminar: Lost in Translation (English/Arabic)
History, Religion & Society • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
History of the Ancient and Classical Worlds Islamic Studies III (Arabic) Islamic Studies III (English) A History of the Modern World Islamic Studies IV (Arabic) Islamic Studies IV (English) Adolescent Psychology Government Models Introduction to World Religions Islam and Modernity Modern Jordan History: Read Past, Write Future Topics in Economics Advanced Human Geography Advanced Psychology Advanced Comparative Government and Politics Advanced World History Advanced US History Advanced Art History Advanced Economics Advanced European History
Math & Computational Thinking • • • • • • • •
Accelerated Algebra II Accelerated Pre-Calculus Algebra I Algebra II Calculus Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry Geometry Integrated Mathematics
King’s Academy Profile 2019-2020 2011-2012 www.kingsacademy.edu.jo
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Introduction to Python Programming Introductory Statistics Pre-Calculus Introduction to Python Programming Topics in Programming Advanced Calculus I Advanced Calculus II Advanced Computer Science Advanced Computer Science Principles Advanced Statistics
Physical & Life Sciences • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Introduction to Biology Conceptual Physics Chemistry Biology Physics Astronomy Accelerated Biology Accelerated Chemistry Accelerated Physics Engineering Design Advanced Studies in Biology Advanced Studies in Chemistry Advanced Physics I Advanced Physics C (Mechanics) Advanced Physics C (Electromagnetism) Neuroscience
World Languages • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Elementary French I Elementary Spanish I Elementary Chinese I Elementary Arabic I Elementary German I Elementary French II Elementary Spanish II Elementary Chinese II Elementary Arabic II Elementary Arabic III AY Arabic Advanced AY Arabic (Ithraa') Intermediate French I Intermediate Spanish I Intermediate Chinese I Intermediate French II Intermediate Spanish II Advanced French Advanced Spanish
Capstone (Interdisciplinary Studies) • •
Capstone Seminar: Inequality (AP) Capstone Seminar: The Politics and Science of Memory (AP)
Grading Policy Academic work at King’s is graded on a letter scale in which the minimum passing grade is a D. Below are the percentage breakdowns for letter grades and Grade Point Averages (GPA): 93% - 100% = A (4.0) 89% - 92% = A- (3.7) 86% - 88% = B+ (3.3) 83% - 85% = B (3.0) 79% - 82% = B- (2.7) 76% - 78% = C+ (2.3) 73% - 75% = C (2.0) 70% - 72% = C- (1.7) 67% - 69% = D+ (1.3) 60% - 66% = D (1.0) 59% and below = F (0.0)
Highest Honor Roll, High Honor Roll and Honor Roll distinctions are awarded to those students who achieve a minimum GPA of 3.9, 3.75 or 3.5 respectively. King’s Academy does not rank its students, and as of 2019-2020 King’s Academy no longer weights grades. Un-weighted GPA Distribution Class of 2020 - Junior Year GPA Range
Number of
% of
Students
Students
88 47 11 5 0 0
58% 32% 7% 3% 0% 0%
3.5 - 4.0 3.0 - 3.49 2.5 - 2.99 2.0 - 2.49 1.5 - 1.99 Under 1.49
GPA Range
Number of
% of
Students
Students
4.0 - 4.50 3.5 - 3.99 3.0 - 3.49 2.5 - 2.99 2.0 - 2.49 1.5 - 1.99 Under 1.49
32 77 26 11 5 0 0
21% 52% 17% 7% 3% 0% 0%
Grade Distribution - Junior Year End Grades for the Class of 2020 90 - 100 80 - 89 70 - 79
Department
CRLA - English CRLA - Arabic Physical and Life Sciences Mathematics Computer Science Capstone History and Social Studies Ethics, Philosophy and Religion (EPR) World Languages Fine and Performing Arts All Departments
71% 57% 40% 38% 76% 67% 65% 73% 63% 90% 60%
25% 37% 47% 43% 15% 33% 26% 22% 34% 10% 32%
3% 5% 12% 14% 7% 0% 7% 5% 0% 0% 7%
Section Biology – Ecology Biology – Molecular Chemistry Chinese with Listening English Literature French French with Listening German German with Listening Italian Korean with Listening Latin Math Level I Math Level II Modern Hebrew Physics Spanish Spanish with Listening U.S. History World History
Middle 50% 490 - 610 520 - 680 520 - 690
530 - 650 450 - 600 490 - 630 500 - 700 330 - 770 700 - 700 770 - 800 490 - 780 750 - 750 510 - 640 550 - 680 290 - 300 510 - 650 520 - 700 610 - 760 480 - 660 520 - 690
Mean 554 596 604 611 534 573 626 507 700 790 635 750 576 615 295 584 603 673 573 605
Evidence-based Reading and Writing
Middle 50% 500 - 640
0 - 59
1% 1% 1% 5% 2% 0% 2% 0% 3% 0% 1%
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Students Tested 161 153 571 7 220 51 7 3 1 3 2 1 789
In May 2019, 350 candidates sat for 865 examinations. Scores of 5 were received by 22% of the candidates; scores of 4 were received by 25%; and scores of 3 were received by 25%. Summary of A-Level Arabic Results 2019
Result
Number of Students
A* A B C D
49 33 11 1 1
685 2 395 29 3 56 141
AP Recognition Awards 2019
SAT Summary for the Class of 2020 (through June 2019)
Section
60 - 69
AP Scores
SAT Subject Test Scores for the Classes of 2010-2020
Mean Students tested
In 2019, 165 King's Academy students were recognized by the College Board: AP Scholar Award
75
550
AP Scholar with Honor Award
27
26 - 34
30
AP Scholar with Distinction
64
520 - 680
600
AP International Diploma
4
Reading
25 - 32
28
Writing
24 - 32
28
AP Capstone Diploma
6
1030 - 1310
1185
AP Seminar and Research Certificate
2
Math Mathematics
Total September 2019
Weighted GPA Distribution Class of 2020 - Junior Year
147
King’s Academy Profile 2019-2020 www.kingsacademy.edu.jo
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Three-Year University Matriculation List
UNITED STATES American University Barnard College Bates College Bentley University Boston College Boston University Bradley University Brigham Young University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Case Western Reserve University Claremont McKenna College Clark University College of San Mateo Columbia University Connecticut College Cornell University Dickinson College Duke University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach Florida Institute of Technology Fordham University George Mason University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Hamilton College - NY Harvard University Houston Community College System Illinois Institute of Technology Iowa State University Lehigh University Lone Star College - University Park Loyola Marymount University Marist College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences New York University Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Northwestern University Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences Orange Coast College Oregon State University Pasco-Hernando Community College Pennsylvania State University Pomona College Princeton University Purdue University Rhode Island School of Design Rhodes College Rochester Institute of Technology Rollins College Rutgers University-New Brunswick Saint Mary's College of California Santa Monica College Savannah College of Art and Design School of Visual Arts Skidmore College Stanford University Stony Brook University Suffolk University SUNY Plattsburgh Swarthmore College Syracuse University Temple University The George Washington University The New School - All Divisions The Ohio State University The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University The University of Texas, Austin
September 2019
Trinity College Tufts University United States Coast Guard Academy University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of Central Florida University of Evansville University of Florida University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Michigan University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Southern California University of St. Thomas University of Utah Virginia Tech Wake Forest University Wellesley College Wesleyan University Wheaton College MA Yale University CANADA Carleton University Concordia University - Montreal Dalhousie University McGill University Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) Ontario Tech University Queen's University Ryerson University University of Alberta University of British Columbia University of Toronto University of Waterloo York University
MIDDLE EAST American University of Beirut American University of Sharjah - United Arab Emarites Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management - United Arab Emarites Georgetown University School of Foreign Service - Qatar German - Jordanian University Gulf Medical University - United Arab Emarites Jordan University of Science and Technology Northwestern University in Qatar Prince Sultan University - Saudi Arabia Princess Sumaya University for Technology Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical University of Bahrain The British University in Egypt University of Jordan Yarmouk University OTHER Bard College Berlin - Germany Franklin University Switzerland Glion Institute of Higher Education - Switzerland IE University - Segovia - Spain Jacobs University - Germany Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - Germany Koc University - Turkey Korea University - South Korea Nagoya University - Japan Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences - Germany Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Selçuk University - Turkey SUNY Korea - South Korea The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Universita Bocconi - Italy Universiteit Twente - Netherlands University College Cork - Ireland University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Center - Hungary University of Pecs - Hungary Yale-NUS College - Singapore Yonsei University - South Korea
UNITED KINGDOM Cardiff University City University of London Coventry University Imperial College London Istituto Marangoni, London King's College London Kingston University Queen Mary University of London Royal Holloway, University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London The London School of Economics and Political Science The University of Buckingham The University of Edinburgh The University of Manchester The University of Nottingham The University of Sheffield University College London University of Birmingham University of Brighton University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Central Lancashire University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Kent University of Leeds University of Reading University of Surrey University of Sussex University of the West of England University of Westminster University of York
King’s Academy Profile 2019-2020 www.kingsacademy.edu.jo
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