At American schools in Italy, a student must be six by the end of the calendar year to enter grade one. School years are divided as follows:
- Elementary - grades one through six,- Secondary - grades seven through twelve,- High school - grades nine through twelve.
The elementary program follows a basic American curriculum
with an emphasis on the language arts and mathematics
and general concepts in social studies and science.
The secondary program offers college preparatory courses
at the basic or honours level. The honours level, for
more capable students, has a variety of advanced placement
(AP) courses with college level work and exams and the
International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
Students wishing to enter competitive universities in
the United States must not only do well in the high
school courses, but must also score well on the standardized
tests used for university admissions. The Standard Aptitude
Test (SAT), a test of verbal and mathematical ability,
and the Achievement Tests, individual tests of specific
subject knowledge, are the two most common series of
tests.
A student must be five by September 1 to enter Year
One. The lower school program follows a basic British
curriculum with an emphasis on the language arts, mathematics
and general concepts in history, geography and science.
The last four years of the 13-year program provide a
college preparatory education fulfilling university
requirements worldwide.
Years 10 & 11 follow a two-year program of eight GCSE
(General Certificate of Secondary Education) courses.
Public exams from the U.K. are taken at the end of this
period. GCSE marks involve not only the final exams
but also student work and projects throughout the two
years.
Years 12 & 13 follow a two-year program of normally
three courses which are studied in depth.
Public exams are taken at the end of the "A" or "Advanced"
level courses. Universities in the U.K. require a minimum
of 2 "A" levels and 5 GCSEs for admission, but a top
university requires 3 "A" levels and 8 or more GCSEs
with high pass marks.
Under this program, the school goes on to pre-university
years 12 & 13, involving both a broad range of studies
and an in-depth concentration in a few subjects.
Subjects are divided into six main areas: main academic
language; another modern language; social sciences;
experimental sciences; mathematics; and fine arts, computing,
classical language, third modern language, second social
science, or second experimental science. Students are
expected to select one subject from each area, choosing
three to study at the "subsidiary" level and three to
study at the "higher" level. In addition, they must
take a course on the theory of knowledge, write an extended
essay, and participate in some community work. The diploma
is awarded to those students who satisfactorily fulfil
all these requirements, although certificates are awarded
in the individual subjects. The IB diploma is recognized
by over 600 universities around the world.
Worldwide Classroom
A compilation of intercultural and educational programs
around the world
Box 1166 - Milwaukee, WI 53201-1166, USA
FAX: (414) 224-3466
American School of Milan
20090 Noverasco di Opera, Milan
Tel: +39 02 57601546,
Fax:+39 02 57606274 ,
e-mail: director@asmilan.org
International School of Milan
Via Bezzola 6 Milan
Tel: +39 02 40910067
Oxford School
Via Neruda 2 20030 Senago Milan
Tel: +39 02 99814188,
Fax: +39 02 99813005,
e-mail: oxford.senago@tiscalinet.it
The Sir James Henderson British School of Milan
Via Pisani Dosssi 16, 20134 Milan
Tel: +39 02 210941,
website: www.sjhschool.com
email: info@sjhschool.com
Check with your embassy for a more complete list of international schools.
For more information:
The Informer
12/10/2003