Curriculum
Stamford American International School is a unique, world class school in Singapore for boys and girls of all nationalities. Everything we do is designed to help your child achieve their absolute best academically as well as developing confidence and a wider understanding of the world around them – enabling each student to go on and take their place as a successful ‘global citizen’. This is reflected in our ethos, guiding statements and our vision.
Best of International and American Learning
Stamford offers two rigorous programs of learning; the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program integrated with the most rigorous US state standards (AERO). Stamford students get the best of international and American education to prepare them to live, learn and work in our increasingly globalized world. The curricula is concept-based, building on children’s natural curiosity through formal content mixed with a broad range of associated ‘real-world’ experiences. This creates a solid platform for information and concepts which students will build on while at Stamford and for the rest of their lives.
American Education Reaches Out (AERO) Standards
Stamford aligns the American Education Reaches Out (AERO) Standards with the IB programs to ensure that students receive the best of American and international education. The AERO project is supported by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools and the Overseas Schools Advisory Council to assist schools in developing and implementing American standards-based school curricula. AERO provides a framework for curriculum consistency from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and for stability of curriculum in overseas schools. AERO’s curriculum and resources are in alignment with research based trends in the development of curriculum worldwide, and in particular with standards-based efforts in the U.S.
The AERO Curriculum Framework connects the process strands, which highlight ways of acquiring and using content knowledge, with the content standards, which outline the big concepts, to develop a coherent understanding. The relationship between Process and Content Standards is critical as students will not develop proficient understanding if either is taught in isolation. The AERO project’s primary goal is to develop a framework of voluntary academic standards appropriate for American schools overseas. The AERO Standards used the Council for Basic Education’s Standards for Excellence in Education as the base. Standards for Excellence in Education is a condensed, edited version of the U.S. national standards, so there is a strong relationship between the U.S. national standards and AERO.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs
Stamford offers the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) and the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) and will develop to offer the IB Diploma Program. Stamford is an IB World School authorized for the PYP and MYP and a candidate school* for the Diploma Program. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Stamford believes is important for our students.
IB Primary Years Program (PYP)
The PYP is a course of study designed to meet the educational requirements of students between the ages of 3 and 12 years.
The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The PYP:
• Encourages international-mindedness.
• Encourages a positive attitude to learning by engaging students in inquiries and developing their awareness of the process of
learning so that they become lifelong learners.
• Reflects real life by encouraging learning beyond traditional subjects with meaningful, in-depth inquiries into real issues.
• Emphasizes, through the learner profile, the development of the whole student physically, intellectually, emotionally and
ethically.
IB Middle Years Program (MYP)
The MYP is a course of study designed to meet the educati onal requirements of students between the ages of 11 and 16 years. The MYP provides a philosophical framework with a holistic approach to education and a rigorous framework for assessment. The MYP aims to educate the whole person and to show the impact of each individual on the world around them. The MYP fosters intercultural awareness and the importance of communication. Its goal is to constantly place learning within a context, and to make explicit the relationship between various disciplines.
IB Diploma Program (DP)
The IB Diploma Program is recognized by universities in 124 countries and is designed to be taken over two years (age 16-19). The DP includes six academic subjects and the central core which consists of the extended essay, theory of knowledge and CAS (creativity, action and service). Students study two modern languages, a humanities or social science subject, an experimental
science, mathematics or computer science, and another subject including the arts.
*Stamford is an IB World School and a candidate school for the IB Diploma Program (DP). These are schools that share a common philosophy - a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Stamford believes is important for our students. Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) can offer any of its three academic programs: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) or the Diploma Programme. Candidate Status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.