It’s an exciting time to be studying at ISHCMC – American Academy! Our school is proud to offer Middle & High school programs that equip students with academic language skills and offer a chance to study multiple university-level courses before graduating from high school.

Our Middle School program is tailored to meet the needs of students who enroll at varying levels of English language development. Some key facts about our grade 6-8 program:

• Annual math course placement is by ability, not by grade level. This allows students who are above grade level in Math to follow an accelerated program and be on track to complete university-level Calculus before grade 12.
• All grade 6 students take Beginner Band. This introduces them to music theory and a variety of band instruments. After completing Beginner Band, students have the option to continue as members of the band throughout Middle & High School.
• All grade 7 students take Health. This course covers many areas related to student wellbeing, including an introduction to sexual health and reproduction. Positive Education concepts, as based on the successful model from Geelong Grammar School in Australia, are built into the course.
• All grade 8 students take 21st Century Skills. Based on the Agile Learning model, students learn to take charge of their own learning and organization. Agile is a model used by many successful and innovative companies such as Google. In the class, focused teams seek creative flow, adapt through learning cycles, and use reflective tools to complete projects.

Our High School program is tailored to meet the needs of students seeking varying post-secondary career paths. Some key facts about our grade 9-12 program:

• We are the only school in Vietnam to offer dual-enrollment courses with Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA). This allows students to gain university credit directly from Syracuse University before high school graduation.
• We are one of 9 schools in Vietnam that is officially authorized to offer Advanced Placement courses through the College Board, and we have done so since 2012.
• Grade 9 students take Beginner Band. This introduces them to music theory and a variety of band instruments. After completing Beginner Band, students have the option to continue as members of the band throughout Middle & High School.
• Grade 9 students take Health and cover topics related to physical and mental health as well as nutrition and sexuality.
• Grade 10 students who are not enrolled in intensive EAL take a semester of Information Literacy. Based on the Agile Learning model, students learn to take charge of their own learning in regard to in-depth research projects. An important focus of the class is on planning, reflection, and self-evaluation. The course culminates is a TED-style talk where each student shares about the journey.
• Each grade 11 & 12 students has a completely custom-made schedule based on their academic interests and career plans.
• We offer a Senior Seminar course for our grade 12 students in order to assist and guide them in the college application process. This course is taught by the Counselor and utilizes Agile Learning methods to promote self-directed learning and organization skills.

Positive Education and Agile Learning are built into core curriculum, field trips, and extracurricular activities in order to promote well-being and equip students to succeed in academics, their future careers, and their personal lives.

I hope you enjoy reading about ISHCMC – American Academy’s academic program, and I hope you will enjoy it even more when your children share with you about their learning!