AIHS Model
APS International High School Model vs. Traditional Secondary Education Model
Compare the APS International High School model to a traditional secondary education model.
Internationals Network Model
- Recognizes Unique Needs of Newcomer Students: Assumes students are developing English skills, learning a new education system, and adjusting to a new culture. Provides scaffolding and structured supports to help them become independent learners.
- Heterogeneous & Collaborative Learning: Students are grouped by mixed language levels, academic abilities, and ages to foster peer learning.
- Experiential & Project-Based Learning: Learning is centered around real-world projects, internships, and service learning, and fosters both individual responsibility and teamwork.
- Language & Content Integration: English language development is embedded into all content areas. No separate ESL classes.
- Student-Centered, Inquiry-Based Approach: Students take an active role in their learning, engaging in discussions, projects and research based on thematic topics.
- Portfolio-Based & Authentic Assessments: Students demonstrate knowledge through presentations, projects, and portfolios.
- Interdisciplinary Teaching Teams: Teachers lead and facilitate cross-disciplinary teacher teams to connect essential themes and skills, and to support the same group of students.
- Shared Leadership & Decision-Making: Multiple cross department teachers and staff teams are involved in developing and implementing school systems and governance.
- Flexible Schedules: Flexible class periods and time structures support project-based learning, community-based learning and staff collaboration.
- Holistic Student Support: Social-emotional support, home language recognition, cultural identity affirmation and mentorship are integral to the model.
- Localized Autonomy: Schools adapt curriculum, hiring, scheduling and assessments to fit multilingual learners' needs.
Traditional Secondary Education Model
- Assumes English Proficiency, Cultural and System Familiarity: Expects students to already know English, understand the U.S. education system, and be independent learners who can focus primarily on content.
- Tracking & Ability Grouping: Students are often separated into classes based on proficiency levels or standardized test scores.
- Textbook & Lecture-Based Instruction: Learning is primarily based on textbooks, lectures, and individual assignments and conducted as an individual enterprise.
- ESL as a Separate Course: English learners often take isolated ESL classes, limiting exposure to core content.
- Teacher-Centered, Dominant Rote Learning: Instruction is predominantly direct, with a focus on passive learning (note-taking, memorization), and fragmented.
- Standardized and Traditional Testing Focus: Student progress is measured primarily through multiple-choice quizzes and standardized tests.
- Departmentalized Teaching: Teachers work within their subject areas with little collaboration across disciplines, making it challenging to connect essential ideas to foster curiosity.
- “Top-Down” Leadership Structure: Due to complicated schedules and traditional job descriptions administrators make most decisions with limited opportunities for teacher input.
- Fixed Bell Schedule: Rigid class schedules limit time for deeper learning experiences.
- Traditional Guidance Approach: School counseling is primarily focused on academics and college preparation, with less emphasis on holistic support.
- Standardized Policies: Schools follow district/state-mandated policies with limited flexibility.
APS Goals Alignment
- Goal 3: Post-Secondary Readiness: The percentage of high school graduates who earn credit in two or more Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Dual Credit courses, or earn an industry certification or Bilingual Seal, will increase from 39.6% in September 2023 to 49.6% in September 2028.
- Goal 4: Skills, Habits, & Mindsets for Life Success: Increase the percentage of students who demonstrate the skills, habits, and mindsets most aligned to life success: perseverance, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social awareness as measured by Panorama
APS Guardrail Alignment
- Guardrail 1: Wraparound Support Systems
- Interim Guardrail 1.1: The percentage of Community School Integrated Systems of Support partnerships, as measured by the leverage tracker in schools designated as priority or emerging by the district’s Performance Framework, will increase from 17% in May 2024 to 42% in May 2027.
- Guardrail 3 - High-Quality Curriculum and Instruction:
- Interim Guardrail 3.1: The percentage of English/Language Arts and math classrooms in schools designated as emerging and priority by the district’s Performance Framework and System of Support using grade-level, high-quality instructional materials as measured by the District Observation Tool will increase from 56% in March 2024 to 63% in March 2027.
- Guardrail 4: Family and Community Engagement
- Interim Guardrail 4.1: The number of Community School Council meetings held by community school coordinators at schools designated as priority and emerging by the district’s Performance Framework and System of Support will increase from 504 in May 2024 to 840 in May 2027.
- Guardrail 5: Staff Voice & Support
- Interim Guardrail 5.1: The percentage of teaching staff reporting in the Panorama survey that the district provides high-quality professional learning opportunities will increase from X percent in February 2024 to Y percent in February 2027.
- Interim Guardrail 5.1: The percentage of teaching staff reporting in the Panorama survey that the district provides high-quality professional learning opportunities will increase from X percent in February 2024 to Y percent in February 2027.
