Lower Secondary is a time of transition for our Year 7-9 students, both academically and emotionally. At this vital stage in their education, we teach the English National Curriculum, which provides the structure for exciting, immersive, and creative subject-specific learning.
The BIS Washington Learner Profile nurtures the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile traits our middle school age students need as they move into Upper Secondary. It encourages our students to seek out new opportunities, while reflecting on their work and experiences throughout the year.
With an emphasis on Community, Activity, Service, as well as academic and personal development, the BIS Washington Learner Profile motivates our students to become global citizens of the future. It helps them to develop a portfolio of skills they’ll need now and at university, both through the work they do through the English National Curriculum and our extra-curricular activities.
Our international middle school teachers assess our students using the ‘Mastery Approach’, which also helps them to plan an appropriately challenging curriculum for each learner.
Gone are the days where students are ‘taught’ information in the hope that some of it sticks. Instead, each student learns challenging, non-negotiable information based on their current ability in a subject. This way, it’s possible for our teachers to extend the learning of all children – not just the most able.
At BIS Washington, we believe in having a growth mindset. There is no limit to what our students can achieve with resilience and hard work, and under the skilled instruction of our teachers.
During middle school, we send reports home four times a year: one ‘snapshot’ report detailing how a student is settling in (October) and three end-of-term reports with comments.
End-of-term reports record the level of work achieved in that term. There are no surprises in any report, as data is updated on an ongoing basis using our ManageBac platform. Each report should, therefore, simply be a formal confirmation of each student’s progress that term.
We also hold Learning Review Conferences three times a year. These are opportunities for a student and their parents to meet each of their teachers and discuss progress and next steps.
Moving from Primary to Lower Secondary is exciting, but it can also create anxiety for some students. We work hard to make sure that every middle school age child feels as welcome and as comfortable as possible. We do this by being adaptable to each student’s specific needs and helping them develop relationships.
As a small international middle school, our children also enjoy the benefit of being familiar with many of our Secondary staff, who teach both age groups. Every child also enjoys arranged ‘shadow days’, where they follow a Year 7 student through a ‘day in the life’ at Secondary.
Your child will also begin to assume more responsibility as they transition from class to class. They’ll be encouraged to take greater ownership of their work and make choices about the activities they take part in.
BIS Washington’s international middle school teachers will place your child at the center of their learning. In small class sizes, our educators will deliver tailored lessons and experiences that spark their interests, develop their talents, and ensure they achieve their goals.
Our campus is fun and welcoming – the perfect place for your middle school age child to learn and grow. Our passionate staff are committed to fostering a happy, inspiring, and student-centred environment with a genuine sense of community. BIS Washington is home to state-of-the-art facilities and balanced spaces, too, which bring our world-class British middle school curriculum to life.
At BIS Washington, our personalized approach to learning will ensure your child receives the perfect balance of support and challenge, inspiring them to achieve exceptional academic results.
