Community Update - 25 October 2024

DIRECTOR’S UPDATE Dear Community, I hope this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the beautiful autumn weather and vibrant campus colours. ISB is such a busy place, and I often struggle when deciding what to share with you via these updates. However, the decision this time is a bit easier, as last week we marked an important milestone. An accreditation team representing the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association (MSA) visited ISB. These visits happen every five years and are very important to us, as they help challenge us to be a better school through the process of accreditation, and enable us to offer a globally recognised qualification. We are also fortunate to be identified as an advanced school, allowing us to embark upon a new accreditation pathway, showcasing our willingness and skill for school improvement through the lens of four different ‘projects’, aimed at further enhancing the quality of teaching and personalised learning at ISB. Let me share a bit more about each of these. Perhaps the most ambitious project is our digital learning platform. Much of this work happens behind the scenes, as the platform consists of multiple modules. Many of you are aware of our Learning Management System (Schoology), which is already used in the Upper School and Elementary School. You may be less aware of three other modules: Performance Matters, for assessment tracking and analytics; Special Programs, for learning support; and Curriculum & Instruction, for curriculum mapping. Thanks to the efforts of an extensive team, we are one of the few international schools to have such a robust, interconnected digital platform, and this brings tremendous benefits in supporting personalised learning for our students. Our second project is a review of our teacher growth and evaluation systems. We know that no school can be better than its teachers, and we are committed to continually investing in and improving this area.