What sets ISR Apart
What sets ISR apart, first and foremost, is being a member of the SABIS® School Network. Instead of being a stand-alone school, ISR has SABIS®'s 125 years of experience in education to benefit from as dozens of SABIS® member schools around the globe.
Curriculum
The curriculum at ISR has been developed and refined over the past century and undergoes continual revision by teams of SABIS® curriculum experts around the world. The German curriculum used at ISR is the result of a collaboration of SABIS®'s two schools in Germany, ISR and ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main. The German curriculum reflects the standard of German language and literature implemented in NRW and Hessen, respectively.
The ISR curriculum in all subjects is provided to teachers in a detailed week-by-week format. The structure that this affords ensures that all students are taught what they need to learn in a step-by-step process. Since teachers receive the curriculum, textbooks, supplementary materials, and exams from SABIS®, this means that not only can the teachers focus on the teaching itself but it also means that the curriculum and exams do not leave ISR when teachers leave, an important advantage for an international school.
Approach to Teaching
The SABIS® approach to teaching has been proven effective as reflected by student performance on external exams such as the American Advanced Placement® (AP) exams, the International General Certificates for Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams, and the coursework and exams of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. When a teacher enters an ISR classroom, he/she writes points on the board that will be explained during the lesson.
They spend a short amount of time explaining the first point, then the students practice application of the content independently in writing. Then, the class breaks up into groups of four to check each other's work and support each other in strengthening their understanding of the concept. The teacher checks to see if the first point has been understood and proceeds on to the next point.
Monitoring and Follow-Up
Monitoring student performance is an essential part of the SABIS® Educational System implemented at ISR. Student understanding and retention of concepts are assessed on a weekly basis. Students take multiple-choice, short answer, and essay tests, which help teachers and administrators pinpoint learning gaps as they form. Having identified learning gaps, all of ISR's resources can be mobilized to fill in these gaps and ensure that each and every student has a strong academic foundation.
Intensive Language Programs
The language of instruction at ISR is English; however, as an international school ISR realizes that students will enter the school with varying degrees of fluency in the English language. To enable all students to take part in lessons, ISR provides an Intensive English Program at four levels through Grade 6: Intensive English Beginners, Intensive English Intermediate, Intensive English Advanced, and Regular English (i.e. for mother-tongue speakers). For Intensive English Beginners, students have up to 12 lessons of English per week. Depending on the individual, it may take 3-4 terms until a student with no prior knowledge of English has progressed to mother-tongue level.
The study of a world language is an essential component of the SABIS® Educational System; therefore, students in all SABIS® schools learn an additional language. At ISR, this additional language is German, which is a required subject for all students from Kindergarten through graduation. As with English, German is also taught at various levels (Foreign Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced and German Regular) to suit students’ abilities. Thus, German mother-tongue speakers and those who are completely new to the language can enhance their language capacity. German is taught up to 7 periods per week in the primary grades and 5 periods per week in all other grades.
Self-Development
The Student Life Organization (SLO®) is an integral part of every SABIS® school. Student Life is the students' mini-society and mirrors the school administration. The organizational structure of the SLO® is much like that of a company, with prefects who are selected, not elected, for positions for which they have applied. Prefects can be in charge of a task, project, or an entire team and work in departments such as Activities, Academics, Outreach, Sports, Discipline, etc. Ideas, management skills, self-esteem, and self-confidence are borne and developed here.
Academic Quality Coordinators
Providing students with the most possible access to teachers in the best possible learning environment is key at ISR. In order to function with this high level of efficiency, ISR has a different administrative structure than that found in most traditional school systems. At ISR, a person in the position of Academic Quality Coordinator (AQC) is assigned to monitor students' academic performance. The AQC's main role is to support each individual student in the achievement of his/her full potential. As the person who has the overall picture of each student's academic performance, the AQC is also the point person for parents who have questions about their child's performance.
If a parent has a concern or wishes to discuss their child's performance, that parent can make an appointment at any time to meet with the AQC. When a concern is raised, it is investigated thoroughly and objectively. A solution is proposed and implemented. This approach is extremely efficient and ensures that solutions are found based on an analysis of the complete picture. At ISR, there are three AQCs covering Kindergarten-Grade 4, Grades 5-8, and Grades 9-12 respectively.
Student Management Coordinator
At ISR, there is a school counselor, or Student Management Coordinator (SMC), in place to ensure smooth integration and reinforce good behavior. The SMC gives weekly Advising classes to grades 5 and above and manages a team of supervisors who watch over all ISR students wherever they are when they are not in class. This intervention in behavior management at ISR allows the teachers to focus on teaching and maximize learning outcomes. The SMC also provides valuable support for students as they mature and face life's challenges.
Extended Day Program
ISR's school day starts at 08:20 in the morning and ends at either 15:20 (Kindergarten-Grade 4) or 16:10 (Grades 5-12) in the afternoon; however, ISR offers supervision from 07:50-08:20 and again after school until 18:00. At these times students can play or do their homework.
Transportation
ISR has students living within a 50+ km radius of the campus (i.e. as far south as Cologne, as far north as Essen, as far east as Kürten and as far west as Heinsberg). In addition to being conveniently situated along public transportation lines, ISR is always striving to increase the transportation options for its students. Currently, Wabbels GmbH operates school busses from Angermund, Benrath, Büderich, Düsseldorf-Center, Düsseldorf-South, Glozheim, Heerdt, Hilden, Kaarst, Kaiserswerth, Langenfeld, Lank, Meerbusch, Monheim, Neuss-North, Neuss-South, Oberkassel, Ratingen, Strümp, Viersen, Willich, and Wittlaer.
More routes are planned from Cologne, Dormagen, Erkelenz, Heinsberg, Jüchen, Korschenbroich, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach and Osterath and need a certain minimum number to open the route. The cost for this service is not included in tuition. It is also possible for interested families to organize their own carpool, and ISR administration is more than happy to facilitate communication among those interested.
ISR Campus
The beautiful, modern ISR campus allows the school to conduct all of its classes and activities under one roof and behind one gate. The campus accommodates students in Kindergarten (age 3) through graduation and helps foster a cooperative spirit among all students, regardless of their age. To see more of the ISR campus, please visit Campus Tour or our channel on YouTube. Or, better yet, visit us in person!