The American International School in Egypt

Welcome to the AIS High School. Our School Profile will provide you with information on the characteristics of our high school students as well as a brief description of our Academic programs, both the American diploma and the IB diploma. The Course Description section provides detailed information on the specific courses we offer at AIS.

At AIS we strive for the lowest possible student teacher ratios while still offering our high school students an extensive selection of challenging courses.

Our teachers are available for after school tutoring a minimum of two days a week with additional sessions being available on an appointment basis.

While the High School offers a wide range of courses, we also have a broad spectrum of both extra curricular and co-curricular programs such as Junior and Senior National Honors Society, CAS component of the IB Program, AIS4Egypt, Model United Nations, Chess, Debate, Yearbook, Photography, Run4YourLife, Writers’ Workshop and Equestrian Club. The activities that can be offered are limited only by the interests of the students.

Our Athletic program has doubled in the number of participants over the past two years and includes soccer, basketball, and volleyball for both male and female students. Our teams travel throughout the Middle East and Egypt competing in a variety of tournaments. It is anticipated that tennis, aquatics and track and field will soon be added to the list.

Egypt is a country rich in history and natural sites and where possible we incorporate field trips to these places of interest into our curriculum.

We believe that learning is enhanced by well planned and structured field trips which supplement what students learn in the classroom. Field trips to the Citadel, Old Cairo, the Cairo Museum, Alexandria, Luxor, Alamein and Coptic Cairo are a few of the sites most often visited.

Grading Policy - Making the Grade

The school year is divided into two semesters. Each semester consists of approximately 18 instructional weeks. Each semester is further divided into two nine-week grading terms. At the close of each nine week term, students receive a report card. The term report card indicates the grades earned in each class. Absences, if any, are recorded on the report card, which reflects the period attendance.

A semester report card is issued at the end of 18 weeks. For high school students in grades 9-12, the term grades, final test scores, and the semester grades are reported for each class. The semester grade determines whether a student earns credit for a class in the high school.

A grade check is also conducted approximately every four and one half weeks into each term. If a student is receiving a "D" or "F" in any class, he/she will receive a progress report and will be instructed to share this information with his/her parents. Since the progress reports are issued to students, the students are required to sign for them and required to have parents sign before returning them to school. If a student is in danger of failing, teachers will hold a parent/teacher conference.

Students who are enrolled in the regular, Honors or IB curricula are issued grades that are calculated using percentages and then converted to letter grades based on the following scales:

%age	IB Diploma and Honors Program	Quality Points	%age	American Diploma	Quality Points
98-100	A+	4	98-100	A+	4
88-97	A	4	93-97	A	4
85-87	A-	4	90-92	A-	4
82-84	B+	3	88-89	B+	3
78-81	B	3	83-87	B	3
75-77	B-	3	80-82	B-	3
72-74	C+	2	78-79	C+	2
68-71	C	2	73-77	C	2
65-67	C-	2	70-72	C-	2
63-64	D+	1	68-69	D+	1
61-62	D	1	63-67	D	1
60	D-	1	60-62	D-	1
Below 60	F	0	Below 60	F	0
Withdrew Pass	WP	0	Withdrew Pass	WP	0
Withdrew Fail	WF	0	Withdrew Fail	WF	0

Incomplete grades need to be made up within a reasonable amount of time, as determined by the teacher. Only course work that is completed at AISE is used to determine a student's grade-point average (GPA). Credits that are transferred receive a "P" grade on the transcript and are not used to figure the GPA, unless a student transfers from an approved AISE school.

A student who enters school after a semester has started, and who has not been in attendance in another school, will be required to meet specific academic requirements in order to receive credit for HS students. At the time of enrollment, the counselor will discuss with the student and parents if additional academic standards will need to be met in order to be eligible for credit at the end of a given semester.

Semester grades for high school students (grades 9-12) are determined in the following manner:

First Nine-Week Term 40%

Second Nine-Week Term 40%

Semester Final Exam 20%

Students who leave school before semester exams are given may be penalized 20% of the semester grade, or they are only issued withdrawal grades. Credit is not issued when students do not complete the semester.

If a HS student (grades 9-12) fails the first semester of a year long course and receives a "C" or better the second semester, the two semester grades will be averaged and the student will be considered as passing the course and earn a full credit. However, if a student passes the first semester and fails the second semester of a year long course, the student will not receive any credit and will be required to repeat the course.

Honor Roll and Class Rank:

Scholarship is recognized and encouraged through an academic Honor Roll. The Honor Roll is compiled at the close of each semester by using each student's grade point average (GPA). The GPA is calculated by dividing the number of quality points (i.e., A=4, B=3, C=2) by the number of courses being taken. High Honors consists of students with a GPA of 3.6 - 4.0 with no grades lower than a "B". Honors consist of students with a GPA of 3.2 - 3.59 and no grade lower than a "C".

Only grades earned at AISE schools are used in determining the GPA and Class Rank. These schools include AISE-Egypt, AISE-Cyprus, and AISE-Abu Dhabi. A student must have been enrolled for two semesters before being ranked, not counting the last semester before graduation. In order to qualify for being valedictorian of Salutatorian, a student must have completed a minimum of three semesters, not counting the final semester before graduation. All seniors who have a 3.2 cumulative GPA will graduate with Honors. The GPA at the conclusion of the semester of high school will determine these honors.

Graduation Requirements:

Students must successfully earn the minimum credits and complete the course requirements prescribed by AISE to be eligible for graduation. The following are the minimum course requirements:

English	5 credits - 1 at each level
Mathematics	3 credits - must include Algebra and Geometry
Science	3 credits - must include Physical Science and Biology + 1 more science
Social Studies	3 credits - must include World History I, World History II and US History
Foreign Language	3 credits - A language other than English, at least 2 years of which must be the same language
Physical Education	1 credit - For students attending 4 years of High School at AISE
Electives	6 credits

To graduate a student must complete 24 credits with a minimum grade-point average of 1.5 ("C-" equivalent)

If there is a possibility of attending a university in a Middle Eastern-North African Country, students are required to take four years of Arabic.

Credits are issued for High School (grades 9-12) courses. One credit is earned for successful completion (passing) for a year long course that meets five days per week, or the equivalent of 450 minutes over a two week period.

Grade classification depends on the number of credits earned. The following number of credits will be used to determine a student's grade classification:

Freshman (Grade 9) 1-4 credits

Sophomore (Grade 10) 5-10 credits

Junior (Grade 11) 11-16 credits

Senior (Grade 12) 17-24 credits

Counseling and Guidance Services:

AISE has certified personal and college guidance counselors to serve you. The counselors provide you with services to enhance personal and academic achievement and development. The counselors help with selection of classes, testing information for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and TOEFL tests, career selection, scholarships, graduation, personal concerns, curriculum information, and study skills assistance.

In addition, AISE administers the IOWA Test of Basic Skills to students in grades 6, 7 and 8 and the Test of Academic proficiency to students in grades 9 through 11. The counselors coordinate the administration of these tests, which usually are scheduled during the spring semester.

IB Diploma Program

In over 2000 schools around the world, the IB Diploma Program offers an acedemically challenging, educationally balanced program with final examinations which are externally assessed by an international board of examiners. The IB Diploma Program offers a sophisticated curriculum aimed at students aged 16 to 19 presented over the last two years of high school. Recipients of the IB Diploma are prepared for success at university and life beyond and are welcomed by the world's top universities where they frequently receive up to one year of college credit.

IB Diploma Program students at AIS Egypt study 6 IB courses, choosing one course from each of the following groups:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

English A1

Arabic A2

Arabic B

Arabic ab initio

French B

French ab initio

History

Economics

Psychology

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Math HL

Math SL

Math Studies

The 6th course can come from the Group 6 offering of Visual Art, from World Politics or Computer Science or from a second course Groups 2 through 5.

At least 3 but no more than 4 of the courses must be taken at the higher level (HL = 240 teaching hours), the remainder to be taken at standard level (SL = 150 teaching hours). In addition to the 6 IB courses, the IB Diploma students must fulfill 3 core requirements: TOK, the Extended Essay and CAS.

All IB Diploma students must take the Theory of Knowledge course (TOK). TOK reflects on the nature of knowledge, ways of knowing and different kinds of knowledge. Diploma students must complete a 4000 word, externally assessed research project: the Extended Essay. All IB Diploma students must also fulfill the 150 hour CAS requirement made up of creative (C), active (A) and service (S) activities.

Students at AIS Egypt may also take IB certificates in one or more of the IB subjects offered.

The IB Diploma Program at AIS Egypt is not only a rigorous academic program, but a program that produces well-rounded, socially aware students sought after by universities around the world.

Co-Curricular and Extracurricular Activities:

Students have a wide variety of activities in which they can become involved. Should students be interested in an activity not listed below, they could approach the High School Administration and it would be given due consideration. The following are activities currently being offered:

National Honor Society	AIS4Egypt
Chess	Debate
Photography	Writers' Workshop
Puzzle Club	Students' Council
IB CAS (Creativity, Action, Service)	Jazz Club
Choir	Model United Nations (MUN)
Athletics

High School Student Council:

The AISE High School Student Council is divided into five subgroups, to which twenty students are elected. The groups are the Student Government and the Class Representatives of each high school grade. Each group has a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Members of the Student Government must be juniors and/or seniors.

The Student Government is the liaison between the student body and administration. They are responsible for maintaining school spirit and good relations between students, teachers and administration. Any activities need to be approved by them first, before final approval is given by the principal. The Student Government organizes school wide events, such as the Carnival and Talent Show.

The Class Representatives' main objective is to raise money towards their own prom in their senior year. A portion of the proceeds of all events are donated to charity. They are also required to assist the Student Government in school wide events.

Members of the Student Council provide service to the school during parent conferences, new teacher orientation and graduation.

This year the Student Government is learning about student leadership and democratic decision-making principles and procedures and will be writing a School Constitution.

Varsity and Junior Varsity School Athletics:

Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will practice three to four days per week during their respective seasons. Varsity Athletics involves students 16 and over on September 1st of the school year, whereas Junior Varsity Athletics involves students under 16 on September 1st. Varsity and Junior varsity teams compete in 2 conferences.

Junior Varsity athletes compete in the CISSA (Cairo International School Sports Association) Conference in Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball. Soccer and Volleyball take place in the fall, Basketball occurs in the winter season. Teams will play friendly matches in these sports leading to the CISSA Championship tournament that will decide the best teams among 8 of the top International Schools in Cairo.

Junior Varsity and Varsity athletes also compete in ISAC (International Schools Activities Conference) which involves international schools from countries throughout the Middle East. Athletes compete in the sports of Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming, and Badminton. At AISE we are responsible for hosting at least one of these tournaments per year.

Athletics is a great way for students to develop healthy lifestyles of life long participation in sporting events, get some exercise, make new friends, learn valuable lessons about sportsmanship, commitment, and teamwork, and we would encourage all students to consider getting involved in the Athletics program.

AISMUN:

The AISMUN program was founded in 1991 by Donna Albrecht-Fricke, and throughout its seventeen years of existence has seen notable growth. In recent years, Model United Nations at AIS has become much more than an after school activity. MUN is the largest and most active extracurricular activity at AIS. It is managed by a proven group of seniors and juniors whose organizational structure is set each year by a vote and decided by a simple majority. The club draws many of its most enthusiastic members from academic courses offered at AIS like IB World Politics and the Model United Nations class, where students study the fundamental principles of international relations. The result for the club is that students bring to bear the knowledge and skills developed in class on the debates discussed during meetings and conferences.

The Spring Conferences have been an extension of this commitment and involvement from AIS students. This year, it represents for the senior organizers the culmination of years of dedication, not just to the club they have helped shape, but to the issues and causes that the club is dedicated to help solve.

The American International School (AIS) in Egypt will be hosting its eighteenth annual Model United Nations conference (AISMUN) from April 4 to 8, 2008.

AISMUN attracts over four hundred students yearly from schools in North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Conference activities include lobbying and merging, days of debate over resolutions, and visits to United Nations and Egyptian Foreign Ministry offices. Conference guest speakers have included the United States Ambassador to Egypt, UN diplomats, negotiators of the Camp David Accords, university presidents, government ministers, and decision-makers directly involved with diplomacy and issues of global concern covered by the AISMUN delegates. Each year, AISMUN standard committees, including the General Assemblies, ECOSOC, the International Court of Justice, the Disarmament Commission and the Security Council are accompanied by two additional forums for experienced delegates: the Advisory Panel and the Youth Assembly. The Advisory Panel, a forum created by AISMUN, was recently adopted by THIMUN.

AISMUN also provides our visiting delegates and directors with a truly cultural experience, offering field trips to vairous historical sites, including the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, culture tours around Cairo, and a four-day Study Tour to Luxor for those schools who wish to explore more of Egypt.

With each year, AISMUN continues to grow and succeed - providing scores of students and directors with memorable moments debating critical world issues, exploring solutions and creating lasting friendships. In addition to a challenging United Nations simulation, AISMUN conferences are true cultural exchanges.

Our eighteenth conference promises to be yet another memorable experience.