Academic Profile

VISION
To guide children to pursue their own ethical highest purpose by teaching them how to think
and serve others, so that they may transform Guatemala and the world. The motto of the
school is Think Critically, Act Ethically and Serve Others.
MISSION
The Antigua International School is committed to providing the best education in Central
America for all who seek it, regardless of economic or social status. Through a strong,
internationally focused liberal arts curriculum and individualized attention, AIS challenges
students to cultivate a love of learning, lead an ordered life and accept personal responsibility.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
AIS is committed to:
Promoting a community of diversity where each person is respected and appreciated,
regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion or socio-economic background.

Creating a culture of personal integrity, ethical behavior and individual responsibility

Providing individualized attention and support to all of our students so they may
achieve their full academic and personal potential

Offering a liberal arts curriculum that prepares students for higher education anywhere
in the world, and a life of learning

Providing a strong arts program that encourages and supports self-discovery and
creative expression in music, the visual arts, theater and dance

Respecting our students different backgrounds, with an emphasis on Guatemalas

culture, traditions and environment with an emphasis on social responsibility and
sustainable community service

Supporting an athletics program that encourages and develops life-long personal fitness
and character

Academic Program Overview

AIS delivers a standards-based, well-rounded education that prepares its students for the
world they will enter. The school combines high standards, individualized attention and a
holistic approach to provide students with the skills and knowledge they will need as they
pursue their dreams. Being a new, growing school, AIS has had to be flexible and creative,
especially with the extremely diverse student population we serve.
The foundation of our instructional program is a non-traditional, differentiated approach that
strives to meet the needs of all of our students. The keys to our success are a great teaching
staff and small class sizes. AIS searches for teachers who believe in our philosophy and are
willing to do whatever is necessary for each child. The school also maintains small class sizes
(average size-13) so that the faculty knows their students as individuals. In a few short years,
AIS developed a world-class instructional program.
Curriculum
AIS uses its own curriculum, which the teachers have created along with the administration
and a consultant. Over an eighteen month period the staff worked in small teams and with
the consultant to create a Kinder-grade 11 program that met the needs of the students. The
2015-16 school year has seen the addition of our Pre-K and our 12 th grade, and those curricula
are being added to what we have. Furthermore, the faculty is working on vertically aligning
what we have, beginning in math. No curriculum is ever complete, and the team plans to
work diligently on updating it during the second semester, now that we are settled on our new
campus.
The school has borrowed from the Common Core and McRel Standards and is compliant with
the regulations of the MINEDUC, so that students may graduate with a Guatemalan diploma.
The curriculum is published on our website and is overseen by our Principal. This school year
has seen the foundation of a Learning Committee, a group of teachers who provide leadership
for our efforts in curriculum, instruction and assessment. The work in the areas is being
completed by the professionals who teach each discipline.
Curriculum Format
AIS curriculum consists of Grade Level Expectations in each area, a Scope and Sequence and
the actual curricular documents.
Subject Areas
Core Areas: English, Math, Science, Spanish, Social Studies-students attend these classes 5
times/week.
Specials (vary slightly by grade level): Art, Music, Physical Education, Technology, Kaqchikel,
Seminario, Productividad y Desarrollo-students attend these classes once or twice/week.
AP: AIS offers AP Literature, Calculus, Psychology, Spanish Literature/Language, Comparative
Government, Chemistry and Studio Art. While this is challenging at a small school, our creative
scheduling makes it possible, and we hope to add more options in the future.
Graduation Requirements
The following course requirements must be met in order to graduate from AIS:
English 4 credits
Humanities 4 credits
Science 4 credits
Mathematics 4 credits
Spanish 4 credits
Physical Education 2 credits
Art and Music 2 credits
Electives 4 credits
Total 28 credits
Future Plans
AIS is currently working on vertically aligning our math curriculum. In the second semester,
we will begin with Language Arts. Our Spanish curriculum, for the most part, follows the
Guatemalan National Program, with adjustments made for our population. The Science and
Social Studies alignment will begin over the summer.
While aligning the curriculum, AIS will also look to narrow and deepen what we are teaching.
The team is working to avoid the concept of focusing on coverage. Our goal is to ensure
understanding is always the top priority, not just what was taught. This process will also focus
on skills over knowledge.
Instruction
Our teachers are selected due to their abilities and willingness to go beyond what is
traditionally expected. With our emphasis on individualized attention, students are met where
they are and pushed to reach their full potential. MAP Testing results and classroom
performance is used to assert varying levels within a group and then teachers create lessons
to meet these differing needs. Our unique demographics make this more challenging, but our
small class sizes make it possible. We also employ bilingual aides when groups get larger than
16 and our Support Program provides additional assistance. In the languages we have three
ESL/SSL professionals that work to bring students who do not meet grade level standards in
English or Spanish up to a level where they can comfortably enter the mainstream classroom.
While direct, group instruction will always have its place in schools, AIS does its best to vary
our instructional methods so that all learning styles are accounted for. Depending on the
subject area and level, flipped instruction, small group work, centers, student-led activities
and individual work are all used to deliver the necessary content and skills. Teachers are
encouraged to take risks and try new approaches. We know that attention spans are limited,
and that this generation is extremely adept at multi-tasking. Therefore, our teachers ensure
engagement by applying a wide-range of instructional techniques that make learning more
interesting and fun. We have also done our best to avoid a reliance on memorization, except
when appropriate.
Future Plans
We are currently working on an AIS teacher profile to help guide our hiring practices. As we
expand, we know that it is essential to maintain the high quality of our staff. While there are
countless professionals available, we seek teachers who will see children as individuals, doing
whatever is necessary for each of their students. We will also continue to hire risk-takers who
want to go beyond traditional instruction.
In our faculty surveys, instructional resources were identified as an area of need. AIS knows
that we need to increase the tools available to deliver our curriculum. The Learning
Committee will focus on the needs and create a list of priorities. This includes online
resources, possible now due to our improved network.

Assessment
This year AIS developed an Assessment Policy, to guide our efforts. The Policy provides
teachers will sufficient room to match their styles and preferences while creating agreed-upon
general guidelines. The Policy is online and has been shared with the entire community.