Gaining Excellent IB Results At RISS - International Primary School in Ho Chi Minh City
Gaining Excellent IB Results At RISS
Q: How do you feel about the International Baccalaureate (IB) results from your first graduating class at Renaissance International School Saigon (RISS)?
We're really happy with the results of our first graduating class. All our students received the full IB Diploma, half of which received the Bilingual Diploma, which recognises their advanced language skills. To have a 100% pass rate in our first graduating class, as a relatively new school, is a major achievement.How do these results compare with IB results at similar schools in Asia and the world?
Actually, we're well above the world average. The maximum points for the IB Diploma is 45, and the minimum pass rate is 24. Over the past 5 years, the world average has hovered between 26-28 points and the Asia Pacific average sits at about 30. Our school average is 33 points, which puts us 6 points above the world average and 3 points above the Asia Pacific average. We're especially pleased that all our students scored above the world average, and 80% scored above the Asia Pacific average. It's also notable that 30% of our students received above the 'magic 36 points' that Ivy League universities look for, as a minimum entry grade.Do you feel pleased that RISS decided to offer the IB Diploma in its education programs? Why?
Absolutely! IB students go through a rigorous 'process of learning' over the two year programme that works to develop 'the whole person' through a finely tuned balance between academic pursuits and co-curricular, experiential learning that includes team sports, creative pursuits and community service. Universities have identified that IB graduates are students who: transition easily into their university studies; are confident and effective communicators; work well under pressure and with conflicting priorities; are highly organised; collaborate well in teams; show developed leadership skills; are internationally minded; have an excellent knowledge of the world and world issues; and are compassionate and tolerant people, who embrace diversity. We're proud that these are the kind of students we 'grow' at RISS, knowing they will make a positive difference to the world in which we live.Till now, how many students from RISS got scholarships to study at well-known colleges and universities in the world thanks to high IB results?
Over 50% of our graduating class were offered a variety of scholarships that included both full and part scholarships, cash awards, and/or a reduction in academic fees. About 30% of our students received multiple scholarship offers.Please tell us some outstanding examples?
One of our students received a 50% scholarship for the BBA programme at SP Jain Business School in Singapore, and another student received a 25% scholarship at this same university. Another student was offered $135 000usd in a cash scholarship at HKU, and a cash award that recognises their excellent IB results, to study at UBC in Canada - a very popular and highly acclaimed university for IB graduates.It is said that IB is one of the best high school programs in the world, especially for those who are planning to get scholarships to study at well-known colleges and universities. What has the school’s management team implemented into the IB program at RISS, so that it caters to Vietnamese students and brings high quality?
One of the unique aspects of our IB programme is our 'Pre-IB Self Study Programme', which is an online learning package designed for students to complete over the summer, prior to starting their IB programme; you can download a copy from our website. This self study programme is particularly useful for Vietnamese students, who might not have been exposed to this type of 'inquiry based learning' before, and who need to learn to develop independent research and learning skills.The quality of the teaching staff is of most interest to parents whose children study at international schools in Vietnam. What are principles of RISS teachers of IB courses in particular, so that they transfer knowledge effectively?
We recruit talented, experienced international educators who use the latest pedagogy to make lessons exciting, hands-on and fun. We don't actually 'transfer knowledge'. Instead, RISS teachers carefully guide their students to independently explore, question and gain knowledge for themselves. Our teachers use an 'inquiry based learning' approach where students learn through project based learning in groups and in pairs and individually, to explore topics and to discover, analyse and solve problems. We extensively use IT in the classroom and all our senior students have their own laptops.What are the main points of future investment plans of RISS, for IB courses in years to come?
You need to ask the BoD this question but I would say that RISS needs to focus on growing the way we've started, by continuing to: make our teaching contracts highly competitive, to attract the best and most experienced IB teachers; allocate a sizable budget for ongoing professional development; send staff to represent RISS at IB Conferences and network meetings in the Asia Pacific Region; add more subjects into our subject options as we grow as a school; keep our class sizes to an approx 1:5 teacher/student ratio in most IB subjects; and continuing to provide the latest and most progressive teaching resources and technology support. |
| From Saigontimes.vn |
RISS - Renaissance International School Saigon. Offers from pre-school, primary school, secondary school with curriculum under the structure of the British system. Located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Address 74 Nguyen Thi Thap St., Binh Thuan Ward, Dist. 7, HCMC, Vietnam
Telephone (84-8) 3773 3171 - 3
Fax (84-8) 3773 3176
Website www.rissaigon.edu.vn
thesaigontimes.vn
IB schools believes that every child can be nurtured to develop into a responsible global citizen who will make a positive difference in both local and global contexts.IB Schools in India
ReplyDelete