AIS Receives NAIS Leading Edge Award
March 5, 2004
Atlanta International School (AIS) has been honored as one of three schools nationwide out of more than 1,000 by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Leading Edge recognition program in the category of Curriculum Innovation. The Leading Edge award announced at the 2004 NAIS Annual Conference recognized the unique, innovative Primary School program at AIS, in which students in four-year-old Kindergarten through Grade 5 study all their subjects in two languages: English and either French, German or Spanish. This dual-language program was introduced when the school opened its doors in 1985, and it is still the only four-language primary school curriculum in the world.
NAIS also recognized the AIS Primary School's international student exchange program as being a model program. By the fifth grade, students at AIS have not only mastered a second language, they have lived and studied in another country with native speakers. By the end of the fifth grade, more than 90 percent of AIS students achieve an "intermediate-high" level in French, German, or Spanish on the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency exam. This is the same level of proficiency required by most states to become a certified high school teacher of foreign language.
Ambassador Andrew Young responded to news of the award with the following statement, "Atlanta International School, its students, faculty and Board of Trustees make Atlanta proud. I congratulate AIS on achieving recognition from NAIS as one of three top schools in the nation for curriculum innovation. My long association with the school since its inception in 1984 has only strengthened my belief that the quality of education and cultural understanding offered to students is unparalleled."
"We believe that there's public purpose of private education, and one of those purposes is to demonstrate what's possible and innovate and be a model for all schools," says Patrick F. Bassett, President, National Association of Independent Schools. "Leading Edge reminds us all of how proud we should be of independent schools. Independent schools make an extraordinary contribution to education in America."
NAIS values the fact that AIS is committed to developing a worldwide reputation as an exemplary center of academic excellence and international understanding. Headmaster David Hawley states that "This additive model - building proficiency in one's native language and a second language - means students don't have to shed their identities. They blossom at school and at home. Students at AIS learn to see the world from a variety of perspectives and strive to achieve the highest internationally recognized standard of achievement. Our students, from over seventy countries, will change the world."