COURSE FACTSHEET
Boarding School Bridge Program at Rutgers Prep Who is this course for?
Program overview
This course is for 8th grade international students who want to spend a year preparing for American high school
Rutgers Preparatory School’s Boarding School Bridge Program provides the opportunity for 8th grade international students to spend a year preparing for American high school—serving as a bridge between middle school and high school.
Key Facts Start dates: September Location offered:
Course content Students’ focus will be on strengthening analytical, oral, and written language skills. Students will take classes in English language and literature classes, American History, Science, and finally Mathematics at a level appropriate to students’ incoming ability.
Rutgers Preparatory School
Level: Academic: Completed year 7 or 8 Admission Requirements: GPA: 3.0, Age: 13 – 14 at the start of the Boarding School Bridge Program English: TOEFL iBT 60 (Students with TOEFL below 60 can qualify for a conditional letter of acceptance by enrolling in High School Preparatory Program). Other requirements: Personal Statement, Skype interview and 2 Letters of Recommendation (1 from a Math teacher, 1 from an English or History teacher). Successful applicants will have above-average emotional intelligence, outstanding leadership potential, the ability to work well on teams, and a strong drive to succeed both inside and out of a classroom. Length: One academic year (Year 8) Learning outcomes: à Students learn subject-area content, improve test scores, and develop the skills they will need to succeed at high school à With individual attention, students develop the learning and communication skills needed to acclimate to a new culture and educational environment
English The study of English is designed to develop students’ ability to read, write, speak, and think critically. Assigned reading includes young adult and classic literature. Students explore novels, short stories, plays, and poetries. Discussion, journal entries, essays, and creative writing provide opportunities for students to respond to class material in a variety of ways. Students improve their writing through conferences with the teacher, peer edit, and writing multiple drafts. Vocabulary, grammar, and spelling are addressed individually as well as in group lessons. Whenever possible, connections between the English curriculum and those of other subjects are emphasized. History Students study the various social, political, and economic factors that led to the formation and development of the United States of America. Through exploration of diaries, journals, historical documents, maps, and other primary sources as well as the text, students seek to identify institutions and traditions important to the American experience. Study of U.S. history is writing intensive and skills practiced include reading for content, note taking, discussion participation, and formal writing.
Pathway 3 TERMS iBT 20
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION PROGRAM
This one-year program will allow students to learn subject-area content, improve test scores, and develop skills they need to succeed in a competitive and collaborative high school curriculum. All classes will be taught by Rutgers Prep faculty, and will be partially integrated with Rutgers Prep’s 8th grade class.
2 TERMS iBT 35
iBT = MINIMUM TOEFL IBT ENTRY LEVEL
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION PROGRAM
Science Students focus on the scientific method and data collection through exploration of introductory physics, chemistry, and biology. Students develop an understanding and appreciation of a broad spectrum of scientific knowledge in clear, concise manner, both verbally and in writing. Lab work encourages students to work cooperatively and challenges them to collect data accurately. Students work individually and collaboratively to analyze data and human body systems. The course culminates in a dissection lab experience. Mathematics Students will either be placed in Algebra I or Geometry, based on previous math performance and placement tests. Algebra I explores concepts and techniques of algebra in order to prepare students to solve problems following a logical succession of steps. The course bridges the concrete to the abstract within the study of mathematics. Concepts include variables, linear and quadratic equations, polynomials, factoring, ratio and proportion, system of equations, inequalities, functions, rational and irrational expressions, and linear and nonlinear graphing. Process is stressed over algorithm. Students develop strategies to solve problems and apply those strategies to real-life situations. In Geometry, students develop ideas from Euclidean plane and solid geometry and then integrate these ideas from analytic geometry.
1 TERM iBT 50
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION PROGRAM
iBT 60
BOARDING SCHOOL BRIDGE PROGRAM
ENTRY TO HIGH SCHOOL (YEAR 9)