SAMISians elect new SC members

by Yousef Yasser

NEWS NCSEE signs accreditation agreement with SAMIS

EDITORIAL

The Student Council Reborn: Setting New Standards?

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SAMIS Timeline and Progressive Community

In-depth news

SAMIS and Cognia on the Growth of Learning

by Rezkallah Fadi Douna

Cognia — the world's leading accreditation body — has accredited and recognized Shorouq Al-Mamlakah International School (SAMIS) for years. But what exactly is "Cognia," and how has it helped SAMIS grow?

Cognia is a non-profit organization responsible for certifying, assessing, and accrediting education systems all over the globe. Now marking its 125th anniversary, Cognia has recognized over 36,000 institutions in over 80 countries. Getting accreditation by this organization is no easy task, and SAMIS prides itself on being recognized by Cognia. “SAMIS pursued Cognia’s accreditation to improve the overall learning expereince based on set standards,” Mr. Leo Mendoza, the school’s Head of Coordinators, noted.

Initially accredited in 2014, SAMIS worked hard to receive certification from the organization. “We’ve been in contact with Cognia two years prior, making sure we have all the facilities and qualifications for external review,” Mr. Mendoza stated. “We received certifications in 2014 and 2019 after they rebranded from their previous name as AdvancED,” he says, as the school continues to exceed

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KSA reps win silver, bronze in KGL

by Moaz Ibrahim & Mohammad Aydin

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SAMISians compete in WRO qualifiers

by Awab Abdallah

SAMIS students have once again proved their excellence by achieving top ranks during the previous SABIC's World Robot Olympiad (WRO) final qualifiers, achieving a top 10 result by all four participating teams, held at King Salman’s Science Oasis in Riyadh from October 11-13, 2022.

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SAMIS

and Cognia...

expectations as an international school.

Ever since, SAMIS has worked hard to improve its educational facilities and students’ learning experience, as it must keep up with Cognia’s quality assessments. “It’s like a collaboration,” he mentions, “If they suggest to us to change part of our strategies or facilities, we will change them.”

This change goes beyond just the benefit of the students. “Not only would students benefit, but all the stakeholders of the school would do—from parents to teaching and nonteaching staff, and the administration,” he stated.

In November 2022, seven SAMIS heads and administrators traveled to Abu Dhabi to represent SAMIS in Cognia’s workshop conference. This workshop consisted of 30 “standards assessments,” discussing different strategies like culture, leadership, engagement, and learning growth. “The conference’s main focus was research and advanced learning in practice; we were required from page 1 to present surveys and data on whether we were conducting proper research, learning, and conferences as a STEMcertified school.”

This is not temporary. SAMIS aims to constantly improve and uphold its standards and excellence as an international school. “The good thing about being accredited by Cognia is that they keep track of our facilities. We use platforms such as ‘MyJourney’ to hold surveys, record data, and take recommendations from Cognia.” Sir Leo also mentioned that things like student and parent surveys enable them to take notes on the learning experience in SAMIS.

Mr. Leo ends the interview with the following words, “Cognia has helped us grow in many ways. Now that we’re known internationally—winning global contests like WRO, FLL, and KGL—our aim is to improve our record and become an international and accredited learning institution.”