YIS School Profile 2013-2014

2013-2014 School Profile for College and University Admissions

Admissiontts CEEB: 680888 Yokohama International School (YIS) is an independent, co-educational pre-K-12 day school established in 1924 by members of the Yokohama foreign business community.

It was the second school in the world, after the International School of Geneva, to incorporate the term "international" in its name. Today, the school enrolls approximately 630 students, some 240 of whom are in the high school. Over 45 nationalities are represented among the student body.

OUR MISSION

Our mission and values define the school. YIS offers a wellbalanced education based on an international academic curriculum, a wide range of co- and extra-curricular activities, a student-centered approach to both teaching and learning and the strengths of a diverse student body and faculty.

We aim to instill in students the qualities embodied in the IB Learner Profile.

OUR VALUES

Our mission is to provide the highest-quality, balanced education to internationally minded students in an inquiring and supportive environment. We seek to inspire students and to provide them with the academic and social skills that will enable them to fulfill their human potential as responsible global citizens.

We shall be mindful of the needs and rights of others.

We shall be honest in our dealings.

We shall be peaceful in our intentions.

We shall be responsible in our actions.

We shall be supportive of each other.

ACCREDITATION & MEMBERSHIP YIS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS). The school is a member of the East Asia Regional Conference of Overseas Schools and the Japan Council of International Schools, as well as an authorized IB World School, offering the Diploma and Primary Years programs of the International Baccalaureate. A five-year phased implementation of the IB Middle Years Program is now in its fourth year and will be completed in the 2014-15 school year.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM Our academic programs in high school provide not only rigor and challenge, but depth, breadth and variety across all disciplines. Choices in arts, sciences, social sciences and languages are extensive, and our co-curricular offerings, including outreach programs both locally and globally, as well as our sports, arts and other extracurricular programs provide students with a wide array of enriching experiences and opportunities. Since the first graduating class of nine students in 1973, we have graduated nearly 1,200 students and our graduating classes have continually grown in number. There are currently about 240 students in grades 9-12, and the Class of 2014 numbers 57 students. Our academic year begins in late August and ends in mid-June, and includes 179 student contact days.

FACULTY, LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE We have about 90 full-time teaching faculty members throughout the school (over 50 teaching in high school) representing 15 nationalities. More than half have advanced degrees.

Monna McDiarmid University Counselor mcdiarmidm@yis.ac.jp

Mark Redlich IBDP Coordinator High School Vice-Principal

John Snowball Secondary Principal

Dennis Stanworth Head of Academics

YOKOHAMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 258 Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0862 Japan

Craig Coutts Head of School

WWW.YIS.AC.JP T. +81.45.622.0084

F. +81.45.621.0379

CURRICULUM AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS We are currently in the process of transitioning the framework of our curriculum in grades 9-10 from the IGCSE to the IB Middle Years Program. The full IB Diploma Program is pursued by the great majority of high school students in grades 11 and 12, with remaining students completing the IB courses in individual subjects. All students are given the opportunity to start the full IB Diploma Program in grade 11.

Graduation Requirements 23 Carnegie units as follows: English Mathematics Modern Languages Science Social Sciences

4 3 3 3 3

Physical Education The Arts Theory of Knowledge Technology

3 (over 4 years) 2 1 (over 3 semesters) 1

Senior Research Paper (Extended Essay) Community Service: Students must demonstrate a sustained commitment to community service during grades 11 and 12.

Note: Most YIS graduates earn 25 or more credits by the end of grade 12.

TRANSCRIPT Assessment Policy and Grading System Students in the Class of 2014 are assessed on a 1-7 scale and the YIS GPA reflects this. The highest cumulative GPA in the Class of 2014 at the end of 11th grade was 6.66 out of 7.

Weighting and Ranking Policy YIS does not weight GPA and typically does not rank students. All our courses are academic in nature.

GLOBAL CITIZEN DIPLOMA In 2012 YIS introduced the Global Citizen Diploma (GCD), a diploma program designed to foster graduates who are culturally aware, socially responsible, well-rounded and effective global citizens. Complementing the requirements of the IB Diploma and YIS High School Diploma, the GCD aims to recognize a student’s whole education, including the learning that takes place in the classroom, in the school community and in life beyond school. The GCD provides a measure not just of academic achievement, but of the overall value our students can bring to future academic communities, employers and the world at large.

All graduates earning the GCD have completed and reflected on significant learning in Communications, Community Engagement and Global Perspectives. Beyond that, students may reflect on their learning in eleven other areas to earn the GCD in three levels of achievement: the Global Citizen Certificate, Global Citizen Diploma, and Global Citizen Diploma with Distinction. In the program’s first year, 17 students graduated with the Global Citizen Diploma, and 3 students graduated with the Global Citizen Diploma with Distinction. For more information, please visit www.yis.ac.jp/gcd.

TESTING PROGRAM Assessment Tests ISA (International School Assessment), PSAT, SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests, ACT Examination Courses Grades 11 and 12: International Baccalaureate (Certificates/Diploma)

IBDP at YIS The IB Diploma Program was introduced at YIS in 1986. The academic program for students in grades 11 and 12 consists of taking six subjects, three at the higher level and three at the standard level. One subject must be chosen from the first five groups (see below). The sixth subject can be from group 6 or a second subject from groups 1, 2, 3 or 4.

COURSE OFFERINGS – GRADES 11 AND 12 (All two-year courses) Note: All courses are offered at standard and higher levels unless otherwise indicated. Ab Initio languages are only offered at standard level.

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Group 6

Language A

Second Language

Individuals and Societies

Experimental Sciences

Mathematics

The Arts

English Lit English L&L

Language B Japanese French Spanish German

History Geography Economics

Biology Physics Chemistry

Mathematics Mathematical Studies SL

Visual Arts Theater Music Dance

**Japanese L&L **German L&L

Ab Initio Japanese SL *Mandarin SL *Spanish SL

*Economics *Psychology *Philosophy SL *Business and Management *Information Technology in a Global Society

*Film Studies SL

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

* Online IBDP course ** Students must take English in group 1 to meet YIS graduation requirements. Should students wish to take two group 1 courses, a bilingual diploma will be awarded.

IBDP TESTING RESULTS Over 700 students have taken the IB Diploma since its introduction at YIS, achieving a cumulative pass rate of 95%.

Class of 2013 Class of 2012 Class of 2011

Percentage of Class Taking IB Diploma 92% 98% 88%

Pass Rate 95% 91% 98%

Mean IB Diploma Score 34 32 34

Highest Score 40 40 45

SAT TESTING RESULTS Please note that for approximately 70% of the students taking external examinations at YIS, English is either a second or third language. SAT Reasoning Test mean results for the last three graduating classes are shown below.

Class of 2013 Class of 2012 Class of 2011

Critical Reading Mean 537 528 554

ACT TESTING RESULTS The mean score for ACT with writing for the Class of 2013 was 25.

Writing Mean 538 536 549

Math Mean 585 585 598

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE Each year, approximately 90% of our graduates enter institutions of higher learning directly, matriculating to colleges and universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, and other countries. The other 10% typically choose to take a gap year. Some of the colleges and universities to which YIS students have been accepted in the last five academic years are listed below. A complete list is available at www.yis.ac.jp/universities.

United States Amherst College Barnard College, Columbia University* Berklee College of Music Boston College* Boston University Brown University California College of the Arts California Institute of the Arts California Polytechnic University* Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University* Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College DePaul University Drexel University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Emerson College George Mason University Georgia Institute of Technology Grinnell College Lewis & Clark College Loyola University Chicago Massachusetts Institute of Technology Miami University Michigan State University Mount Holyoke College New York University* Northeastern University* Northwestern University Occidental College Oxford College of Emory University Pennsylvania State University Princeton University Purdue University Rhode Island School of Design Rider University San Diego State University* San Francisco State University San Jose State University* School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Skidmore College Smith College Stanford University Texas A&M University Texas Tech University The George Washington University University at Buffalo (SUNY) University of California at Berkeley* University of California at Davis University of California at Irvine* University of California at Los Angeles* University of California at Riverside

University of California at San Diego University of California at Santa Barbara University of California at Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Florida University of Hawaii at Hilo University of Hawaii at Manoa* University of Illinois at Chicago Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Massachusetts, Boston University of Miami* University of Michigan University of Oregon University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of Southern California University of Washington* Vanderbilt University Washington State University Wellesley College

United Kingdom Arts University Bournemouth Bristol University* Cass Business School, City Univ. London Durham University* Goldsmiths, University of London Imperial College London Keele University King's College London Lancaster University London School of Economics Loughborough University Newcastle University Oxford Brookes University Queen Mary, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London Suffolk University University College London University of Bath* University of Birmingham University of Brighton University of Bristol University of Cambridge* University of East London University of Edinburgh* University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Kent University of Leeds University of Manchester* University of Northampton

*Indicates universities to which one or more members of the Class of 2013 matriculated.

University of Nottingham University of Portsmouth University of Sheffield University of Southampton University of St. Andrews University of Sussex* University of the Arts London University of Warwick University of York

Canada Concordia University Dalhousie University McGill University* McMaster University Mount Allison University* Queen's University Simon Fraser University University of Alberta University of British Columbia* University of Calgary University of Lethbridge University of Toronto University of Victoria University of Waterloo

Japan Aoyama Gakuin University International Christian University Meiji Gakuin University Osaka University Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Sophia University Temple University Japan University of Tokyo Waseda University*

Others Chung Shan Medical University (Taiwan) Glion Institute of Higher Education (Switzerland)* IE University (Spain)* Kasturba Medical College (India) University of Hong Kong (China) University of Melbourne (Australia University of Sydney (Australia) Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) Leiden University (Netherlands)* Taipei Medical University (Taiwan) The University of Queensland (Australia) Universita Bocconi (Italy) Universiteit Maastricht (Netherlands) University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)