Curriculum Overview
The American Community School of Amman provides an American curriculum education enhanced by the richness of Jordanian culture and antiquities. Curriculum standards are based on the AERO (American Education Reaches Out) standards developed by the U.S. State Department's Office of Overseas Schools, the International Society for Technology in Education, The National Science Foundation, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and other nationally recognized bodies. ACS provides a vertically aligned curriculum from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. In all grade levels twenty-first century skills of teamwork, collaboration, communication, problem solving and responsibility, as well as technological literacy, are incorporated into curricular units and daily lessons.
The elementary school curriculum provides for the development of knowledge, skills, and understanding in the areas of reading, language arts, social science, mathematics, science, art, music, library skills, technology education, Arabic, and physical education. Students remain in self-contained classrooms with their homeroom teacher for core subjects. Specialist instructors teach art, music, physical education, Arabic language/culture, ESL, and technology. Arabic is offered to elementary students in grades KG through 5 as part of the regular school curriculum. An English as a Second Language (ESL) program supplements basic classroom instruction for students who are not yet fluent in English.
The middle school program (grades six through eight) at ACS is characterized by personal attention, a strong academic core, along with personal advocacy for each student. Subject-area teachers provide instruction in core academic areas of reading, writing, math, social studies and science. Classes follow an 90 minute block schedule, meeting on alternate days, except for language arts classes which meet daily. Physical education is a required course. Students chose two electives from World Languages (Arabic as a Second Language, Modern Standard Arabic, French, Spanish), fine arts (Band, Chorus, Art, Drama) and technology (Computer Literacy, Digital Media, Robotics).
In high school, the students in grades nine through twelve follow a college preparatory curriculum designed to prepare our students for higher education in the United States, Canada, the UK, and other countries. In developing a four-year plan for high school, a student should begin with a realistic assessment of his/her strengths, needs and goals. This plan is developed by the student in conjunction with his/her parents, counselor, teachers and administration. Students in grades nine and ten follow a traditional college preparatory curriculum of courses in English literature, writing, mathematics, physical and biological sciences, and world history. In grades eleven and twelve students have several options for required subjects, including Advanced Placement courses in all subject areas. In addition to core subjects, world languages, the arts and technology courses are offered. All high school students are also required to take two years of physical education and a semester of health. The ACS high school program provides a strong focus on writing, with students required to take a writing class for each of their high school years. Each year virtually all of the graduating seniors go on to attend a university, with many receiving scholarships to universities in the United States and Canada.