Singapore American School

A teacher may temporarily place students into Supervised Study as a way to assist students before they fail. Supervised Study is intended for those students who have the skill but may lack the will to complete their work. Reasons for placement may include (but are not limited to) low grades, missing or inconsistent homework, and poor organizational or time management skills. Supervised Study is not designed to address gaps in content knowledge, or poor behavior. Students found to be struggling in their learning may be placed in Supervised Study until specific tasks are completed or skills are mastered. Teachers will determine the length of a placement (minimum placement is two weeks).

In addition to teacher placements, counselors may place students in Supervised Study based upon poor grades at mid–semester progress time and at the end of each semester. Students who are new to the high school may also be placed in Supervised Study upon their arrival should their previous grades warrant it.

As long as there is room in the class, a counselor can add a student to Supervised Study. Full details and eligibility criteria for Supervised Study program can be found in the student handbook

For one week during second semester, all regularly scheduled high school courses cease while students and teachers participate in an extraordinary global program.

Interim Semester is a required off-campus experience designed to enhance the curriculum by providing high school students with diverse educational experiences beyond the traditional classroom. Interim Semester courses offered vary slightly from year to year, but will range from activities in Singapore to excursions to other nations in Asia and beyond. In October students receive specific information about courses that will be offered for that school year and will be asked to make their selection.

Students do not select their Interim Semester courses until the beginning of the academic year. The program is committed to:

• deepening students’ understanding of the world around them;
• inspiring students to contribute to the global community;
• encouraging students to challenge themselves; and
• building a sense of community.

The SAS Summer Semester opens a new learning option, encouraging students to extend, diversify, and accelerate learning from the academic school year. It will allow students to explore new learning paths not available through existing course offerings. The Summer Semester program focuses on the whole child and presents learning opportunities in four distinct categories: intellectual curiosity, creative expression, sports and wellness, and travel adventures and service. Students will have an opportunity to select programs from all categories.

SAS is partnering with world leaders in a variety of fields to offer leading edge programs not available elsewhere in Singapore. These partners have designed exclusive programs for the SAS Summer Semester student. In addition to an SAS Summer Semester transcript, students participating in this programs will receive a Certificate of Participation from the partnering organization.

An SAS Summer Semester transcript will become a part of the student’s official academic record. Courses that are eligible for credit will be listed on the SAS transcript as a P (pass) grade, which is similar to how credits are listed on the SAS transcript for students transferring into SAS from any other high school. Credits earned through the SAS Summer Semester could be used to fulfill SAS graduation requirements but would not be included in the calculation of a student’s SAS grade point average (GPA). A Summer Semester transcript, including the actual grades or comments, would be sent to colleges as an additional page of the SAS transcript.

Note that Summer Semester courses which allow students to earn high school credit (e.g. biology, geometry) are self–paced. Students work independently to meet the standards of the course. In order to be successful in the program, a student should be self–motivated, focused, and have a keen interest in the subject area. An assessment of the student’s progress will be made at the end of the first two weeks. This is to ensure the student is on pace to complete the course. If evidence indicates the student is clearly not on pace to meet the course standards, parents can withdraw the student from the course. They will receive half of the Summer Semester payment for the course back.

SAS, in partnership with the School Year Abroad (SYA) organization, is proud to offer high school students the opportunity to participate in a one–year study abroad opportunity during their junior or senior year. SAS joins a consortium of elite independent schools including the American School of London, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter, St. Paul’s School, and Taft in offering this program.

SYA is an independent nonprofit institution that owns and operates campuses in China, France, Italy, and Spain. SYA is the only high school study abroad program that requires students to live with a host family for an entire academic year. Our partnership with SYA allows SAS students to access their four language immersion campuses around the world for a year, while remaining SAS students.

Students apply to join SYA by completing an application on the www.sya.org website. Students must apply by the end of January to participate in the program during the next academic year, with acceptance decisions made shortly thereafter. Prior to applying, students should speak with their counselor to make certain the program will serve their needs and to review their SAS graduation credits. If accepted by SYA, tuition and fees will be paid directly to SYA. Only the SAS annual enrollment fee, which is required of all SAS students, would be required by SAS.

At the conclusion of the academic year an SYA transcript will be sent to SAS and will become a part of the student’s official academic record. The credits will be listed on to the SAS transcript as a P (pass) grade, which is similar to how credits are listed on the SAS transcript for students transferring into SAS from any other high school. Credits earned through SYA could be used to fulfill SAS graduation requirements but would not be included in the calculation of an SAS grade point average (GPA). The actual SYA transcript, including the grades earned, would be sent to colleges as a second page of the SAS transcript providing colleges and universities with a full understanding of the SYA program.