In addition, these types of summative assessments are just one type used by schools to better understand your child’s needs and track academic growth. As a parent, you need to insist that the assessments that your child takes, not only provide performance data (normative testing), but have a direct impact on the instruction that your child receives (standards based). If your child’s school cannot explain clearly why and how assessments are used and give evidence of how they impact instruction, you can and should demand more.

Not all assessments that your child takes are created equal. Assessments fall into one of two categories, summative and formative. Summative assessments are those that we are all most familiar with, they are end of unit or end of semester exams that try to gauge a student’s grasp of the concepts taught and are used to come up with a final grade or an overall ranking for a student. When the goal of the summative assessment is to compare your child to others to see how they line up, that is called a “normative” assessment.This type of assessment includes national exams, SAT tests and many of the annual assessments given in the Unties States and other countries. However, normative assessments can also be “standards based” which means that the student’s ability is compared against a specific set of skills and knowledge to gauge what they know instead of just comparing one student to another. If your child’s school is not doing this type of standards based assessment, they most likely are not able to adjust their instruction as effectively to meet your child’s needs.

Summative assessments, whether normative or standards based, are just one type of assessment. The other important type of assessment is called formative assessment. Formative assessment is what good teachers use to continually check in on student progress and performance in order to “inform” their instruction. This is similar to the goals of a summative standard based assessment, but is done on a much more frequent and informal basis. Quality teachers are constantly assessing their students in this fashion and reshaping and responding to student needs. This process takes teaching from a process of “covering” material with students just repeating back what they know, to “uncovering” material where students walk away with a deep understanding of what they are learning.

The question that an informed parent is asking of their school is “How is this data going to be used?” and “How will this assessment help my child succeed in the classroom?” While we all want to know how our child is doing compared to everyone else, the very next question if they are not doing well is, “How will they get better?” At Bandung Alliance International School (BAIS), we can answer that question.

Two such standards based exams that we use here at BAIS are the Advanced Placement exams and the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) exams. Our Advanced Placement (AP) end of course exams in 8 different subjects allow students to gain college credit at universities all over the world including the US, Canada, Australia, Korea, Singapore and many other Asian and European countries for classes completed in high school. Students can also become eligible for the prestigious Advanced Placement International Diploma by completing a certain set of these courses. These AP course offerings set us apart in Bandung, no other school offers as many AP courses as we do. That means that our students could walk away from BAIS with their first year of college already completed thanks to our trained AP course instructors who teach each of these courses at a college level.

With the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test that we give two times a year, not only do we see that our students consistently outperform their peers in public and private U.S. and international schools, but, our teachers also get timely and relevant information that they can put to work right away in the classroom to improve their student’s learning experience. Let me give you a timely example. Recently, one of our teachers discovered from looking through the MAP test data that her students showed a pattern of weakness in their ability to create and use of graphs to display and understand information. As a result, she adjusted her instruction and instead of teaching about decimals (an area that the MAP assessment showed they were strong in), she took time to teach about data gathering and graphing. That is putting data into action to help students succeed.

As you make choices about your child’s education remember that quality education is about more than quality facilities and a great name, it is about instruction! Instruction in the classroom can be greatly enhanced if the data collected from formative and summative assessments is used to adjust what is happening on a day to day basis. If you want more information about the top quality, international college preparatory education available at BAIS, call, click or visit today!

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Hello, My name is Quamid Green. I was born in East Orange, New Jersey, but I grew up in Warrenton, Georgia. I graduated from Warren County High School and enlisted the same year into the U.S. Marines. After spending four years in the Marines and working odd jobs for two years, I went back to school. In 2008 I graduated form Augusta State University with a BA in History and Political Science. Afterward, I taught at Hope Christian Schools of Augusta for three years and Kingdom Learning Academy for two years. When I am not teaching, I enjoy rapping, touring, reading, and spending time with friends and family. Both my love for teaching and my appreciation for experiencing new cultures combine in expectation and appreciation of the opportunity to serve as a History teacher at BAIS

Hello everyone. My name is Li Qifeng ,I come from Yun Nan China. I graduated from Yun Nan Normal University. I studied for 3 years how to teach the Chinese language to foreigners at Yun Nan, and I also studied 8 months in Thailand. After I graduated in 2008, I had the opportunity to become a teacher in Pei Hua Chinese School in Thailand for one year. I found out there that I really like teaching and enjoyed teaching my students. In 2009, I met my pastor in Thailand and he introduced me to a school in Bandung, the Trimulia Christian School. I wanted to have more international teaching experiences so I moved to Bandung. Since moving here, I like the weather and the people. In 2012, I moved again to teach at the Singapore International School in Bandung. This year I applied to BAIS and luckily, I got hired to work there. My hobbies are singing, watching movies and playing ping pong. I have one brother and one sister. They live and work in China. I am excited to see you all soon at BAIS.

Hello, I am Becky Palisuri and I am delighted to rejoin the BAIS community and serve in the role as Elementary Principal. I formerly taught second grade and kindergarten at BAIS from 2004-2008. After leaving Indonesia in 2008, I pursued my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and gained more experience in the classroom teaching at charter schools. I am dedicated to guiding students to academic success while inspiring an insatiable passion for lifelong learning. Besides my love for education, I enjoy spending time with my husband Andi and my 14 month old son Maxton (Max). As a family we get excited about traveling, playing together, and discovering the world around us.

Hello, I am Andi Palisuri and I am looking forward to being back at BAIS. Although Indonesia is my home country, I have spent the past 5 years in the United States pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree and gaining experience in the IT world. I am excited about using my skills in computers and other areas to serve at BAIS. My wife Becky and I welcomed our son Max into the world in 2012. Since then I have loved being a dad, and look forward to introducing Max to my family in Indonesia. In my free time I enjoy watching movies and football, playing PS3, snowboarding, and my new hobby photography.

Many people want to know what makes Bandung Alliance International School (BAIS) different from the other alternatives in Kota Baru and Bandung. To answer that question is no small task, there are many things that set BAIS apart from other options. First and foremost is our faculty. Without a doubt, our greatest asset is our highly qualified and dedicated teaching and administrative faculty. 100% of our expatriate teaching faculty are certified teachers in the United States. Eleven of our teaching faculty hold a Master’s degree, and, all of our expatriate staff has gone through a thorough screening process with our parent organization, the Network of International Christian Schools. What this means is that you can be sure that your children are getting the highest quality education possible from native English speaking teachers in all of their classes (except foreign languages of course). From our recent accreditation process, BAIS was recognized by a dual accrediting agency report as having a top quality staff after their visit last spring, so we aren’t the only ones that think our staff is great, and our parents see the difference!

Before we go further on the qualities of BAIS that set us apart, it is important to note that BAIS is accredited by two outside agencies that are based in the United States, WASC and ACSI. WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) is the education accreditation agency responsible for accrediting all schools in the western United States and certain countries outside the US who choose to open themselves up to this rigorous process. This agency, along with ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International), come in and investigates all aspects of the school from curriculum to kitchen safety. They look through all available documentation and then make recommendations for improvement and give commendations on things that are going well. So, as a parent you can rest assured that accredited schools like ours meet certain guidelines and requirements according to a US standard. This is very important, as the diploma that we award to our graduating seniors has a much higher value than if we were not accredited. Universities across the US can automatically know that our programs are of top quality, and that an “A” in Biology for example means something. This is a critically important element of any college preparatory program.

Having discussed accreditation, which definitely sets us apart, there are other important elements that also make our school unique. Over 70% of our graduates attend university in the United States, and the remaining students attend schools in countries across Asia, Europe, Australia and Canada. When looking for a school you have to keep your goals in mind and ask an important question: where do you want your child to go to university? Our graduates from the last several years have attended such schools as New York University, University of California at Irvin, University of Massachusetts, Virginia Tech, Asbury College, University of Washington, Singapore School of Management, University of Melbourne, and many more. Our students gain acceptance to some of the top colleges in the US and worldwide each year.

One of the reasons that our students are accepted to great schools is because of our rigorous academic program. Our high school program is anchored by our Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Our motivated students can take college level courses in eight different subject areas ranging from history to science and math. If students successfully complete the courses and pass the end of course AP exam, they can receive university credit from scores of institutions across the US, and in countries from Europe and Asia. Additionally if our students complete a certain set of these courses, they are eligible for the internationally recognized APID (Advanced Placement International Diploma). Unlike the IB program, with AP, students can craft a schedule that works with their individual talents and skills instead of being tracked in one certain direction. The flexibility of the AP program means kids are able to take in depth courses in the areas that they are gifted in.

BAIS has also developed a comprehensive program for students new to the English Language. For students who do not have enough English ability to gain entrance into our regular program, we have two options. For those that are non-speakers, we have what we call our English Immersion Program or “Immersion” for short. Students in this program get four hours a day of straight English instruction, and also join some of the specials classes like art and physical education, and even math. If a student comes to us with some English ability, they can join our Limited English Proficient (LEP) program. In this program, students attend regular courses, but have one extra period of English each day to help them make quick progress. After two years in our LEP program students begin to attend the same courses as our proficient English speakers.

Perhaps one of the most exciting additions to BAIS this past two years has been our Pre-School through 12th grade Mandarin program. Beginning last year, BAIS began offering, at parent request, Mandarin Language study for students in all of our grades. This year (2012-2013) we have been able to hire a native Mandarin speaker from China to come to BAIS and teach in this program. Next year (2013-2014) we will add one more native Mandarin speaker to our program to help meet demand as it grows. We look forward to seeing this popular program continue to expand!

So, as you can see, BAIS has many things that set it apart from other schooling options in Bandung and Kota Baru. Anchored by a high quality staff, a rigorous and varied academic program, and with the backing of two US accrediting agencies, you know that your children have the greatest opportunity for success here at BAIS. If you would like to join us for second semester, or check us out for next year, please contact our office at +62-82-8190-90000, or visit our website at www.baisedu.org.

During our summer program time we will be working on English and involved in a variety of activities. Some of these activities include art, music, sports, swimming, and computers. As well, we will be offering students the opportunity to fine tune their English skills based on their current English level.

Please visit our Summer Program page for brochure and registration information.