Successful International schools aim to instil the values of morality, ethics, and spirituality among the students. They are driven by the objective of overall development of the student’s- academics, co-curricular activities, life skills learning, career development, and so on.
Inspired by a similar motto of creating a ‘Pathway to U.S. Education’, APU American International Schools cater to students who are seeking to ultimately gain admission to universities and colleges in the United States and abroad. Its rich base of sister and partner institutions in the U.S. allows flexible scholarship opportunities. The school also partners with parents and students in the study abroad college admissions process. Its innovative solutions allow flexible options for students who would otherwise not be able to afford to study abroad to afford to study abroad.
APU American International Schools are independent, coeducational university preparatory day schools with two campuses and boarding facilities located in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Since its inception in 2004, APU has continuously participated in the economic development of Vietnam by offering high-quality education to K-12 learners.
Following the success of Ho Chi Minh City’s campus, APU American International Schools also marked its presence in Da Nang City in 2015, which provides the APU quality and brand in the Central region of Vietnam. Building on the success of APU, a long process led to the creation of the first American-style university located on the same Da Nang campus: the American University in Vietnam (AUV). Also, for the 2020-2021 school year, APU American International School has launched the Bilingual Program.
APU American International Schools offers a boarding program for students who either do not live in Vietnam or students who want to participate in the boarding school experience. Its dormitory facilities are located on a safe and secure campus.
Maintaining Global Standards in Education
APU aims to ensure quality education while embracing advanced technology and continuous innovation. Accordingly, it has developed a curriculum where the students, management, and faculty work together to keep the courses relevant to today’s industry requirements.
The school has implemented MAP testing as an eternal assessment tool to determine how the students compare to other international students and to students in the United States. The MAP testing data is also used to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and to inform planning.
Moreover, in addition to course revision, faculty members have curated a personalized learning course in such a way that gives the students the liberty to choose and match their needs and interest.
As part of the School Improvement Plan, APU focused on several areas, coming from the same focus point: ensuring that the curriculum aligns with standards. The decision to align all P.D. to Align the Curriculum to the Standards was made in an effort to ensure that, as an international school, it was achieving curriculum goals. APU’s previous in-house assessment data indicated that some of the students were not being challenged, while others found the coursework too difficult. The difficulty level probably stemmed from the student’s ability to read and write in English, and therefore there was a renewed focus on embedding SIOP practices into the lessons.
The school faculty curated the educational curriculum so beautifully that it bridges theory and practice and exposes students to work and solve problems in the ‘real world’. During the whole learning process, the faculty ensures that students are groomed in the way the real world operates and equips students with all the necessary means to indulge and, ideally, in the system.
Embracing e-Learning and Modern Educational Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed many challenges on the education sector across the World. Even during those tough times, APU provided up-to-date facilities for both offline and distance learning studies. It offered the students soundproof smart classes, high-tech workstations, project-based team-focused desks, seamless interactive hardware/software systems, and other ed-tech means.
Emphasizing the adaption of modern facilities at the school, Dr Binh Tran says, “We are also updating every classroom at APU with networked instructional systems technology. Our newest smart distance learning studios will contain 25 tech stations for students, each consisting of a high-performance computer with a fast Ethernet connection and direct access to school printers. Also, the upcoming multi-purpose stadium constructed on our green campus is one of its kind in Vietnam and will host other sports, entertainment, civic, cultural, and commercial events.”
Leadership’s Mettle
APU American International Schools are marching ahead confidently in the fields of academic and career excellence under the astute leadership of Dr Binh Thy Binh Tran Nguyen (Dr Binh Tran), the Superintendent. She is driven by the ambition of creating a learning environment in Vietnam that meets American standards. Dr Binh Tran has spent more than 25 years at the forefront of the educational innovation sector in Vietnam. She continues to nurture generations of Vietnamese students who confidently prove themselves internationally. She likes to know each family and student personally, as she wants to see them succeed in their education goals.
Dr Binh Tran has been able to secure millions of dollars in scholarships during the past several years to allow gifted scholars the chance to study at top-rate institutions in the United States. Every year, she tries her utmost best to leverage the school’s relationships with her U.S. partner universities to offer generous scholarships for high-performing graduates. So far, Dr Binh Tran has guided and mentored more than 5,000 students on their career paths in the U.S. and many other countries around the World.
Nurturing Students to be the Very Best
APU American International Schools prepare their students for continuing education in the United States. This way, they may also return to Vietnam and take on leadership roles in the community for good.
The school’s curriculum evaluation and implementation focus on high expectations that prepare students for future career and post-secondary learning. It offers Greater Pathways for individual learning of the students. SAT Math and English preparatory courses and IELTS classes are offered to college-bound students.
Furthermore, the school has updated its foreign languages program. It has included Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, German, and Vietnamese languages for foreign students in addition to Spanish and French.
The A.P. program was implemented, while the College Bridge Program (CBP) was expanded to allow for a more diverse course catalogue. Students can complete an entire two-year college while in high school by taking classes through the CBP program.
Beyond Traditional Teachings
APU American International Schools address the emotional well-being of students through the social aspect of school. It organizes events such as festivals and traditional holiday celebrations, an extra-curricular club system, online sharing with other schools, and holiday cultural celebrations. School Spirit Week, school community-based games involving teacher/student, advisory time, and out-of-school community volunteerism opportunities are some of the other popular activities.
The Elementary school has a traditional homeroom structure where the teacher is responsible for core content teaching and learning. Students stay together in all classes.
The secondary school has an ‘Extra-Curricular club system’ that allows students to engage in extra-curricular activities with a school community group. There is a secondary and an elementary school Student Council to organize student activities and events.
Accomplishments Worth Applauding
Throughout its journey of nurturing students in the fields of educational excellence and career growth, APU American International Schools have achieved many noteworthy landmarks. The school has been accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED) for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is a member of the College Board and is authorized to offer the SAT, Advanced Placement (A.P.), PSAT, and ACT exams.
APU American International Schools ELD Department became a member of the WIDA International School Consortium. It has begun using the WIDA assessments to monitor progress and differentiate instruction for its ELL students. The ELD teachers also were trained on how to use the WIDA results to drive their instruction and provide support to their ELLs.
Every year, over 90 per cent of APU Graduates receive scholarships from well-established universities around the World that, include Canadian, U.S., and Australian universities, with a total value of more than 25 million U.S. dollars. Over 85 per cent of APU Graduates have made the Dean’s List at top-ranking universities in the World.
APU American International Schools has appeared in the special publication International Schools of the Year 2021 by Silicon India magazine and The Most Trusted Boarding Schools 2021 list voted by The Knowledge Review. In addition, World Schools – an organization that evaluates top educational institutions worldwide, also honoured APU in special categories such as Best American International School in Southeast Asia, Best International School in the World, and the International School with the best Bilingual Program in the World.
Marching Towards a Bright Future
While setting its eyes straight on the future, the school’s community intends to deeper its ability to articulate and foster growth toward the dreams of students and to provide equitable opportunities for everyone. The management’s goal is to understand that one size does not mean it all and that individuality and an internal locus of control is a key component to connecting content and learner goals.
The school’s curriculum evaluation and implementation will focus on high expectations. This will prepare students for future careers and post-secondary learning.
As a part of a targeted and continuous cycle of evaluation, it plans to monitor teacher effectiveness leading to greater instructional engagement of learners. In addition, as part of its short-term goals, APU American International Schools will develop individual learning plans for every student. This will allow the school, students, and parents to plan a successful program of study from kindergarten to grade 12 and beyond.
