High School Academics

The core of the AP Capstone^© program is the 2 year AP Seminar^© and AP Research^© course sequence, with both courses emphasizing collaboration and creativity in multidisciplinary research. In addition to the AP Seminar→ AP Research course sequence, students are required to score a 3 or higher on any 4 additional AP courses in order to receive the diploma. SIS students interested in pursuing the AP Capstone Diploma will enter AP Seminar course in the 11^th grade and, upon the successful completion of the AP Seminar course (3 or higher on the exam), will be required to register for the AP Research course in the following year. For more detailed information on the AP Capstone Diploma please visit the CollegeBoard Capstone page.

Seoul International School places great emphasis on students developing their skills and abilities in English. As writing is one of the best ways to analyze the quality of student thought, students are provided with many opportunities to develop this essential skill. Similar attention is paid to student reading, analysis, and speaking skills in order to develop independent thinkers and effective communicators.

Seoul International School encourages students to be creative problem solvers who work to express themselves in a variety of nonverbal areas. The Fine Arts classes provide an exciting opportunity for students to improve their creativity and problem solving in a hands-on experiential environment. 

Mathematical literacy is essential for 21^st century learners and global citizens.  At SIS, we want our students to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Our students will reason both abstractly and quantitatively; they will construct viable arguments of their own and critique the reasoning of others. They will look for patterns and use mathematics to model real world situations. In addition, using the College Preparatory Math program (CPM), students at SIS are guided to become good collaborators. In all of our mathematics classes, students must work together on rich, inquiry-based problems leading to a deeper understanding of the mathematics.

The most successful students understand that a well-balanced approach to education and life is in their best interest. SIS students have the opportunity to improve their health and fitness through our Physical Education and Health program. Whether it’s in the classroom or in the gym students will have the opportunity to work individually on their own fitness and work on their collaboration and communication skills in small and large groups.

Seoul International School’s science curriculum is based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Advanced Placement (AP) courses. All 9th grade students will take the same science course, Biology and Ecology. After successful completion of this course, students will take Chemistry and Physics in 10th grade.

The SIS Social Studies curriculum is modeled after standards commonly found in U.S. high schools. The program focuses on developing advanced critical thinking skills and on giving students opportunities to express themselves through a variety of assessment types. Students need a minimum of three credits in Social Studies to graduate, including compulsory courses in World History and U.S. History. Students are also offered a wide range of elective classes including:

The SIS World Languages Department believes that the study of world languages offers valuable educational, social and cultural experiences for students. SIS provides a challenging curriculum that helps students to compare, connect and promote cultural consciousness through the exploration of another language.

Studying a world language is a process that requires regular and autonomous practice within four main areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In order to make sufficient progress, students must demonstrate the following qualities: risk-taking, perseverance and self-evaluation. The SIS World Language Department reserves the right to move any student into a different course if it finds that he or she has been inappropriately placed.

Students in both Spanish and Chinese classes are placed similar to any other strand of classes in the course guide. Typically, prior classes in the preceding appropriate grade level are prerequisites. SIS students begin formal, year-long Spanish I and Chinese I study in grade eight. Students new to the high school, with no language class experience (grade nine/ten) typically also start with Chinese I or Spanish I.

After completion of each level of language study in each successive grade, students move to the next level of study. Language courses at SIS are intensive, engaging and encourage active, conversational learning. They are not typical memorization or rote workbook classes as experienced in many other academies and schools. Therefore, it is rare for SIS students to advance past a particular class just because of study in another school or summer course. Students are placed in conjunction with observation and input from the World Languages department. There are no placement tests for World Language classes.