What we really offer is two curriculums, one aligned to the exam, and another which is still aligned to the exam but based more on student and teacher interests.”Įvery nine weeks they press reset and offer a child something different if they need it, explains Bailey, adding that they make sure students go at the right pace through lots of assessment, with daily discussions and weekly mocks leading up to exams. “If a student is slower they can have more time. Once they’ve passed this exam they can take different units including classes on Vietnam and China, she says. Her students have the option of going through it quicker, and most complete it in one year. “We do retain some traditional parts of high school kids still need to earn credit and study certain topics but we go about studying them a little differently,” she explains.īailey gives the example of the New York global history and geography curriculum which is usually studied over two years.
She says the main ways they met the brief was by changing how they use their time – mixing online learning with traditional teaching – and re-evaluating what they teach beyond the curriculum. The woman who has led this revolutionary approach for the past three years is principal Isora Bailey.
