Sunlight International School has launched an intensive teaching program, in a bid to promote innovative educational methods.
As part of its commitment to maintain a high standard of education, the school recently conducted an evaluation of the school curriculum and teaching methods to assess students’ scholastic aptitude levels.
Saeed Alzaharani, general director of the school, highlighted the crucial role played by assessments in enabling teachers and administrators to make diagnostic decisions regarding the proficiency, placement, and standard of students.
Alzaharani pointed out that such periodic tests reveal the overall development of the students, while concurrently providing teachers with vital information regarding the students’ mastery of specific skills. The students should demonstrate proficiency in terms of the skills determined in the curriculum, before they move to the next level.
The statistical analysis of the results serves to enable the administrators to determine the strong and weak points of students, especially those requiring further attention to improve their performance. He said the school has already launched a SAT review program free of cost, in addition to helping students memorize the holy Qur’an and UCMAS every Thursday.
“This signifies the school’s concern about the overall enhancement of students’ level of performance. SLIS does not want to merely allow students to pass to the next grade level without acquiring the basic skills of the current level. Promoting students to the next level without passing the present level has a drastic negative impact on their future education, particularly at university-level examinations. The school wants to avoid such adverse consequences for students,” said Alzaharani.
He emphasized that the Director General for Examinations in Riyadh schools, Nabil Rizwan and the team from AMIDEAST Organization were among those who supervised the exam. The achievement test is conducted with particular reference to the learning goals of a specific instructional domain.
The content of the tests is derived from the textbook, course syllabus, and class objectives and is designed based on the format of the Global Standardization of Exams. Moreover, to ensure the authenticity of the results and to avoid any discrimination, an off-campus academic team is designated to monitor the exams.
The achievement test is one of the many novelties the school has incorporated into the teaching system. Alzaharani also revealed that the school is currently integrating technology into classrooms, including IQ boards and the Internet, alongside the educational curriculum. Moreover, mentors are participating in a number of seminars and workshops to keep apace with the latest methods of teaching, particularly in mathematics, sciences and the English language.
School uses novel program to gauge students’ progress
