A new “language-focused” International Charter School of Arizona, the first of its kind, is set to open in August in Scottsdale.
Students of International Charter School of Arizona are expected to be bilingual or trilingual upon graduation. As a spin-off of the private school, International School of Arizona, the new charter school will have a free of cost tuition and is currently enrolling students for 6th, 7th and 8th grade in hopes to eventually become a high school.
Student curriculum will include reading, writing and speaking a second language fluently; the students will also gain a solid educational foundation, learn organizational skills and develop critical thinking and communication skills.
“Our focus at ICSA will be to foster internationally-minded students through a greater understanding and acceptance of other people and their cultures,” says ICSA Executive Director Kris Johnson. “We’ll also develop trilingual proficiency, which will provide greater opportunities for global interaction.”
Students of ICSA will enroll in a French or Spanish language track, where they will receive eight hours of accelerated foreign language instruction each week from native speakers. Students will be expected to fluently learn a second language and learn a third language to an advanced level by the time they graduate.
“ICSA will provide challenging academic programs that will develop students to their fullest potential and prepare them to succeed on a local and global level,” adds Johnson, who has traveled extensively to study schools throughout Australia, China, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The International Charter School of Arizona is working towards becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, a recognized leader in the field of international education.
