American School of Asuncion

 

School Profile

The School

The American School of Asuncion, founded in 1955, is a highly selective co-educational day school, which offers an instructional program from prekindergarten through grade 12. The school is a bilingual, multi-cultural educational institution which incorporates U.S. and Paraguayan culture, language, pedagogy, and values in an educational program for United States, international, and Paraguayan students alike.

Accreditation

The school is accredited in the United States by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and recognized in Paraguay by the Ministry of Education and Culture. ASA is also a member of the Association of American Schools in South America (AASSA) and recognized by the U.S. Office of Overseas Schools (A.O.S.).

Enrollment

Currently, there are 169 students enrolled from grade 9 through grade 12: 41 seniors, 42 juniors, 42 sophomores and 44 freshmen. During the 2003-2004 academic year, the senior class was composed of approximately 5% United States citizens, 83% Paraguayan, and 12% third country nationals, representing six countries.

Calendar

The calendar consists of two semesters. As the seasons are opposite from the northern hemisphere, the summer break falls between December and February. The first semester is in session from early August to mid December and the second from mid February to late June. The school day begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.

Class Rank

Class sizes are small, admission is selective, and all courses are college preparatory. No ranking system is used due to these factors.

Grading System

G.P.A.´s are weighted by calculating 5 percent at the end of each semester for successful completion of Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Courses which are not designated AP are not weighted.

Unweighted equivalent for computing G.P.A
Grade	Percent	G.P.A.	Grade	Percent		G.P.A.
A+	97-100	4.33	C+	77-79		2.33
A	93- 96	4.0	C	73-76		2.0
A-	90-92	3.67	C-	70-72		1.67
B+	87-89	3.33	D+	67-69		1.33
B	83-86	3.0	D	63-66		1.0
B-	80-82	2.67	D-	60-62		0.67
			F	(below 60)		0.0

 

Curriculum

The curriculum is a literacy-based curriculum, based on U.S. and the state of Virginia standards. High School

courses at the American School of Asuncion are at the college preparatory level. Students must complete 32 units to fulfill graduation requirements to earn both an American diploma and a Paraguayan diploma.

Advanced Placement

The Advanced Placement (AP) program plays an integral part in the curriculum of the American School of Asuncion. Any student taking an AP course is required to take the AP exam in that course. In addition, students may take AP Courses through Virtual High School or petition to take AP Courses as independent study, sponsored by a qualified teacher. In May 2004, 49 students took 76 exams. Fifty-six percent of ASA students taking AP exams scored four or five, while 77 percent scored three or higher.

SAT Results

The 41 members of the class of 2005 received a mean verbal score of 501 and a mean mathematics score of 522. The mean scores for the SAT II exams for the class of 2004 were 620 for Writing, 655 for Math IC, 663 for Math IIC, and 790 for Spanish Reading and Listening. The American School of Asuncion does not eliminate non-native English speakers from its statistical representation. Ninety-nine percent of test takers were ESL.

College Entrance

In 2004, all forty-two ASA graduates planned to attend college or university in the United States, Europe, Australia, or South America. By July 2005, these graduates had matriculated at the following universities:

 

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American School of Asuncion 2005 / Asuncion - Paraguay
Avenida España 1175 / Phone/Fax: (595)(21)603-518