Curriculum
ASA offers unique and exciting learning opportunities to students who take full advantage of our cultural and linguistic diversity. All students have the opportunity to develop multilingual fluency in English, Spanish, and Guarani through a U.S. standards-based curriculum in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) program. All students who complete the full course of studies, including core subjects in the areas of Spanish, Social Sciences, Paraguayan Social Studies, and Guaraní, are eligible to receive a Paraguayan Diploma along with a U.S. Diploma. Those students whose level of Spanish does not meet the language requirements of the mainstream Spanish courses will take Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) with Paraguayan Studies until they acquire the necessary skills to be mainstreamed into the regular program.
The development and implementation of curriculum is a constantly evolving process that requires the active participation of all members of the school community and is led by the Director of Teaching and learning. The foundation for ASA's curriculum is the academic standards of both Paraguay and the United States. The curriculum is a guide for teachers and students to identify essential concepts at every grade level in each subject area and to develop the learning activities most likely to allow students to successfully perform at the level indicated by the standards. All curricular documents are based on the concepts of planning backward from desired outcomes to specific learning activities while focusing on the big ideas in each subject. Curricular documents focus on student learning and performance, rather than on teaching actions. Developing and using a common curricular vocabulary among teachers, students, and parents enhances communication and creates an atmosphere of academic focus.
ASA offers an instructional program from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. The curriculum provides a college-preparatory education enabling students to receive a diploma in both American and Paraguayan studies upon graduation. Instruction is bilingual and multicultural. Within the Paraguayan Program, the classes of Castellano and Estudios Esociales are conducted in Spanish, while classes of Guarani are conducted in Guarani. World Language classes are conducted in the target language: Spanish, French, Mandarin, or Portuguese. All other classes are conducted in English.ASA’s curriculum is organized according to the K-12 academic departments at the left of this screen. Faculty within each department develop the common philosophy, essential agreements, and essential questions that guide their instruction and curriculum development. Scope and sequence charts for each department outline the major content topics at each grade level. In order to provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum for all students, teachers adhere to this basic curriculum. The full curriculum, including standards, learning activities, assessments, and resources, is written by teachers, unit by unit, using the Atlas curriculum management software, as a living document that is continuously updated.