Stamford American International School Curriculum

BTEC Courses offer students with hands-on, practical skills that are directly applicable to real-world careers. All courses are designed with prevailing global standards and practices in mind, giving students a realistic idea of what their desired career path will entail. The value of BTEC education is also widely understood by college admissions departments and employers, making it a great choice for students who want early career advantages in their desired fields.

Many of the top colleges and universities in the United States have shown a preference for students who have completed AP courses. The completion of AP courses and scoring a grade of 3 or better on the AP exams can show a student’s fitness for the rigors of higher learning, increasing the odds of earning course credits or preferential treatment during their application phase. However, it’s important to note that AP courses are just one of several criteria used by colleges and universities to evaluate applicants.

The choice between IB, AP, or BTEC depends on various factors, including a student’s academic goals, learning style, and future career aspirations. Though there are often comparisons made between the different programs, none of them are one-size-fits-all answers, as each has its own strengths and considerations.

Every student at SAIS graduates with a High School Diploma that is accredited in the United States. This diploma is based on their selection of either the College Board’s Advanced Placement International Diploma (AP), the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), a combination of both, or a Business and Technical Education Council (BTEC) Diploma. Stamford American is the sole school in Singapore to provide this distinctive educational path.

Yes. SAIS offers an American curriculum Singapore-based parents have come to trust. However, it is also a cosmopolitan institution that counts over 75 nationalities within its community. As one of the key IB schools in Singapore, SAIS is also committed to helping students develop a globally ready mindset, offering a language program that is designed to give young learners a decisive advantage in an increasingly borderless world. Parents can enroll their children in SAIS with the full confidence that they will not only be given an education that matches and exceeds American standards but also the skills they need to navigate a multicultural future.

The IB Programme places a strong emphasis on holistic education, inquiry-based learning, and fostering a global perspective. Critically, it also promotes the Theory of Knowledge, a framework that encourages interdisciplinary learning. This necessarily means that students are directed to learn a wide range of subjects and become active participants in their own education. The programs under IB are also considered particularly challenging as they require rigorous, self-directed academic coursework.

The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a unique and foundational aspect of the IB Programme and it serves to underpin all the important goals of IB schools in Singapore, including critical thinking and cultural sensitivity. TOK explores the nature of knowledge, and it serves as a framework for most learning done under the IB Programme. It delves into how knowledge is acquired and shared, as well as how different interpretations of information impact our understanding of the world.

TOK leads the best IB schools in Singapore like SAIS to employ an approach to education that is very different from those used by most mainstream school systems. For instance, our IB learners under our Singapore international school curriculum have multiple opportunities to engage in music, the visual
arts, and the performing arts as these are seen as important for stoking the creativity, confidence, and self-knowledge needed to excel in all other fields, including ones that may not always be seen as related to the arts in mainstream systems. The constant application of TOK and its promotion in school activities helps mold young learners into well-rounded and curious adults with a healthy appreciation for all areas of knowledge.

The IB Programme, including SAIS’s IB Programme in Singapore, is designed to be a rigorous curriculum for students. The self-directed nature of IB learning also requires a significant amount of self-motivation, which means more ambitious students are likely to thrive within its framework. IB Diploma Programme is considered to be especially challenging, so much so that some major universities will credit subjects completed under it.

However, the IB does not exclude students who are willing to put in the work. In fact, the liberating self-directed nature of IB is often a better fit for independent-minded learners who might not thrive in mainstream educational systems.

In any case, before deciding on an IB school, it’s advisable to learn about available Singapore international school curriculum options and see if others may be a better fit for a student’s learning style.

Technology use in SAIS is guided by the Theory of Knowledge, and the use of digital learning devices is contextualized within wider human systems. SAIS’s Digital Learning Team constantly refines the school’s tech use guidelines to ensure that digital technologies are used safely, ethically, and purposefully.

The school has a 1:1 device program and all students are provided with tablets or laptops to help enhance their learning. Where other schools seek to put hard limits on tech use, SAIS focuses on educating students to be responsible and ethical users of technology. Notably, SAIS’s Responsible Tech Use Guidelines were developed by the school’s own Middle and High School students, demonstrating the Stamford American’s commitment to student empowerment.

Yes. As previously mentioned, the IB Diploma Programme is widely recognized by major universities around the world. Many universities have special admission policies for applicants who have completed the IB Diploma Programme, with many crediting subjects that have already been taken. Moreover, the stellar reputation that the International Baccalaureate has built up over the decades often provides IB graduates from top IB schools in Singapore with a serious advantage in college applications.