Three Pathways Approach

As students head into Grades 11 and 12 they step into the last two years of their secondary school life and the world of college preparation. While some students may know exactly what career path they would like to follow and then choose the right university and major, a great many students do not. How should they prepare for university, and have the right qualifications, taking into account their strengths as a student?

At RAS we have three pathways to choose from that will get students into the college of their choice. All students that graduate from RAS earn a US Diploma and this forms the foundation for the qualifications needed to get into a university in the USA, Canada, Europe, or anywhere in the world.

The Grades 11 and 12 Three Pathways Approach at RAS is based on courses within the IB Diploma Program (IBDP), this being because it is felt that the combination of the academic rigor of the IBDP and the approaches to teaching and learning offered by the program best prepare RAS students for the life and learning that follows graduation. In short, the program encapsulates what is articulated in the school’s foundation documents – mission, vision, beliefs and the Profile of Graduates. The fact that, time and again, those who have followed IBDP-based courses report that they appear so much better prepared for college courses than their contemporaries who did not take such courses, speaks volumes.

This approach means that all students in Grades 11 and 12 will share the common experience to:

Continue a program of study that enables them to both earn the credits required and meet all other conditions to be awarded the RAS High School Diploma,
Study within IBDP courses only,
Take courses in all six DP subject groups,
Take the ‘Core’ element of Theory of Knowledge (ToK), and
Either undertake the full Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) ‘Core’ element or a modified Community Service (CS) version