Course  Selection

 Students in grades 9 through 12 will select courses during  the Spring prior to the upcoming academic year.  Parents, teachers and the Curriculum and Studies Coordinator will all have input into yearly course selections and the development of student four-year plans.  It is critical that each student schedule has been developed with careful thought and consideration since there is no student initiated “drop and add” in the secondary school.

English  as  a Second  Language  (ESL): Grades  7-12

Secondary ESL courses provide instruction in the four main skill areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking, and follow internationally recognized curriculum standards for ESL instruction in English-medium schools.  At all levels of ESL instruction, there is a strong emphasis on reading and writing for academic development as well as for personal need. Students who speak English as a second or additional language are evaluated upon entry to Pinewood and placed in one of five levels ranging from Basic Beginner to Advanced; these levels are defined according to scores from the administration of The Maculaitis Test of English Language Proficiency, a widely used standardized test of English language proficiency for ESL students.

• ESL 3-4

International  Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is a comprehensive and rigorous two-year curriculum, aimed at students in Grades 11 and 12, and leading to a qualification  that is widely recognized by leading universities around the world. Since September 1999, Pinewood is officially approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in Geneva, Switzerland, to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The IB Diploma Program consists of a core of six academic subjects, including at least two languages, and the required Theory of Knowledge component, a special course designed to establish connections between and among themes and ideas from the various subject areas. Students are also required to engage in two or three hours per week of CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) and to submit an Extended Essay of 4,000 words on atopic of their choice. For more information about the IB Diploma Program at Pinewood please visit our International Baccalaureate (IB) page.