| Baku International School | |
| Motto: | Success For All |
| Established: | 1994 |
| Type: | Private, non-profit |
| Director: | Dr. Brian Garner |
| Enrollment: | 192 (as of November 2023) |
| Grades: | K-12 |
| Years: | Pre-K to 12th Grade |
| Streetaddress: | Ajami Nakhchivani street |
| District: | Ganjlik District |
| Oversight: | Quality Schools International |
| Accreditation: | MSA/CEESA |
| System: | American |
| Language: | English (Spanish, German, and French in the case of foreign languages taught) |
| Hours In Day: | 8:00AM-3:15PM |
| Colors: | Blue and White |
| Athletics: | Yes |
| Nickname: | BIS |
| Sports: | Football, Basketball, Cross Country, Volleyball, Track & Field |
| Mascot: | Eagle |
| Team Name: | BIS Eagles |
| Free Label 1: | Languages |
| Website: | https://baku.qsi.org/ |
Baku International School (BIS) is a school located in Baku, Azerbaijan, which was established by the Quality Schools International (QSI) group in 1994.[1] The school provides preschool education, elementary education, middle school, and secondary education. The school programs are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) in the United States.
As an international school, there are students from the United States, Azerbaijan, India, Poland, Greece, South Korea, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Colombia, Spain, Russia, Australia, Trinidad, and Romania.
For after-school activities, there are Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and ballet for preschool and elementary students. For middle and high school students, there are sports activities such as cross-country running, soccer, basketball, and track and field.[2]
Elementary students learn Literacy, Math, Cultural Studies, Science, World Languages, Music, Technology, Art, and PE (physical education). Middle and Secondary Students get to choose electives which include PE/Wellness, Technology, Music (Band/Orchestra/Choir/Guitar), Drama or Art. Students that cannot go yet into the appropriate age program go to IE (Intensive English) classes for Literacy and World Languages. They move up when they can go to the appropriate program for their age. The school has 6 Success Orientations to follow:
The school is funded partially by the U.S. Department of State.[3] The school is accredited by CEESA[4] and MSA.[5]
The QSI education system differs from the traditional American system in several aspects. The naming of the key stages in the QSI curricular system diverges from typical naming. Additionally, the different stages cover different age groups. The table below represents all the changes:
| QSI Education System | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional AmericanSchools | QSI Schools | Age Group | |
| Preschool | Pre-K | 3-4 | |
| Kindergarten | 4-5 | ||
| Elementary School | 5-6 | ||
| Lower Elementary | 6-9 | ||
| Upper Elementary | 9-11 | ||
| Middle School | 11-12 | ||
| Middle School | 12-14 | ||
| High School | Secondary | 14-18 | |
The QSI grading system also differs from that of traditional American schools:
| QSI Grading System | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A level | B Level | N (Not Yet) | W (Withdrawal) | P (In Progress) | H (On Hold) | D (Deficient Effort me) | |
| Student illustrated knowledge beyond mastery, went beyond what was expected of him/her and has completed all the TSW's | Student illustrated mastery in the unit and completed all the TSW's | Student failed to show mastery in the unit and has not completed all the TSW's | Student withdrew from the particular unit or the subject as a whole | Student is in progress of mastering the unit and has not completed the unit at that point in time. | Student is placed on hold and starts attending unit recovery | Student showed lack of effort, therefore, receives a D for a particular unit | |
All QSI schools are based on the course credit system. Each whole-year subject contains 10 units. Each semester-long subject contains 5 units. A single completed unit with a grade of B or above will earn a student 1 credit. A pupil must earn 220 credits throughout his secondary (high school) years and complete all mandatory subjects such as Algebra I and Biology to earn a Standard Diploma. If a student wishes to receive an Academic Diploma, they must earn 240 credits and embark on additional English and Social Science classes. With a student wishes to receive an Academic Diploma with Honors, he/she must complete 2 AP subjects between Secondary 1 and Secondary 4 as well as meeting the requirements of both the Standard and Academic Diploma. The student must complete the subject's AP exam with a score of 3 or above. The mandatory courses for the 3 diplomas are as listed:
| QSI Diploma Requirements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Mathematics | Science | Social Science | Arts | Phys. Ed. and Health | Advanced Placement(Only for Academic With Honors) | |
| Standard Diploma |
|
|
|
| 2 of the 3:
|
| Any 2 of the following:
|
| Academic Diploma | +
AP Literature | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | +
(5 credits) | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------- | |
| Academic Diploma With Honors | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------- | |