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Commitment to Learning – Our Approach
A Learning Community. A primary goal of ASPIRE is to become a “learning community” in all its forms -for both student-athletes and adults. Every ASPIRE student-athlete and staff member strives to give his best to become an active and positive member of a community of interdependent learners, who have agreed to live, play and work together under the foundational core values of ASPIRE – Achievement Orientation, Pursuit of Excellence, Integrity & Transparency, Teamwork, Professionalism and Respect.
We will accomplish these objectives if every student-athlete achieves the following understandings:
- Holistic Learning. Student-athletes will understand that our Academy seeks to educate the “whole person”, thereby instilling a lifelong passion for learning by challenging and inspiring every individual through a wide range of meaningful experiences that explore the physical, academic, emotional, spiritual and social elements inherent in all aspects of the curriculum and sports program.
- Interconnection of Important Ideas. Student-athletes will understand that the ability to make connections between ideas, information, experiences, academic disciplines, sports and the world around them is essential. Their experiences at ASPIRE will include regular exposure to multiple teaching modalities, interdisciplinary work where appropriate, cultural and sports training experiences that are focused around clearly defined “important ideas” and a variety of assessment and performance opportunities.
- Responsibility for Own Learning. Student-athletes will understand that to achieve success requires a high degree of involvement, independence and responsibility for one’s own learning. Student-athletes must understand that work assigned as part of the curriculum – academic and sport - is a fundamental part of the process, and that they are solely accountable for the completion of all assignments.
- Basis of Personal Effectiveness. Student-athletes will understand that communication, information analyses, critical thinking, and problem-solving in all their various forms are central to the sport and academic mission of ASPIRE and to the world around us, and therefore are essential in the development of personal effectiveness.
- Embrace Rich Variety of Human Differences. Student-athletes will understand that ASPIRE seeks to develop a broad understanding and acceptance of a wide range of persons, including, but not limited to, people of different cultures, races, socio-economic backgrounds, interests, and natural abilities. Because diversity adds to the richness of a community, tolerance and understanding are essential. We work to transcend our differences and celebrate our multiculturalism as gifts.
The above “community of learning” beliefs guide all we do at ASPIRE School.
English Mastery. A key factor in being accepted to outstanding universities is mastery of the English language. Students need to achieve a TOEFL score of 650 or better in order to avoid remedial English and provisional university acceptance. Even if attending university is not in a student’s plans, the best careers require English mastery. All of the major corporations and government offices in Qatar conduct business in English and Higher Authorities in Qatar recognize that developing business and government leaders who are comfortable in an international environment that is dominated by English speakers, and who are able to compete in this world, is essential for national success. Therefore, ASPIRE places great emphasis on learning to read, write and speak the English language. Days of English immersion are regularly scheduled. Student-athletes practice taking the TOEFL exam from the 10th grade onward, and extra help is provided to all students to assist them in mastery of this language. While courses are taught in English, the Arabic Language and Islamic Studies are taught in Arabic.
Academic Benchmarks/Requirements. Beginning in 2009-2010, ASPIRE student-athletes are required to take standardized tests (SAT, TOEFL, others) in order to compare the academic achievement of ASPIRE student-athletes with that of all other schools in Qatar. This “benchmarking” - or comparing ASPIRE to other schools - is an important process to insure the quality of the ASPIRE educational program and a critical measure reflecting the success of our teachers and students. Just as every student-athlete and coach looks at the score of a game or match as a measure of success and progress in sport, these academic scores are used by teachers and school administrators to measure success in educational achievement.
Grading System. School has two semesters: September through January and February through May. Formal examinations are scheduled at mid-semester and at the end of each semester. Written report cards are issued after these exams at the middle and end of each semester, with a comprehensive comment one month before semester exams. Each report card contains a numerical grade for each academic subject required as part of ASPIRE’s certified secondary education curriculum, with comments on the student-athlete’s performance from each of his teachers. The numerical grading system is as follows:
| | 95-100 | High Honors with Distinction | |
| 90-94 | High Honors | Required |
| 85-89 | Honors | for |
| 80-84 | Commendation | University |
| 75-79 | Satisfactory | Admission |
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| | 70-74 | Academic Concern | |
| 65-69 | High Academic Concern | |
| 64 and below | Academic Risk/Failure | |
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