CommunityReport 2013/14

Welcome

Community is an interesting word. At ISS it means commitment and dedication. It means keeping an open mind and it means recognizing that internationalism means more than just diversity of population, it means a multicultural respect for a variety of global perspectives. From a strategic standpoint, 2013/14 was a very successful year, focusing on making learning more visible through technological tools that required extensive work in the background to lay a pedagogical and technological foundation that will serve our students for years to come. This was also the year where our community interacted with the local Stuttgart community as never before. Sports days with other schools, our Verein tournament, Model United Nations at ISS and our expanded internship program were all clear examples of our commitment to connect with our local surroundings. Our dedication to helping those struggling in the Philippines and in India is another example of our mission, serving as positive participants in a changing world. While we continue to explore how to do things better than before, this report attests to one thing in particular : our commitment to deliver our mission and to work with one another to keep our school moving forward in a world that more than ever needs global perspectives.

Greater transparency

As this report goes to print, the ISS Board of Trustees are reflecting on three years of our past Strategic Plan in order to fashion the new one to address current challenges and opportunities for the future. One thing that can easily be recognized is how far we have come. ISS has embraced a level of educational transparency that makes us unique in the area. We continue to address responsible financing and have embraced our vision mission and philosophies as reflected not only in our schools day to day operations, but in our commitment to best practice governance. For example, in the year 2013/14, the ISS Board attended a Best Practice Governance Training with world expert John Littleford and 13 other AGIS schools. The Board is also proud of our continued development of our informational Dashboard that allows us to make informed decisions based on current and trending information, all of which helps the Board to decide on strategic priorities that affect the future of ISS and its increasingly positive educational and economic profile in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Dr. Henrik Huydts, Chairman, Board of Trustees

a school that institutes and monitors appropriate leadership structures, policies, processes and systems

a school ... that engages all students

We  will  be  a  school  that  offers  a  challenging  and  aligned  education  from  EY  -­‐  12  that  engages  all  students. 86%

We  will  be  a  school  that  institutes  and  monitors  appropriate  leadership  structures,  policies,  processes  and  systems  to  ensure  the  delivery  of  the  school  vision,  mission  and  philosophies.

86%

We  will  be  a  school  that  continuously  develops  a  creative  and  stimulating  learning  environment. 96%

We  will  be  a  school  that  integrates  with  our  host  country  and  local  region. 96%

We  will  be  a  school  that  attracts,  recruits,  retains  and  supports  a  high  quality  staff  to  deliver  our  Vision,  Mission  and  Philosophies  through  our  curriculum.

84%

We  will  be  a  school  that  fosters  a  spirit  where  all  stakeholders  feel  a  responsibility  for  contributing  to  the  community. 88%

We  will  be  a  school  that  maintains  sound  and  stable  finances.                       86%

     ISS  Strategic  Plan  -­‐  Progress  2013  /  2014

167   188   180   180   159  

224   216   231   228  196  

80   71   77   68  71  

37   42   36   38  28  

94   140   130   136  155  

0  

100  

200  

300  

400  

500  

600  

700  

800  

09/10   10/11   11/12   12/13   13/14  

Na#onali#es  Degerloch  

Other  

India  

UK  

Japan  

Germany  

US   28   28  52   63   75  

46   37  

42  40  

50  6  

10  

20  20  

20  

0  

20  

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60  

80  

100  

120  

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180  

09/10   10/11   11/12   12/13   13/14  

Na#onali#es  Sindelfingen  

Other  

India  

UK  

Japan  

Germany  

US  

Evaluating the impact of technology on student learning

2013/14 marked the year in which ISS launched its first fully integrated database and school information system - Veracross. This move indicated a significant pedagogical shift where students could be at the center of academic information in a fully transparent manner with their families and their teachers. Having reports, assessments, attendance and assignments all available online for our Upper School was a culture changer. We also became leading developers of a new e-portfolio system Evernote that provides families with unprecedented access to learning taking place in our Lower School classrooms. The final step to this entire process included the introduction of the Bring Your Own Laptop program and the continued integration of IT curriculum into each Upper School subject area.

Aligned education

a school that offers a challenging and aligned education from EY - 12

Building time management and study skills with our approaches to learning and trans-disciplinary planning

The Upper School has increased its focus on student learning skills this past year. Following a visit from Lance King, a leader in the IB’s focus on Approaches to Learning and Teaching Skills, each IB subject group is finalizing a curriculum continuum of these skills from grades 6-10. The Student Assistance Program focused on time management and learning strategies with continued professional development opportunities. In addition, the implementation of the Homework Club in the Upper School has been highly successful in reaching all upper school students and providing opportunities for additional support of learning strategies.The results of these efforts can be seen in the 2014 MYP moderation results on the previous page and in the 88% of the 2014 IB Diploma cohort achieving a diploma, well above the world average of 79%. The average score was also significantly above world averages, and 7% of the cohort excelled in the 40+ point range. With 55% receiving a bi-lingual diploma ISS is particularly proud of our students’ continued improvement, even as we maintain our non selective policy for those wishing to attempt the challenging Diploma program. a school that offers a challenging and aligned education from EY - 12

Subject rigor

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1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

6  

7  

Lang  A   Lang  B   Humani4es   Science   Mathema4cs   Arts   All  

Mean  Grade

 

Subject  Group  

ISS  and  World  Averages  per  IB  Diploma  Group  (May  2014)  

ISS  Mean  

World  mean  

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2011   2012   2013   2014  

Stud

ents

 ent

ered

 fopr

 Dip

lom

a  w

ho  p

asse

d  (%

)  Year  

ISS  and  World  Diploma  Award  2011  -­‐  2014  

Pass  rate  (ISS)  

Pass  rate  (World)  

Augmenting First Aid training for staff

Towards the end of January, 18 staff members met for a refresher course in first aid and a special training in using a defibrillator. The staff on this course learned about the “Dr ABC” (Danger- response- airway- breathing-compression), about how to apply a bandage, about people in shock, the recovery position, and how to resuscitate a patient. Of course the day served a most serious purpose: to ensure that staff at ISS are well prepared to provide first level assistance in the case of any medical emergencies.

Providing resources that support student-centered learning

Significant progress has been made this year in terms of rethinking how we support student learning through our library services. Our efforts were assisted by a team of visiting librarians that worked for two weeks at ISS assessing current practices, mending catalog records, rethinking policies, marketing and branding our libraries, and introducing our staff to best practice. Based on the detailed reports and recommendations left by the visitors, we expect to merge the library and educational technology departments while implementing a ‘Learning Commons’ model. We also hope to provide improved leadership and organizational structure in which the librarians can work. Finally, new technology tools will be utilized to make sure that school resources, both print and digital, are better- organized and specifically targeted to individual student assignments. These initiatives will ensure that ISS students are prepared to meet academic challenges and move confidently into a university environment.

a school that continuously develops a creative and stimulating learning environment

building on our educational foundation for the future

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20

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60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Gradua&ng  Students  

Universi&es  Applied  

Universi&es  Accepted  

1st  choice   2nd  choice   3rd  choice   Gap  year  

University  Acceptance  2010-­‐2014  

10/11

11/12

12/13

13/14

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

University  des,na,on  by  country  2010-­‐2014  

Gap  Year  

Germany  

UK  

US  

Switzerland  

Netherlands  

Canada  

Mexico  

Ireland  

Sweden  

India  

Reviewing timetabling to address strategic and educational goals

The timetabling review in 2013/14 led to the implementation of an extra timetabled hour. Instead of school finishing early at 2.30 pm on Wednesdays (Degerloch campus), period 6 is a timetabled period in 2014/15. Students throughout Upper School use ‘period 30’ as an opportunity to develop their learning skills. Although supervised, students make their own study decisions. Options include accessing the library, working collaboratively, or engaging in private study through individualized study programmes. For teachers not supervising, this extra hour will allow opportunities to share best practice, facilitate collaborative planning time and time for teachers across departments to meet for grade level meetings.

a school that attracts, recruits, retains and supports a high quality staff

a school that fosters a spirit where all stakeholders feel a responsibility for contributing to the community

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20  

40  

60  

80  

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120  

 15+  years  

 10-­‐15  years  

 5-­‐10  years  

 1-­‐5  years  

Num

ber  o

f  Staff  

Staff  Service  at  ISS  

0  

10  

20  

30  

40  

50  

60  

Germany   US

 UK  

Ireland  

Australia  

Japan  

Other  

Na#onality  of  ISS  Staff  

Germany  

US  

UK  

Ireland  

Australia  

Japan  

Other  

The ISS Creativity Challenge - inspired by Caine’s Arcade

On Friday June 20th 2014, students spent the morning planning and constructing “arcade” style games using cardboard, recycled materials and their own imagination and creativity. In the afternoon, the whole community took their creations out onto the pitch to play! Buying a fun-pass (20 games for 1 Euro) enabled students to share their games with others and to play other people’s games, whilst at the same time raising money for the schools second wave of support for communities rebuilding their lives in the Philippines following the devastating hurricane to hit the area in November 2013. In total the Lower School raised over 600 Euros.

Building online Admissions procedures and satisfaction surveys

The Veracross online re-enrollment feature introduced in March 2014 provides the school with up to date information on fee source, employers and other relevant data. This ‘live’ data is reflected in any queries or reports created, enabling operational decisions to be taken based on the latest information. Inquiries from new families are also processed online thus allowing the school to track information regarding prospective students by way of the integrated pipeline reports, resulting in better service for potential families. Listening to our own stakeholders and collaborating with one another is another healthy sign of our respecting who we are and where we want to go. In June of 2014 ISS ran its first independent parent survey. The pilot was a very useful tool to help us gauge our needs, both as a functioning school, and also as a starting point for future surveys. Thank you to all those who did participate which, on the whole, took 20 minutes or less to complete. So please do take the time to help us with this year’s survey. Published above right is a broad overview of the results. If you would like more detailed feedback please make an appointment with Mr. Kelley.

a school that fosters a spirit where all stakeholders feel a responsibility for contributing to the community

0€   50,000€   100,000€   150,000€   200,000€   250,000€   300,000€   350,000€   400,000€   450,000€   500,000€   550,000€   600,000€   650,000€   700,000€  

2013/2014  

2012/2013  

2011/2012  

2010/2011   ISS  advancement  2010  -­‐  2014  

PTA  /  Booster  Club  Income   Dona@ons  ISS  Community   Dona@ons  Companies  

1%   9%  

45%  

44%  

1%  

The  school  inspires  its  students  to  learn  

I  strongly  disagree.  

I  disagree.  

I  agree.  

I  strongly  agree.  

N/A  

For further updates on developments in school please visit the Director’s blog at http://issdirector.wordpress.com/

Stable finances

As reported in our annual association meeting, the school had a chal-lenging year when our projections were affected by a constricted US military contracts market over the previous summer. The situation was prudently reviewed and monitored by our ISS Board Finance Committee, the School Business Manager and the School Director. Costs were kept in control and the school introduced new processes to improve our financial reporting and to give greater clarity to various budget holders. In addition, the school managed to favorably complete the negotiations for our facility in Sindelfingen and support other IT infrastructural initiatives to maintain the quality of learning access in our classrooms and hallways.

Stable finances a school that maintains sound and stable finances

15%  

7%  

17%  

13%  

48%  

Fee  Source  2014/2015  

Bosch  

Daimler  

USM  Contractors  

Other  Companies  

Self-­‐paying  

ISS celebrates being part of the local community

In Degerloch, highlights of the 2013/14 school year included:• Donating gifts to local children, families and those in temporary accommodation over the festive season. • Lower School students singing in local care homes and at the local Christmas market. • The Grade 4 children joining with the Albschule, using both campuses to promote cooperation between the schools – a project that will be

extended next year.• Receiving record registrations for Summer @ ISS, with many local children returning for the second or third time.• Enjoying an extremely wet but highly successful soccer tournament (Kick in den Mai) with 15 other clubs from an area stretching from

Pforzheim to Ulm and Stuttgart to Reutlingen.• Welcoming 100 children from 6 month to 6 years old from the KITA Felix-Dahn-Strasse into our “Nest” for the month of July while their

facilities underwent renovations.

In Sindelfingen, on top of numerous field trips to local museums, galleries, bakeries, markets, and places of spiritual worship and our ongoing support of children in India, students were involved in:• Internships and public performances. • Working in old people’s homes.• Running in the Sindelfingen ‘Stadtlauf ’. • Cooperating with an animal refuge.

We were visited by 15 delegates from European countries and the Reutlingen teacher training college. We partici-pated in several ‘Bürgerstiftung’ initiatives including Science, Theatre and Sports projects and put on a public performance for the ‘Goldberg 60 Jahre Feier’.

a school that integrates with our host country and local region

Host country integration

For further updates on developments in school please visit the Director’s blog at http://issdirector.wordpress.com/

a school that maintains sound and stable finances

Leading education for internationally-minded families

Our mission is to inspire, challenge and actively support our students

and each other to become positive participants in a changing world.

We believe in the importance of:

Innovation: Emphasizing creative problem-solving and confident adapta-

tion to change.

Respect: Fostering empathy and integrity to nurture a caring responsibility

within a diverse cultural community.

Engagement: Challenging and inspiring understanding through active

curiosity and individual involvement in learning.

Relevance: Accessing and discerning real life connections between intel-

lectual experience and the changing world.

The ISS experience inspires its learners to develop a sense of pride and

commitment to making a difference. A transparent and reflective partner-

ship between students, teachers and family is fundamental to our mission.

International School Stuttgart

Sigmaringer Str. 25770597 Stuttgart

Tel +49 (0) 711.76 96 00 0Fax +49 (0) 711.76 96 0010

www.international-school-stuttgart.dewww.issev.de

InternationalSchoolStuttgart