Aleardo Aleardi International School of Verna

Admission

Admission to the International School of Verona is open to students of all nationalities who demonstrate the ability to access and benefit from the challenging curriculum and programs offered by the school. Students are admitted contingent on availability of space within the target class, appropriate age, demonstration of linguistic competency, appropriate academic preparation and demonstration of proper motivation.

The school may ask prospective students to sit formal written evaluations to verify their preparation.

Interested families are urged to contact the school at least one year in advance to arrange an appointment for an interview which is critical for families to get to know the school and for the school to appropriately evaluate the student.

Middle School and Lower High School Admission

• For external candidates, the process begins with an initial request of school records and details about the student’s background to make an initial assessment about the availability of space within the target class, appropriate age, demonstration of linguistic competency, appropriate academic preparation and demonstration of proper motivation.
• Applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to submit a formal written application and to schedule a screening interview.
• The screening interview, to be attended by both the applicant and the applicant’s family, serves to further assess the applicant’s linguistic competency and demonstration of proper motivation. Other important details such as visas and living arrangements are discussed.
• The screening interview is conducted at school, though in exceptional circumstances there may be the possibility of organizing the interview online.
• If the applicant passes the screening interview, they will be invited to sit placement testing for English, Mathematics and Science.
• The results of the entrance test will be considered with the other evidence collected to determine whether to offer admission to the applicant.

IB Diploma Programme Admission

Admission to the IB DP is granted at the sole discretion of the school to qualified students who have completed the third year of an Italian Liceo or the corresponding equivalent in a foreign educational program. All candidates for admission to the IB DP are subject to written assessment of their abilities in order to ascertain their preparation for success in this rigorous, two year pre university programme.

There are different admissions procedures depending if the applicant is currently a student in our high school or they are applying to transfer from another school.

a. Internal Applicants

• For students currently in the international section of our high school, feedback and guidance is given to families throughout the three years before the IB Diploma to ensure transparency as completion of our lower high school does not in and of itself automatically qualify students to be enrolled our the IB Diploma Programme.
• In the spring of the year before the IB Diploma were to begin, applicants submit a written application which contains, among other topics: reflections on the nature of the IB Diploma, their strengths and weaknesses as learners, their plans for university as well as their proposed IB courses with a motivation to support their choices and levels.
• In the later part of the spring of the year before the IB Diploma Programme, applications are reviewed by the IB Coordinator together with the IB teachers and senior management; IGCSE mock results and school grades are also reviewed. If there is sufficient evidence of linguistic competency, appropriate academic preparation and demonstration of proper motivation, students are admitted to the IB Diploma Programme and their choice of subjects and levels is provisionally confirmed.
• If linguistic competency, appropriate academic preparation or demonstration of proper motivation is lacking, students may be conditionally admitted to the IB Diploma Programme pending confirmation of IGCSE results in August (or other contingencies as deemed appropriate by the school) or they may be denied admission to the IB Diploma Programme outright.

b. External Applicants

• When applicants come from outside of our high school, the process begins with an initial request of school records and details about the student’s background to make an initial assessment about the availability of space within the target class, appropriate age, demonstration of linguistic competency, appropriate academic preparation and demonstration of proper motivation.
• Applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to submit a formal written application and to schedule a screening interview.
• The screening interview, to be attended by both the applicant and the applicant’s family, serves to further assess the applicant’s linguistic competency and demonstration of proper motivation. Other important details such as visas and living arrangements are discussed.
• The screening interview is conducted at school, though in exceptional circumstances there may be the possibility of organizing the interview online.
• If the applicant passes the screening interview, they will be invited to sit placement testing for English, Mathematics and their proposed science.
• The results of the entrance test will be considered with the other evidence collected to determine whether to offer admission to the applicant.

Written Application

The IB DP Application which all applicants, internal and external, submit contains a motivational essay, initial course selection with motivation and reflection on goals for post-secondary education. As part of the screening interview, these documents will be carefully reviewed with the applicant to ensure there is a good fit between the applicant’s preparation and aspirations, and what specific IB DP courses may be required as prerequisites for university admission.

Further Details

The IB DP, which culminates in the awarding of the IB Diploma to successful candidates, is a private and independent path from the Italian educational system which therefore naturally excludes IB DP students from preparation for, and the awarding of, the Italian Maturità.

Admission to Higher Level courses in Mathematics and the Sciences is at the discretion of the school and based on objective evidence of sufficient prior knowledge in the subject area.

The curriculum of the nursery, primary, middle and lower high school is designed not only to prepare students with the skills and knowledge required for success in the IB Diploma Programme, but also to ensure adequate development of the language of instruction. All students in the international section of the school should aim to be able to sit English A Language and Literature in the IB Diploma Programme given that the fluency required for this course is equivalent to that which will be necessary to successfully complete all other IB DP subjects given the language of instruction is English.

IB DP Transfer Students

As the The IB DP is a 2-year course of study that allows schools a choice of options within each course, we do not accept transfer students between IB DP Year 1 and 2.

Rules Governing Participation in the IB Diploma Programme

If offered admission, students and families are bound by the school’s “Rules Governing Participation in the IB Diploma Programme” which covers details such as course selection, assessment, promotion to IB DP Year 2, university counseling, conditions for enrollment in IB DP final examinations, CAS, and further school rules and regulations.