Scottsdale, AZ - January 10, 2011 - By unanimous vote, the International Charter School of Arizona (ICSA) received its charter today from the
Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) for an international foreign-language focused middle school scheduled to open in August 2011 in
Scottsdale, Arizona. The school will provide an international education with French and Spanish tracks to 5th and 6th graders in the first year, expanding after opening to offer 7th through 8th grades and 9th through 12th grades in subsequent years.
The International Charter School of Arizona offers challenging academic programs that will develop students to their fullest potential and prepare them to succeed on a local and global level.
The program is globally focused with a strong foreign language component and rigorous academics.
It will follow the International Baccalaureate
(IB) Program and pursue IB accreditation. Students attending ICSA will:
• Be prepared for college
• Achieve oral and written proficiency in 3 languages by 12th grade
• Obtain a greater understanding and acceptance of othercultures
• Be international-minded critical thinkers.
ICSA was founded by board members, parents and staff from the International School of Arizona, a non-profit, independent private school that currently serves children from age 2 to 5th Grade. The middle school will leverage the International School's wealth of experience in educating younger children with an advanced curriculum and accelerated foreign language immersion programs that allow students to become fluent and literate in multiple languages and achieve native-like pronunciation. ICSA will help fill the need addressed by the Arizona legislature in House of Representatives Bill 2741, which calls for establishing international high schools to prepare Arizona students for international business or international service. A similar bill enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America is H.R. 6036, also known as the Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act, which was drafted to help foster foreign language instruction. ICSA's program also falls in line with other state initiatives, such as the recent Arizona Global 100 Conference hosted by ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy, in which business leaders discussed important measures that need to take place to prepare students to compete in the global marketplace and help Arizona's economy become self-sustaining. As former State Superintendent of Public Instruction and incoming State Attorney General, Tom Horne, said in a
recent article from the Tucson Citizen, "In the 21st century, international studies have become much more important. International trade has become a greater part of our economy and we need to be knowledgeable if we are to succeed." New students without previous experience in a foreign language can begin to learn a second and third foreign language through an accelerated program. Students with previous experience in French or Spanish may continue their progress at an advanced level. As a charter school, ICSA is free and open to all students in the Phoenix metro area. The school is now accepting enrollment applications and will offer an information session on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 6:00pm. Interested parents are also invited to attend an Open House on February 6, 2011 at 3:00pm at 9128 E. San Salvador Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85258. To learn more about the International Charter School of Arizona, please call: 480.874.2326 or email: icsa@isaz.org. About International School of Arizona The International School of Arizona is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) Elementary and Pre-School offering French and Spanish immersion tracks. ISA was founded in 1997 to fill an unmet need in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area for children to obtain early foreign language
learning in a multicultural setting.
For more information on International School of Arizona, please visit www.isaz.org