WIDER CIRCLE MEMBER HANDBOOK

2015­2016

Table of Contents

WELCOME

SECTION 1: INFORMATION ABOUT NESA Introduction NESA Center Staff The Professional Development Advisory Committee NESA Board of Trustees Contact Us

SECTION 2: THE WIDER CIRCLE Statement Composition of the Wider Circle Membership Commitments Membership Selection Process NESA Support for the Wider Circle

SECTION 3: COMMUNICATIONS Wider Circle Pages on the NESA Website NESA News Facebook Page

SECTION 4: WIDER CIRCLE MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES Throughout the year

1 For Conferences

SECTION 5: SEC TEACHER WORKSHOP PROCESS Responsibilities Guidelines Process

SECTION 6: DATES AND VENUES Conference Dates and Venues 2015­2016 Conference Dates and Venues 2016­2017

SECTION 7: PLANNING CALENDAR 2015­2016

SECTION 8: BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Office of Overseas Schools (A/OS) NESA Awards NESA Collaboration Grants Glossary

2

WELCOME!

As your school’s “Wider Circle” member you are the primary channel of communication between your school and the NESA Center staff and the Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC). This handbook is intended to support you in outlining the scope of your role and guiding you in its successful execution. It contains background information about NESA, guidelines for the year’s tasks, answers to some frequently asked questions, information about membership, and the list of communication platforms that support our work.

Although we’ve tried to include as much as we can, we’re bound to have missed some things. Please do not hesitate to ask us for details, clarification or additional information.

As a member of the Wider Circle you are an essential part of the NESA Team as we work to provide our members with the best professional development possible.

3 SECTION 1: INFORMATION ABOUT NESA

A Brief History of NESA

NESA has evolved from a group of dedicated administrators meeting informally into an organization whose programs affect thousands of school children. In the early 1960s interest in the education of children of US State Department employees prompted the International Department of the National Education Association to initiate an evaluative study of existing schools in the Near East and South Asia (NESA) region. The study was directed by Dr Finis E. Engleman, then recently retired executive secretary of the American Association of School Administrators. Dr Engleman and his team visited 39 schools in 18 countries, and as a consequence of their report, published in 1964, the Office of Overseas Schools was established in the US Department of State, and Dr Ernest N. Mannino was appointed director.

The geographical boundaries of NESA were fixed to encompass the area from Libya, Greece, and Egypt in the west to Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the east including the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Schools that qualified as "American Sponsored Overseas Schools" were eligible to receive financial assistance from the US government. The requirements stipulated that the school be a nonprofit, nonsectarian institution using American curricula and instructional materials and have a system of local controls and management.

In the early 1960s NESA began to sponsor annual conferences, with leading American educators invited to speak to keep NESA administrators abreast of current educational innovations in the US. Over the following years, the need for a more structured organization to provide a cohesive

4 element to overseas education became evident, and in 1964 the first by­laws were drawn up. In 1968, the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools was established.

In 1974, an executive secretary was appointed, and in 1976 NESA was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the State of Delaware. The following year the NESA board of directors established offices for the organization in Athens, Greece. In 1978 Dr. Stanley Haas, superintendent of the American Community Schools in Athens, was appointed executive director, and the offices were moved to their present location on the campus of the American College of Greece, a NESA associate member institution.

Following the death of Dr Haas in 1995, David Chojnacki, then superintendent at Cairo American College, was appointed executive director in 1996. Currently, NESA includes 41 Members and 110 Affiliates. ​ ​ It is an organization encompassing over 30,000 students and over 2,000 ​ ​ professional educators.

NESA Center Staff

David Chojnacki [email protected] Executive Director

Bridget Doogan [email protected] Director of Professional Learning

Jill Kalamaris [email protected] Director of Operations

Laura Canellopoulou [email protected]

Aristea Evangelou [email protected]

5 Maria Boutzarelou [email protected]

L­R: Aristea, Maria, David, Jill, Bridget, Laura

The Professional Development Advisory Committee

The Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) works with the NESA Center Staff in organizing our conferences and institutes. Made up of curriculum specialists from around the region, the PDAC meets three times a year to identify speakers, suggest topics and strands and to provide input from the field as to what’s needed by our membership in the way of professional learning.

Members: Gail Seay ( Chair) American School of Doha, Qatar

6 Kim Bane American International School­Chennai, India Tracey Carey Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools, Saudi Arabia Renee Couturier American International School­Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Lisa Emborsky American Community School of Abu Dhabi, UAE Michelle Kuhns American School of Dubai, UAE Mishka Mourani International College, Beirut, Lebanon Emily Sargent­Beasley Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel Tara Waudby International Schools Group, Saudi Arabia David Chadwell Cairo American College, Egypt Kerry Harder The American International School of Muscat, Oman Jennifer Hughes American Community School, Amman, Jordan

The PDAC at its meeting in Istanbul, (l­r) Bridget Doogan­NESA Director of Professional ​ Learning, Emily Sargent­Beasley, Gail Seay (PDAC Chair), Mishka Mourani,Tara Waudby, Renee Couturier, Michelle Kuhns, Kim Bane, Lisa Emborsky,Tracey Carey, David Chojnacki­NESA Executive Director.

7 NESA Board of Trustees

The NESA Board of Trustees, made up of heads of nine member schools elected to two­year terms on a staggered basis, sets annual conference fees and makes the final decision regarding conference dates and sites. The board relies heavily on input from the NESA Center Staff, the PDAC and the Wider Circle.

PRESIDENT: Kevin Schafer The American International School of Muscat, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman VICE PRESIDENT: Rose Puffer International School of Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan SECRETARY: Harold Fleetham, Lincoln School, Kathmandu, Nepal TREASURER: Brent Mutsch, American School of Dubai, United Arab Emirates Members at Large: Robin Heslip, American Community School of Abu Dhabi, UAE; Andrew Hoover, American International School­Chennai, India; Craig Johnson, American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India; Brian Matthews, American International School ­ Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (NB: the ninth position will be filled at the Fall Leadership Conference in Abu Dhabi.) Ex­Officio: Beatrice Cameron Regional Education Officer, Office of Overseas Schools, US

8 Contact Us

Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) Gravias 6 Aghia Paraskevi 153 42 Athens, Greece Tel : +30 210 600­9821, Fax: +30 210 600­9928 [email protected], [email protected] www.nesacenter.org

9

10 SECTION 2: THE WIDER CIRCLE

Statement: ​ The Wider Circle is an extension of NESA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC). The Wider Circle assists the NESA Center Staff and the PDAC by acting as the chief point of contact between the PDAC and individual member schools in matters pertaining to professional development.

Composition of the Wider Circle: The Wider Circle consists of one representative from each NESA member school who is appointed annually by that school’s chief administrator for the purpose of being the primary channel of communication between the school and the NESA Center Staff and the PDAC in matters pertaining to professional development.

In the following exceptional cases, the school’s chief administrator may designate additional circle members: ● In schools with multiple campuses, a member may be appointed for each campus. ● Schools whose Wider Circle member also serves on the PDAC may select an additional faculty member to serve on the Wider Circle.

In that case the request should be sent to [email protected]. ​ ​

Member Profile: To serve on the Wider Circle, an individual should: ➔ be nominated by her/his head of school

11 ➔ have an understanding of her/his school’s K­12 professional development priorities ➔ have the support of her/his chief school administrator, including: o financial support (airfare & hotel) to attend the two day winter ​ ​ meeting of the PDAC (if possible) o permission to promote NESA conferences, institutes and ​ ​ projects at the school by speaking at faculty meetings, sharing notices and publications from NESA about these events, etc.

Membership­­­Commitments: Members of the Wider Circle are expected to: ➔ Disseminate news, announcements and publications from NESA to the school community. ➔ Respond to occasional requests from Bridget Doogan, NESA’s Director of Professional Learning, for information regarding professional development. ➔ Stay active by regularly checking and participating in the relevant Wider Circle and PDAC Google pages and sharing sites ➔ Work in a spirit of collegiality, active collaboration and mutual respect ➔ Serve as the primary channel for professional development­related matters between her/his school and the PDAC & the NESA Center (e.g., responding to surveys, sharing information on consultants, coordinating registration for special offerings such as the literacy workshops at the SEC, distributing promotional materials received from the NESA Center such as the events poster, “NESA News”) ➔ Solicit articles about their school and/or school initiatives for “NESA News” ➔ Assist the PDAC in the teacher workshop selection process by announcing the “Call for Workshops” and coordinating her/his school’s own vetting process for teacher workshops nominated for inclusion in the program of the Spring Educators Conference.

12

Membership­­­Selection Process: By May 25th of each year, heads of member schools are asked to nominate someone from their school to serve as that school’s official “Wider Circle” representative. This information should be passed on to NESA’s Director of Professional Development, Bridget Doogan [email protected] who will immediately include her/him on the official ​ ​ Wider Circle roster and give her/him access to the relevant work and sharing sites.

NESA Support for the Wider Circle: The Wider Circle can expect that: ➔ Their work will be respected and valued by the NESA Center Staff, the PDAC and the NESA Board ➔ NESA’s Director of Professional Learning will be in regular communication with the Wider Circle ➔ The NESA Director of Professional Learning and the NESA Center staff will assist Wider Circle members in their work.

13

SECTION 3: COMMUNICATIONS

NESA News We encourage Wider Circle members to solicit and submit articles, story ideas, photos, and travel tips for “NESA NEWS” published and mailed in the fall and winter with a spring issue being online only. This is YOUR publication and provides a great opportunity to highlight your school and colleagues; to network; and to provide collegial help and encouragement.

The deadlines for submissions: ● November 1: Winter issue ● March 1: Spring issue (online only) ● June 1: Fall issue

Specifications: 500 words maximum (longer articles may be edited without the author’s permission). Articles must have a title and list author with job title; photos (max 3) must have captions. Please e­mail articles and photos (photos saved as high­resolution JPEG files, 300 dpi and sent separately, i.e. not embedded in Word doc) to [email protected].

Wider Circle Pages on the NESA Website

14

The Wider Circle pages on the NESA Website can be accessed here: Wider Circle Homepage Password: nesacircle ​

There you can find the archive of monthly updates as well as relevant documents for downloading as needed.

Wider Circle Facebook Group

The Wider Circle is emerging as forum and resource used by members to pose questions or seek resources on a broad range of topics. We very much want to support this type of exchange ­­ but without overloading your inboxes!

In considering this challenge, tech­savvy PDAC members advise that Facebook has proved to be a useful platform for this purpose. Accordingly,

15 we have created a Wider Circle Facebook Group. Please note that membership does not mean you have become friends with each member of the Wider Circle. It is a closed group so our sharing is private. Only your posts to directly to the group will be seen by the group.

To join: 1. You need a Facebook Account. 2. Find the Wider Circle Facebook Group here. ​ ​ 3. Click “Join Group” 4. The moderator will grant access to Circle Members.

Please use the Facebook page (and avoid email) to pose questions to the group. Recent topics have included: ➔ The use of cursive ➔ Phasing out computer labs ➔ External assessments for writing

#NESACHAT First and third Mondays at 6:00 PM Arabian Standard Time

Twitter chats are: ➔ Conversation about a specified topic ➔ A way to connect with educators in the region ➔ A way to share ideas and resources

16

Chats are moderated by members of the PDAC

Notifications will be sent one week prior to each #nesachat to The Wider Circle. We ask that you promote them to your faculty.

Once over, chats are archived using Storify. So those who did not manage to participate may view the chat and the resources shared at any time. https://storify.com/nesachat

SECTION 4: WIDER CIRCLE MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES

Throughout the Year

➔ At the beginning of the school year, you should receive the Fall issue of our news magazine, NESA NEWS and our conference/institute ​ ​ poster. Please let us know if these publications have not reached your mailbox by mid September! If you need more, just ask!

➔ Get word out to your faculty about the professional learning opportunities included in the: ◆ Fall Leadership Conference ◆ Fall Training Institute ◆ Winter Training Institute ◆ Spring Educators Conference.

➔ Information and registration forms are posted on the NESA website: www.nesacenter.org. ​

17 ➔ Keep in touch with the NESA Center! We’re at your service and eager to help you in any way we can. Never hesitate to ask us for help or information. Regularly access the “Wider Circle” section of the NESA website for the latest announcements. Login password is nesacircle. ​

➔ Inform your colleagues regularly about NESA matters, particularly as they relate to the Spring Educators Conference and to applications for NESA awards. These include: Community Service Awards, ​ ​ Stanley Haas/Luke Hansen Student Award, and the Margaret Sanders International Schools Scholarship (Note the December 1 deadlines).

For each of NESA’s 4 Conferences: the FLC, FTI, WTI & SEC:

➔ Share the program and registration information with your faculty. ➔ Include updates on preconferences and meetings. ➔ Remind them of the Early Bird registration deadline. ➔ Coordinate conference registration, hotel reservations, etc., for your delegation (Caution: avoid the temptation to become a travel agent for your school’s delegates!). The NESA website features direct online, electronic registration/hotel reservations. Online registration/hotel reservation forms must be submitted and registration fees must reach NESA by the deadline (TBA on website). ➔ Share the latest briefings (travel arrangements, hotel, speakers) ➔ Special note: hotel accommodations are generally over­subscribed. Encourage early reservations of hotel accommodation. Once full, NESA posts overflow accommodation and transportation options to the conference hotel. ➔ Remind delegates to download handouts from the conference website to their mobile devices. Note: Handouts are not printed.

18 SECTION 5: SEC ­ TEACHER WORKSHOP PROCESS

Wider Circle members are responsible for the process of selecting SEC Teacher Workshop proposals for their school and submitting them to NESA. On Oct. 1 Wider Circle members will receive information concerning SEC Teacher Workshops.

Wider Circle member responsibilities for SEC Teacher Workshops: ● Solicit Teacher Workshops related to a NESA ongoing initiative. ​ ● Distribute the “Teacher Workshop Proposal Guidelines”, “Suggested ​ Workshop Evaluation for Field Testing at School” and the “NESA SEC Teacher Workshop Proposal” to potential workshop presenters. (These are posted on the Wider Circle section of the NESA website and are also included in this handbook.) ● Ensure potential presenters know they may submit more than one ​ proposal, but only one workshop may be selected (each presenter may give only one workshop). ● Check that the presentation has not been presented at a previous ​ SEC. ● Evaluate: Proposed NESA Teacher Workshop must be field tested at ​ own school. ● Select: Workshops should fully meet the selection criteria and ​ guidelines listed in “The Teacher Workshop Proposal Guidelines”. ● Submit: Ensure the selected teachers complete and submit the online ​ workshop form(s) by December 1 to the NESA Center. Up to five Teacher Workshop proposals may be submitted from each school on the online form to NESA. ● Support: Ensure teacher has a buddy from their school to support ​ them during their workshop at the conference.

19

Evaluate Teacher workshops should be field­tested at your school. With your administrators, arrange for a “mini­ NESA” in­service day (or something similar) well before the November 30 deadline, so that you and your administrators can evaluate and rank the proposed workshops. You may use the “Suggested Workshop Evaluation for Field Testing at School” to assist you in the workshop selection process.

Review all workshop proposals. Select those that you feel meet the selection criteria and are ready for prime time. Successful workshops will… ● Relate to a NESA ongoing initiative ● Reflect research­based best practice ● Focus on student­learning ● Support practical application and transfer

Submit Each school may submit up to 5 Teacher Workshops that meet the criteria. 1. Select only those that either you, or a designate administrator, in your school has seen and approved, ensuring that they meet the following criteria: (Teacher Workshop Proposal Guidelines). ​ ​ 2. The deadline for receipt of your submissions is November 30, 2015. The PDAC will review the submissions and make selections by December 15. 3. NESA will post handouts for teacher­presented workshops. Only ONE electronic file will be posted per teacher presenter. The file must be a Word or PDF file (PowerPoint files should be saved as PDF).

Support All teacher workshops are scheduled at the conference hotel. Workshop presenters must provide their own laptops/tablets. Workshop presenters are asked to identify a ‘buddy’ who will help them before, during and after their presentation by:

20 ● Distributing any handouts ● Checking the room set up and equipment beforehand ● Distributing and collecting teacher workshop evaluation forms and then sharing them with the Teacher Workshop presenter ● Acting as a messenger in case of equipment failure, etc. ● Returning the room configuration to its original form (if it was changed) for the next scheduled workshop ● Vacate meeting rooms promptly to allow setup/commencement of next workshop

Guidelines for Presenters

Application

After the Spring Educators Conference (SEC):

➔ Certificates of Participation will be available online one week after the conference/institute. Please check the NESA website under the conference/institute you attended. ➔ Graduate Credit: educators attending the conferences and institutes have the opportunity to obtain one, two or three semester graduate credits from Buffalo State, State University of NEW York (SUNY). For more information, please click on the “GRADUATE CREDIT” tab on the web page of the conference/institute you will be attending.

21 SECTION 6: CONFERENCE DATES & VENUES

2015­2016 ● Fall Leadership Conference: October 22­25, 2015: Abu Dhabi ​ InterContinental ● Fall Training Institute: November 6­7, 2015: American School of ​ Dubai, UAE ● Winter Training Institute: February 5­6, 2016 The American Int'l ​ School of Muscat, Oman ● Spring Educators Conference: April 1­4, 2016 Royal Orchid Sheraton, ​ Bangkok

2016­2017

● FLC: October 20­23, 2016: Ritz­Carlton, Doha ● FTI: November 4­5, 2016: ACS­Abu Dhabi ● WTI: January 20­21, 2017: Riffa Views Int’l School in Bahrain. ● SEC: March 31­April 3, 2017: Royal Orchid Sheraton, Bangkok

VENUES

When selecting a venue for a NESA Spring Educators Conference there are a number of considerations that must be taken into account. These include: ➔ Alternating east and west: because the region is so wide, we try to switch each year so that the distances that have to be traveled even out. (Note: Far destinations aren’t always more expensive given the peculiarities of airfares!)

22 ➔ Political and security considerations: we select venues to which most (if not all) of our delegates can travel without undue hassle (visa restrictions, police registration, etc.); we also want to be in a place that’s not undergoing turmoil. ➔ Because of the size of our conference, we need hotels that can block 450+ sleeping rooms, has a ballroom for plenary sessions of 650+ and offers 12­14 breakout rooms in addition to other conference services. ➔ It’s helpful if we have a host school that can lend us audiovisual equipment for use at the conference and for general support (Note: Teacher workshops are now held at the conference hotel with great success, so a host school is not necessary as a teacher workshop venue).

A Word on Conference Dates... The Spring Educators Conference is scheduled to coincide with the spring holidays of the majority of our member schools. The earliest we’ve held a conference is mid­March; the latest, early April (The dates we select for a given year are based on the results of polling NESA reps and school heads for their preferences— be sure to respond when we ask you for input).

23 SECTION 7: PLANNING CALENDAR 2015­2016

Mid­August Receipt of Fall issue of “NESA News and poster featuring NESA’s two conferences and two institutes ­ for circulation.

September 14 Twitter Chat for the Wider Circle. 6:00 PM Arabian Standard Time

September 15 FLC: Last day for Early bird Registration for the Fall Leadership Conference. Link to the registration form here. ​ ​ October 1 SEC: Teacher Workshop information sent to Wider Circle.

October 2 FTI: Last day for Early bird Registration for the Fall Training Institute. Link to the registration form here. ​ ​ October 18 WTI: Registration opens for member schools. There will be a two­ week priority window for member schools. Registration will be open to affiliates from November 1.

October 20­21 PDAC Meeting in Abu Dhabi.

October 21 Fall Leadership Preconferences.

October 22­25 FLC: Fall Leadership Conference, InterContinental Hotel, Abu ​ ​ Dhabi, UAE.

October 23 FLC: Lunch and meeting of the Wider Circle. (Optional)

November 1 Winter NESA NEWS submissions deadline.

November 1 WTI: Registration opens for Affiliate schools.

November 6­7 FTI: Fall Training Institute, American School of Dubai. ​ ​ November 16 SEC Registration link sent to Wider Circle members (including pre­registration for the limited enrollment extended/special sessions, e.g. literacy, WIDA training, "Adaptive Schools").

24 November 22 SEC: Registration opens for member schools.

November 30 SEC: Teacher Workshop Submission form due to NESA.

December 1 Application deadline for: Stanley Haas/Luke Hansen Student ​ Award & Margaret Sanders International Schools Scholarships ​ ​ December 7 SEC: Registration opens for Affiliate Schools and others.

December 15 SEC: Teacher Workshop selections announced.

December 18 WTI: 'Early bird' registration closes for the WTI.

January 25 Teacher Workshop Program Descriptions and Audio­visual Requirements Forms Deadline.

February 5­6 WTI: Winter Training Institute at The American International School ​ ​ ​ of Muscat, Oman.

March 1 NESA News” submissions deadline for spring issue (online version) ​ March 30­31 SEC: Preconferences; PDAC Meeting.

April 1­4 SEC: Spring Educators Conference, April 1­4, 2016. Royal Orchid ​ ​ Sheraton, Bangkok, Thailand.

June 1 Fall NESA NEWS submissions deadline.

25

SECTION 8: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Office of Overseas Schools (A/OS)

A/OS Supported Summer Programs: The State Department’s Office of ​ Overseas Schools (A/OS) sponsors special professional development programs each summer for educators working in A/OS­assisted schools. These are unique subsidized opportunities for top quality training. Announcements regarding these programs are made in January of each year, are sent to your school’s superintendent and are posted on the Resources Page of the NESA website. www.nesacenter.org

NESA Awards

Margaret Sanders Foundation International Schools Scholarship Margaret Sanders, longtime friend of American/international education through her association with Walsworth Publishing Company, established a scholarship fund to help graduates from international schools attend college. Ms Sanders set up the Margaret Sanders Foundation to administer these funds. Several scholarships are awarded each year to graduating seniors at international schools throughout the world. Students from NESA member schools are eligible to apply. Each member school may nominate one student and forward his/her application to NESA. A special committee selected by NESA will choose one student as the "NESA region candidate" for the final, worldwide selection process. Deadline for applications to reach [email protected]: December 1.

26

Stanley Haas/Luke Hansen Student Award In the spirit of Dr. Stanley Haas, the late executive director of NESA, and Luke Hansen, a remarkable student who died in an accident, this award recognizes middle school students (grades 6­8) at NESA member schools who are a credit to themselves and their schools and who have consistently and significantly contributed to the welfare of others. Three finalists receive cash awards of $500 each. The top finalist attends NESA’s Spring Educators Conference (with an accompanying adult) and addresses conference delegates. Sponsored by GBG/ TieCare International. Deadline for applications to reach ​ [email protected]: December 1. ​

***Application forms can be downloaded from the NESA website, www.nesacenter.org under ​ “Awards”. ​ ​

NESA Collaboration Grants NESA believes in collaboration; it is the cornerstone of our success. In this spirit, NESA provides micro­grants of up to $3000 in support of sustainable collaborative projects among NESA member schools, projects that focus on increasing professional effectiveness in improving student learning (Note: the amount awarded will depend, in part, on the number of NESA schools involved).

Applying for a NESA grant is simple. The head of the lead school in the collaboration must answer the questions below and submit this information to the NESA Center. The application will be forwarded to the Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) for their study and recommendation. NESA’s executive director then makes the final decision.

The application form can be downloaded from the NESA website, under “Projects & Resources” ​ ​

27

Glossary

AAIE Association for the Advancement of Int’l Education, the US­based ​ umbrella organization for all of the regional associations; Director: Elsa Lamb. (www.aaie.org)

AERO: “American Education Reaches Out”, a three­year (1999­2002), ​ OSAC­funded project to develop a US standards­based framework for curriculum development in American/international schools. Six NESA schools were involved in this consortium of twelve schools. The standards are posted on the NESA website: www.nesacenter.org

A/OS: This is the official acronym for the US State Department’s “Office of ​ Overseas Schools” in Washington, DC (it stands for “Administration/Overseas Schools”); Director: Keith Miller; NESA’s Regional Education Officer: Bea Cameron. (www.state.gov/m/a/os/)

A/OS SUMMER INSTITUTES: Every year, A/OS sponsors several summer ​ programs for administrators and teachers, including JOSTI (Jefferson Overseas Technology Institute), AERO: SBC institute, AAIE Institute on Exceptional Children, among others. For details, go to the “Resources” tab on the NESA homepage.

AP: “Advanced Placement”, an external exam program based in the US ​ and administered by The College Board. See the NESA website, www.nesacenter.org for more information.

ATLAS RUBICON: A web­based curriculum management tool used by ​ schools worldwide. For details go to: www.rubicon.com

28 IBO: “International Baccalaureate Organization”: An external exam \ ​

MSA: Middle States Assoc. of Colleges and Schools, Pennsylvania­based ​ US regional accreditation agency; works with schools in the NESA region; Associate Director of the Committee on Institution­Wide Accreditation: Jacqueline Gilbert. (www.css­msa.org)

NAIS: National Association of Independent Schools, based in Washington, ​ DC; President: John Chubb. (www.nais.org)

NEASC: New England Assoc. of Schools & Colleges, ​ Massachusetts­based US regional accreditation agency; works with schools in the NESA region; Director, Commission on American & International Schools Abroad: Peter Mott. (www.neasc.org)

NVS: “NESA Virtual School”, a cooperative venture between NESA and ​ A/OS. This future­oriented project provides a powerful vehicle for students and teachers, within and among the 24 participating school communities, to learn about and benefit from an online academic environment. More information in the “Projects” section of the NESA website.

NVSF: “NESA Virtual Science Fair”, is a science collaboration project ​ among A/OS, OSAC, 10 NESA “NVS” schools, as wells as schools from MAIS, CEESA, AISA and EARCOS. US­based scientists, university ​ students and professors participate as e­mentors ­ The NVSF is the first virtual, international science fair in the world. Students from 5th ­ 8th grade participate either in the NVSF (grades 6­8) or the NVSF5 (5th grade). More information in the “Projects” section of the NESA website.

PDAC: “Professional Development Advisory Committee”, a group of ​ curriculum and professional development coordinators from NESA schools who advise the NESA Center on PD.

29 SAISA: South Asia Inter­School Association, 10 member schools in the ​ South Asia region promoting and coordinating regional professional development activities, academic and cultural festivals, and athletic tournaments.

Wider Circle: a voluntary group of curriculum coordinators and ​ professional development directors from member schools that assists the NESA Staff and the PDAC in planning NESA’s events and initiatives. NB: all member schools can nominate someone to serve on the Wider Circle.

30