After reconsidering opening the IGCSE stream at AHSS, our school administration has conducted a meeting for the parents of the grade 6-8 in order for them to decide if they would want to enroll their children in IGCSE or SAT (American Curricula).
Parents got to discuss the future decision of whether they will enroll their children in the American or British system. Since each system has its different requirements, and the decision is left upon for the parent to choose. 
In the meeting, many questions were answered and in this post we will spot some light on what was actually running since, there is a huge reconstruction for the international curriculum in Jordan and how it is treated with the Ministry of Education MoE.
Recently, major changes have been done for the equivalency of the international certificates, which led our school principal Dr. Sue Dahdah, to conduct the meeting. Some of the changes for the American High School Diploma H.S.D equivalency were that, the school grades are longer counted nor are part of the final equated grade. Meaning that, grade 12 (Senior year) marks will no longer have 60% of the total equated grade. While in the other hand, the IGCSE has been so for years, only the external exams are counted towards the equivalency.
The new regulation will require students to pass 4 SAT Subject Tests, and an ACT. This new regulation will be effective as of year 2019/2020 and onward.
For more information about the equivalency click here or visit the (Academic Programs) page on our website.
On the other hand, IGCSE, is an international version of the GCSE, the local British system exams. In the IGCSE and A-level studying, students will have to pass 8 subjects for them to equate with the local Jordanian Tawjihi. Jordanians must have an Arabic subject from the 6 IGCSE exams, which are conducted at the end of grade 10. Students then move to the upper level, the A-level. 2 A levels are needed, or 1 A-level full (AS&A2) and 2 AS. However, it is important to note that these are the regulations of the ministry in Jordan. Different countries require different entrance exams and qualifications. For example, in the UK, 3 FULL A levels are needed. Each major also requires some specific subjects to be admitted for the course. In medicine, it is usually recommended to take, full A-level in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
*Students with the IGCSE (British Curricula) can still be admitted to US universities and colleges, however, please check with his university of choice and with the intended major in order to get a clear and accurate list of requirements.
In the SAT (American Curricula), a student can take the SAT Subject Test, or commonly referred as SAT II at any time he wish in the following sessions: October, November, December, March (SAT I only), May, June (Subject Test Only). The registration may require no coordination with the school. However, it is advised to take the SAT Subject Test when he finishes the course he at school.
For example, a student should take Mathematics Level 1 after completing, 3 years of math, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, meaning the student will be approximately at grade 11. Nonetheless, a student can take the exam before hand, but he may not demonstrate his full capabilities since he did not finish the course. Also, it is good to take it as soon as possible by the end of the course. For instance, after finishing the Biology course, a student should take the SAT Biology test while it is fresh in his mind, since postponing it may let the student forget the material and will lead to a lower score.
In the IGCSE/A-levels, students take a preparatory year in grade 9, completing half of the course of an IGCSE syllabus, then at grade 10, student should have completed the whole book, and are then prepared to take the exam. The exam is offered at following sessions: October/November, May/June. Unlike the SAT, registering for an IGCSE exam must be done by the school IGCSE coordinator.
Please check with Mrs. Khawla.
