After obtaining the national bilingual school license from the District Secretary of Education, it was confirmed that the bilingual education offered by the Gimnasio Moderno is aimed at learning English, with a high level of contact of students with this language: more than 50 % of the program is developed on it. In that sense, the learning methods and routes that have been implemented in the school (such as inquiry projects, problem-based learning and integrated learning of content and languages) develop basic communication skills and cognitive language-academic skills.
This year, the school continued with the Cambridge University qualifications under the model proposed in the European Framework of Reference. We continue to work with Cambridge Assessment English, using a wide range of exams designed specifically for school-age students and supported by extensive research on how language skills are developed.
To take the exam, students are classified according to their knowledge and age; In this way, the children who are taking First Decroly and Second Decroly are certified as Starters, which is the beginning of the language learning process and classifies them at the Pre-A1 level. Children from Third Decroly and Fourth Decroly can be certified as Movers, corresponding to A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Fifth Decroly students are certified as Flyers, corresponding to the A2 level, a level on which they can use every day English, both written and spoken.
Children who are in 6th and 7th grade can receive KET certification, an A2 + level, which shows that they use English to communicate in simple situations. The eighth and ninth graders take the Cambridge English Preliminary (PET) exam, an intermediate level qualification, which certifies them in English language skills for work, study and travel, placing them at the B1 level. Tenth grade students are certified in FCE, demonstrating that they can use every day English, both written and spoken, for work or educational purposes, at a B2 level. Finally, students who are taking the Eleventh grade, take the IELTS exam, which certifies them as English speakers at C1 – C2 level.
Out of the 106 students in the First Decroly and Second Decroly grades who took the Starters exam, 77.3% obtained a grade of high and medium-high, which indicates that they are at the level that corresponds to these grades, according to the Common European Framework . 22.6%, that is, 24 students, are at the intermediate level; no student was at the low level.
Out of the 92 students in the Third Decroly grade who took the Movers exam, 89.1% obtained a grade of high and medium high, which indicates that they are at the level that corresponds according to the Common European Framework for these grades. 10.9% is equivalent to 10 students who are at the medium level, no student is at the low level.
Out of the 34 students in the Fifth Decroly grade who took the Flyers exam, 79.4% obtained a grade of high and medium high, which indicates that they are at the level that corresponds to these grades, according to the Common European Framework. 10.9%, that is, 10 students, are at the intermediate level; no student is at the low level.
96% of 6th and 7th grade students achieved expected results on the KET test. This result shows that the vast majority of students are at the appropriate CEFR level for this cycle. It is also observed that only 4% of the students reached the A1 + level.
11% of the sixth and seventh grade students passed the expected results in the test and obtained the degree of Distinction, which grants the B1 level certificate. In addition, 31% obtained the degree of Merit, which is equivalent to an A2 +. The A2 + shows an excellent performance in the test in addition to being in the upper scores within the expected level. Finally, 54% of the students who took the test reached grade C, or level A2 of the CEFR, which is the expected level in this grade cycle.
96% of the Eighth and Ninth grade students achieved the expected results on the PET test. This result shows that the vast majority of students are at the appropriate CEFR level for this grade cycle. It is also observed that only 4% of the students reached the A2 + level, which is a fairly low percentage but that allows us to carry out corrective actions in this population.
32% of the Eighth and Ninth grade students passed the expected results in the test and obtained the degree of Distinction, which grants the B2 level certificate. In addition, 30% obtained the degree of Merit, which is equivalent to a B1+. The B1+ shows an excellent performance in the test in addition to being in the upper scores within the expected level. Finally, 32% of the students reached grade C, or the B1 level of the CEFR, which is the expected level for this grade cycle.
96% of 11th grade students achieved expected results on the IELTS test. This result demonstrates that the vast majority of 11th grade students who took the test are at the appropriate CEFR level for this grade. It is also observed that only 4% of the students reached the B1+ level, which is a fairly low percentage but allows us to take future corrective actions.
41% of Eleventh students passed these results and obtained the Proficiency grade, which awards the certificate of the highest levels on the Cambridge C2 and C1 scale. In addition, of the 11th grade students who took the test, 55% achieved the Independent grade with a B2 level, which is the expected level for this grade. Obtaining the B2 level in a test such as the academic IELTS demonstrates excellent performance by the students.
