Landakotsskóli
The Landakot School (Icelandic: Landakotsskóli), established in 1896 ,is Iceland's oldest and longest-running private school, and one of the oldest running schools in Iceland of any type. Students attending the school range in age from 5–16 years old; in Iceland this is K-10th grade.
Located in central Reykjavík, Landakotsskóli is an independent, non-denominational day school, it offers modern facilities in a traditional setting. The school has ample play and green spaces, as well as an adjacent park, and currently serves some 200 students. It admits students of all nationalities.
Academics
Landakotskóli follows the National Icelandic Curriculum[1] with an emphasis on mathematics, languages, arts and an innovative art curriculum. Its academic record is strong based on a longstanding tradition of outstanding results. The school's International Department follows the Cambridge Curriculum[2] developed by the University of Cambridge. The program covers the key core subject areas of English, mathematics and science. This curriculum provides continuous and flexible assessment as well as standardized assessment at each milestone in a student's educational career.
International Department
The school's new (established 2015–16) international department was inspired by the increasing diversity of the school's student body and the city's need for an international program to meet the needs of Iceland's expatriate business, diplomatic and academic community; families temporarily resident in Iceland; students returning from abroad who wish to continue their studies in English; and Icelandic families seeking global perspectives in education. The school has a strong academic record,[3] based on a longstanding tradition of outstanding results in national examinations,[4] and an emphasis on foreign languages and an innovative arts curriculum, provide a solid foundation on which to develop an international program.
While core subjects are taught in separate classrooms, students in the International Department are fully integrated into Landakotsskóli student life. They study alongside their peers in the Icelandic program in art, dance, drama, gym, swimming, technology and woodworking. This gives international students and their families a unique opportunity to integrate into the life of the local community and deepen their experience of living in the country, at the same time enabling them to seamlessly continue their education using a global, English-language curriculum.
In addition to core subjects, arts and sports, the Department offers many other activities such as STEM, Lego Robotics, computer programming, Chinese, drama, music and chess.
MAP testing
MAP[5] (Measures of Academic Progress) from the Northweast Evaluation Association is a powerful assessment tool engineered to adapt to each student´s learning level and provide a holistic picture of his/her academic progress and growth.
United States involvement
In 2006, the United States Embassy presented 110 English language books to the school. These books covered a wide variety of topics. This donation was part of the Embassy's initiative to support the teaching of English.
References
- National Icelandic Curriculum
- Cambridge Curriculum
- Gestsson, Sveinbjörn; Skúlason, Sigurgrímur. "Samræmd könnunarpróf: Niðurstöður fyrir árið 2014". The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Námsmatsstofnun. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- Gestsson, Sveinbjörn; Skúlason, Sigurgrímur. "Samræmd könnunarpróf: Niðurstöður fyrir árið 2014". The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Námsmatsstofnun. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- MAP
External links
- "Vinsamlegast uppfærðu þig í nútímalegri vafra". landakotsskoli.is. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- "Alþjóðadeild við Landakotsskóla | Reykjavíkurborg". reykjavik.is. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- "Alþjóðadeild Landakotsskóla - Myndasafn mbl.is". mbl.is. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- "Europe Code Week - Workshop on Computer Programming (Iceland)". events.codeweek.eu. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- "browser - Vinsamlegast uppfærðu þig í nútímalegri vafra". landakotsskoli.is. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- "2006 Press Releases | Reykjavik, Iceland - Embassy of the United States". reykjavik.usembassy.gov. Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2016.