According to an article from Beijing Education Circle on Monday, 20 public high schools will be offering international education programs and teaching international high school courses in Beijing this year.
However, schools that offer dual Chinese and overseas curricula must balance meeting the requirements of both systems, without overloading students’ schedules, and entrance to such schools is highly competitive.
According to the report, which cites data from the 2020 Beijing General High School Enrollment Plan released by the Beijing Education Examinations Authority, 2,180 students are now enrolled in such programs, a 30% increase on last year. A total of 26 international education programs are being offered across the 20 public schools, of which 20 are Sino-US education cooperation projects, 3 are Sino-British, 1 is Sino-Finnish, and 1 is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.
Three more Beijing schools have begun offering international curricula for the first time this year: Beijing Middle School, The High School Affiliated to Renmin University Hangtiancheng School, and The High School Affiliated to Renmin University Shijingshan School. All three of the new schools will be offering Sino-US high school curriculum, in which they will partner a high school in the United States. A total of 250 new students from these schools have enrolled this year.
Beijing Middle School
Beijing Middle School’s Sino-US High School Curriculum Cooperation project sees them partner up with Glen Rock High School in New Jersey, US. A total of 100 students in the city have so far enrolled in this program which includes standard American national high school courses, AP courses, and other elective courses. By taking these courses, students will also be able to achieve the required course credits as laid out in the Chinese National General Middle and High School Education Curriculum Plan and meet the graduating standards of Beijing Middle School. At the end of the course, students will be issued a general high school graduation certificate, which will meet the admission requirements of universities in China and around the world.
The High School Affiliated to Renmin University- Hangtiancheng School
The Sino-US High School Curriculum Cooperation project of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University Hangtiancheng School is actually an extension of the school’s Sino-foreign cooperative education project, which has been running for the past 16 years, with a focus on aerospace science and technology, and chemistry.
This program is a three-year curriculum and students must complete Chinese national curriculum courses and exams. Students may also take elective courses and AP courses, to take part in the global AP exams organized by the College Board in May annually. Those who pass the AP exams will also receive an AP exam certificate.
This year, 60 students from middle schools across Beijing have enrolled in the program. Spots for this international education program were limited and to be considered for admission, students had to pass the city’s high school entrance examination and obtain high marks in an English proficiency test.
The High School Affiliated to Renmin University- Shijingshan School
The project in the Shijingshan campus of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University is closely modeled after the partnership the Xishan district school has with Tabor Academy in Massachusetts, US.
The curriculum combines Chinese high school courses with standard American AP courses, which are taught by international teachers, in an immersive all-English instruction environment. This year, 90 students from middle schools across Beijing have enrolled in the school’s international education program.
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Images: Courtesy of Adobe stock footage, Beijing Middle School, Baitaohui, and Sogou
