The Differences In Diplomas

While many of us chose to attend university in our home country, our kids have the whole world at their fingertips. We spoke with academic counsellor LAUREN WINDLE about the diplomas students can choose, and what happens if they change their minds midway through their coursework.

- Monica Pitrelli

Can you explain the different diplomas offered where you work?

Every student who graduates from Stamford American International School receives a US High School Diploma. This is a four-year, credit-based, US-accredited High School Program based on the US educational system. For students who aren’t focused on the US or Canadian universities, we offer the IB Diploma Programme, or IBDP, which works as the international equivalent of most national systems that require external assessments in all subjects. The IBDP is an additional qualification that students can choose to pursue at the end of Grade 10.

How do Advanced Placement (AP) classes figure into the fold?

In addition to the over 40 IB courses we offer, we have the AP courses as well. AP courses are part of the College Board, which is an external exam company in the US. These are one-year courses that are designed to replicate a first-year university course. In many instances, students can use their scores to earn university credit, and we offer over 15 AP courses for our students to choose from at Stamford American.