Profile

SCHOOL PROFILE 2010 – 2011

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Gerald Selitzer, M.A., General Director ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Kathleen Selitzer, M.A., Elementary Principal ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
José Antonio Salgado, M.A., Junior High and High School Principal ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Lisa Langley, M.S., Director of Admissions and College Guidance ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

DESCRIPTION
The American School of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution offering a bilingual, bicultural education for students from pre-school through high school. Founded in 1986, the school is dedicated to an American style education, high academic standards, and the caring environment a small school can offer.

THE FACULTY
The faculty of the American School of Puerto Vallarta is a highly skilled and devoted group of teachers who come from various parts of the U.S., Mexico, Canada and elsewhere. Approximately 50 percent of the teachers hold a graduate degree.

ACCREDITATION
The American School of Puerto Vallarta is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-CASI, now known as AdvancEd), the Mexico's Ministry of Education (SEP) and The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Our CEEB code is 870900.

UNIQUE DUAL ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Our elementary school students receive bilingual instruction that meets both Mexican and U.S. standards. They also attend a special pre-first year to develop their dual language proficiency. Our high school students are enrolled in a full dual program, receiving both a U.S. diploma and a Mexican preparatory (high school) certificate. Thus, the majority of our graduates speak both English and Spanish fluently. These students are taking the 24 Carnegie units required for a U.S. high school diploma taught in English as a minimum, as well as the Mexican program requirements in Spanish Literature, Mexican History, Geography, Law and Civics, all taught in Spanish.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)
Advanced Placement courses (approved by the College Board) to be offered in 2010– 2011 include English Literature, Spanish Literature, Statistics, Comparative Government and Politics, Economics (Macro and Micro), Studio Art, and Psychology. Students are accepted into an AP course based on MAP scores, GPA and teacher recommendation and are limited to a maximum of three AP classes per year. All students enrolled in AP courses are required to take the AP exam.

CLASS SCHEDULING AND GRADING SYSTEM
Almost all junior high and high school classes are year-long, divided into two semesters. Most classes are offered once each day for approximately 45 minutes, resulting in 7 classes per day. A few classes not required for graduation last only one semester and/or may meet less frequently than five days per week. Credits awarded vary with time spent in direct instruction, with daily instruction required for full credit (0.5 Carnegie units per semester). Students are graded on a scale ranging from 0 to 10.0, with a 6.0 required to pass the semester. Grade point averages are weighted in the calculation of averages to reflect hours of instruction (and thus credit earned) in each class.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Although the school offers a formal special education program only in primary grades, every effort is made to provide support and make accommodations so that students with special needs can be successful in the upper grades as well. All students receiving credit for a class have met the full requirements for that class. Any special or remedial classes at the junior high and high school level are identified on the transcript as individualized or independent study.

COLLEGE PLACEMENT AND TESTING INFORMATION
Over ninety percent of graduating students continue directly on to universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Graduates in the past five years have been accepted to universities including, but not limited to, the following:

*Currently attending

Average PAA (College Board SAT in Spanish): Verbal 682 Math 730
Average TOEFL: graduates consistently score above university entrance requirements

THE SCHOOL PLANT
The school plant consists of five buildings housing 25 classrooms, including two libraries, two science and two computer laboratories, a multi-purpose room, administrative offices, storerooms and workrooms, and a cafeteria. The grounds extend to more than seven acres and include: grass-covered sports fields and track; two multi-purpose, covered, surfaced sports courts, an open air theater, and a preschool play area.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Education at the American School of Puerto Vallarta extends beyond the classroom to ensure that all students are presented with the opportunity to grow in a rich environment of experiences, particularly community service. Programs are diverse, including: Student Council, National Honor Society, Destination Imagination, service learning, musical theater, chorus, and environmental projects. After school, there are math labs and tutoring sessions, and an extensive extracurricular program which includes tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, and guitar, drum and voice lessons. School teams compete within the ASOMEX (American Schools of Mexico) and against local leagues.