DESCRIPTION

Established in 1996, Awsaj Academy, formerly known as The Learning Center, is a specialist school serving students with learning challenges in grades K-12. Awsaj Academy is a non-profit organization accredited by two internationally renowned accrediting agencies: the Council of International Schools (CIS), (www.cois.org), and the Middle States Association (MSA), (www.middlestates.org), both of which are recognized by the Supreme Education Council (SEC). Awsaj Academy is the only school of its kind in Qatar, and one of only a handful worldwide dedicated to working with students who have demonstrated aptitude in certain areas while facing academic challenges in others.

Our highly qualified teachers use evidence-based instructional practices to meet the individual needs of students. To ensure an optimal learning environment, students are taught in small classrooms of no more than 10 students per class.Teaching is in English, and the curriculum includes Math, English, Science, Arabic, Islamic Studies, Qatar National History, Art, IT, and Physical Education.

Mission:
Our Mission is to:

Advance the achievement of students with learning challenges; honor the State of Qatar’s values; partner with stakeholders in developing a student’s full potential; develop, implement, and promote the most effective assessment tools, teaching methods, and curriculum programs for professionals in Qatar and beyond.

Vision:
Our Vision is to become:

• A nationally and internationally recognized institute of educational excellence that provides direct services to students with learning challenges.

• A model school that achieves full accreditation status from an internationally recognized accreditation association.

• A model school and learning center that relies primarily, if not exclusively, on the most rigorous educational research in the provision of instructional services to students with learning challenges.

• A first-choice’ professional development and outreach center for the region designed to serve administrators and teachers who work with students with learning challenges.

• A model school and learning center with processes and products that will be recognized for their scientific rigor and efficacy in the region and globally.

Curriculum
•Accreditation
AWSAJ ACADEMY HAS BEEN AWARDED A DUAL ACCREDITATION BY TWO INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ACCREDITING AGENCIES, THE COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS (CIS) (WWW.COIS.ORG) AND THE MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION (MSA) (WWW.MIDDLESTATES.ORG), BOTH OF WHOM ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE SUPREME EDUCATION COUNCIL (SEC). 
 AWSAJ ACADEMY BEGAN THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS IN 2008 THROUGH CIS, AND CONDUCTED A FULL-SCALE SELF-STUDY DURING THE 2009-2010 ACADEMIC YEAR. IN RESPONSE TO A SITE VISIT BY CIS IN MARCH 2011, AWSAJ CONTINUED WORKING ON ITS INITIAL APPLICATION AND CIS AGREED TO HAVE MSA JOIN IN AWARDING FINAL ACCREDITATION IN 2012. 
 THIS DUAL ACCREDITATION REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR AWSAJ ACADEMY, AND AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE SUCCESS OF THE SCHOOL’S ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES. ACCORDING TO MSA, “THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS VALIDATES TO THE PUBLIC THE INTEGRITY OF A SCHOOL'S PROGRAM AND STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS. THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS ASSURES A SCHOOL COMMUNITY THAT THE SCHOOL'S PURPOSES ARE APPROPRIATE AND ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A VIABLE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. 

 •Awsaj Curriculum Overview
THE CURRICULUM AT AWSAJ ACADEMY IS BASED ON LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES ARE SELECTED TO SUPPORT THE TEACHING OF THE STANDARDS, WITH THE END RESULT FOCUSED ON STUDENTS FULFILLING THE AWSAJ PROFILE OF A GRADUATE: 
 GRADUATES OF AWSAJ ACADEMY WILL HAVE:
 PROFICIENCY IN READING, WRITING, LISTENING, AND SPEAKING IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC.
THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NECESSARY TO SUCCESSFULLY BEGIN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION OR A CAREER IN QATAR OR ABROAD.
PRIDE IN THEIR OWN CULTURE, WHILE RESPECTING THE CULTURE OF OTHERS.
AN UNDERSTANDING OF AND RESPECT FOR ISLAMIC VALUES.
A COMMITMENT TO LIFE-LONG LEARNING AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.
 AN AWSAJ CURRICULUM GUIDE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, WHICH INCLUDES SPECIFIC ‘POWER STANDARDS’ THAT WERE SELECTED COLLABORATIVELY BY TEACHERS REPRESENTING A BROAD RANGE OF GRADE LEVELS. ‘POWER STANDARDS’ WERE SELECTED BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
 Endurance – Standards that give students skills or knowledge that remain with them long after a test is completed (for example, reading comprehension).

LEVERAGE – STANDARDS THAT APPLY TO MANY ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES (FOR EXAMPLE, NONFICTION WRITING).
READINESS – STANDARDS THAT STUDENTS NEED TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF LEARNING (FOR EXAMPLE, STUDENTS MUST BE ABLE TO SOLVE Y=MX+B TO DO GRAPHING). (SOURCE: REEVES, DOUGLAS. (2002). THE LEADER’S GUIDE TO STANDARDS: A BLUEPRINT FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE. SAN FRANCISCO: WILEY AND SONS)
•Instructional Programs:
•Explicit Direct-Instruction Programs
WITH THE SUPPORT OF UNIVERSITY PARTNERS, AWSAJ ACADEMY HAS CURRICULA WITH A STRONG BASE IN RESEARCH, INCLUDING PROGRAMS THAT HAVE PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC SKILLS OF STUDENTS WHICH IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AS EDUCATORS.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING CHALLENGES OR WHO ARE ‘AT RISK’ MUST BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ACADEMICALLY AT AN ACCELERATED RATE, OR ELSE THEY WILL REMAIN SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND IN ACHIEVING LEARNING STANDARDS. AT AWSAJ ACADEMY, THE PATH TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IS BY MAXIMIZING TIME SPENT LEARNING, WHILE MINIMIZING TIME NEEDED TO LEARN. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, AN EFFICIENT APPROACH TO INSTRUCTION IS NECESSARY, ONE THAT WILL ALLOW STAFF TO MAKE THE MOST OF ALLOCATED TIME SPENT LEARNING WHILE AT THE SAME TIME MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS TO NEED LESS TIME TO LEARN. THESE TWO FACTORS WILL RESULT IN ACCELERATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION IS ONE APPROACH THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN THROUGH YEARS OF RESEARCH TO EFFECTIVELY MINIMIZE TIME NEEDED TO LEARN. EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION CAN TAKE THE FORM OF A SCRIPTED DIRECT-INSTRUCTION PROGRAM THAT ENSURES THAT ALL ELEMENTS OF A CONTENT AREA, SUCH AS READING, ARE TAUGHT IN AN APPROPRIATELY SEQUENCED FASHION. OR IT CAN TAKE THE FORM OF EXPLICIT DIRECT-INSTRUCTION STRATEGIES, REGARDLESS OF CONTENT AREA, THAT ACHIEVE SIMILAR RESULTS IN MINIMIZING THE TIME NEEDED TO LEARN. 
THOSE PROGRAMS BREAK LEARNING DOWN INTO SMALL STAGES THAT STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO MASTER BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT, MORE COMPLEX SKILL. STUDENTS RECEIVE INSTRUCTION IN GROUPS OF NO MORE THAN SIX. THIS HIGH STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO ALLOWS TEACHERS TO IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO STUDENT ANSWERS AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK. IT ALSO ALLOWS TEACHERS TO IMMEDIATELY CORRECT STUDENT ERRORS SO THEY WILL NOT BE REPEATED, AND TO INTERACT WITH EACH STUDENT INDIVIDUALLY TO ENSURE THE MASTERY OF CONCEPTS AND SKILL THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF INSTRUCTION. 
WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT NO PROGRAM WILL BE EFFECTIVE IF IT IS NOT TAUGHT WELL. OUR TEACHERS GO THROUGH RIGOROUS TRAINING PRIOR TO DELIVERING THE SELECTED CURRICULA. TEACHERS ARE SUPPORTED BY INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES WHO PROVIDE FEEDBACK DAILY ON LESSON DELIVERY. 
THESE INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES ALSO PROVIDE ONE-ON-ONE, SMALL-GROUP AND LARGE-GROUP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR. THE COACHES WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH BUILDING PRINCIPALS TO ENSURE THAT HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING STRATEGIES ARE USED CONSISTENTLY WITH OUR RESEARCH-VALIDATED CURRICULA

Admission Procedure
Online Application Process and Procedures at Awsaj Academy 
Thank you for your interest in Awsaj Academy. We seek to ensure that all students who are admitted to the school will thrive in an environment of high academic expectations, will be able to benefit from a well-rounded education provided, and flourish socially and behaviorally within the school community.

1.Completion of Awsaj Online Admission Form

The first step toward being considered for enrollment at Awsaj Academy involves filling out our online admission form with all the required documentations. Please click on the following online admission link https://aa.openapply.com/ to access our online application form. Upon completion of the online admission form you will receive an e-mail confirming that your account has been created. It includes as well the Login and password information in addition to a link that refers you to the parents login page. 

** No admission decision can be made prior to the completion of the online application process. 

2.Submission of supplementary application requirements

The following application requirements must be scanned and submitted within the online application form in order for your child(ren) to be considered:

a)recent passport-sized photograph of the student

b)applicant’s 3 end of year reports (for applicants to Kindergarten, please provide the most recent report from Nursery or Pre-K only) 

c)applicant’s passport and birth certificate

d)father’s passport

e)Mother’s passport

f)immunization card

g)medical form 

h)leaving certificate for students transferring during the academic year 

3.Non Refundable Application Fee

A total of QR 500 non-refundable application fee is due after the application is submitted online. You will be receiving an electronic invoice as pdf file. You can download it from your personal Applicant Status page that can be accessed by logging in to https://aa.openapply.com/parents/sign_in . 

4.Checklist Items Pending parent completion

In case any of the application requirements mentioned above were not appropriately fulfilled, you will be receiving a note via e-mail with the list of checklist items that are still pending your completion. You will be asked to review and complete these items on your Application status login page here: https://aa.openapply.com/parents/sign_in  . Once you have completed uploading the missing items, we can move to the next stage in the admissions process.

5.Testing Schedule

At this stage, parent should understand that this is an application for admission and filling the online admission form does not guarantee enrolment. The Admissions Office reviews the completed online applications and determines whether the applicant may be tested for admission. The Admissions Office then notifies parents with the decision and to schedule testing dates for applicants proceeding to the next stage of the process. Parents will be automatically notified by an e-mail and the same notification will appear on the parent dashboard. 

6.Previous Learning Support Assessment  

At the point of admission to Awsaj Academy, it is made clear to all prospective students and their parents that they are expected to cooperate with the teaching and support staff and to promote the greater good of the whole community. It is our goal to establish a full partnership with parents in order to promote the interests of the student body. This partnership must be based upon mutual honesty and respect. We have the right to expect full submission/disclosure of any learning support assessment or identified need, or medical condition or disability, which could require specialist treatment, support or equipment, and any behavioral or disciplinary issues known to parents at the point of application, and thereafter. This information is essential to assist with any interview or other admissions screening processes.

7.On site Admissions screening and entry assessments procedures

Students who apply to the school must meet the school's academic entrance requirements. At each grade level, students will be observed and assessed in classroom abilities to determine the level of academic need. Typical Awsaj students fall two to four years below their peers but must be able to function in a classroom with nine other students and one teacher. 

At all levels, we reserve the right to make direct contact with any previous school or educational establishment and to request a confidential report. This will ask for comment on academic progress to date, involvement in the broader life of the school, and general behavioral standards.

Collectively, all this information allows Qatar Academy Msheireb to be reasonably confident that it is the right school academically for each student and to tailor our academic courses to meet the needs of students. The school wants to be able to educate and develop each student to the best of his or her ability, and to ensure that any prospective student will be academically and socially at ease with his or her peers. In this way there is every chance that all students will emerge at the end of their time at Qatar Academy Msheireb having enjoyed the school and confident in their next steps.

8.Admission Policy & Selection Criteria

** New or wait pool students will be admitted according to seat availability and QF schools priory policy: 

1.Sibling of Qatari students currently attending the school

2.Qatari students

3.Sibling of international students currently attending the school

4.Teacher’s child