Focus school: Osaka YMCA International School
Read about how Osaka YMCA International School (OYIS) is the only international school located in Osaka city that is an IB World School, offering all three programmes.
We have been supporting the international and local Osaka communities for the last 21 years and have been a member of the WIDA global network for the last eight. With a large proportion of English language learners, we felt that WIDA would be the best tool to give our school a common language and framework to support and discuss our English language learners and their growth.
The goal for the English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme at OYIS is to support our English language learners so that they are able to successfully access the content in their mainstream classes while developing a love of language and communication. OYIS also recognizes the importance of mother tongue development and has put translanguaging at the center of our language policy, encouraging teachers to create opportunities during inquiry and assessment that provide students the chance to use their multiple languages.
Our PYP EAL programme has evolved and grown as the school has continued to expand into a three-programme school. WIDA has become an important part of our admissions process, using WIDA Screener for incoming or new students. WIDA MODEL is a critical component of our year-end assessment, allowing us to reference our year-on-year data for each student and incorporate that, along with our other metrics (F&P, MAP, classroom work) into level placements for the following school year. We have also developed rigorous exit criteria incorporating the WIDA level system for the PYP Programme.
WIDA in Global Contexts
Learn how WIDA serves multilingual students, and how educators around the world use WIDA to improve teaching and learning.