Seoul Foreign School provided its annual update report to WASC detailing progress made on its action plan goals from 2011-2012. Key accomplishments included adopting standards-based curriculums across subjects, implementing the Understanding by Design model for curriculum development, and training teachers on the curriculum mapping system Atlas Rubicon. The school also analyzed student performance data, reviewed mathematics and began reviewing other subjects' curriculums. Going forward, the school aims to fully document standards-aligned curriculums by 2015 and improve assessment practices and reporting.

1. SEOULFOREIGNSCHO
OL
WASC Annual
Update
For Seoul Foreign School,
2011‐ 2012
ReportonprogressonGoalsofActionPlan.

2. WASCAnnualUpdate 12
2012
WASCProgressReportforSeoulForeignSchool2011-12
GeneralData
Schooladdress HeadofSchool
SeoulForeignSchool Dr.JohnEngstrom
55YonhiDong jengstrom@seoulforeign.org
Seodaemun‐ gu
Seoul,120‐ 113,SouthKorea Enrollmentfor2011‐ 2012:
Telephone:82‐ 2‐ 330‐ 310 BritishSchool 347
0
Facsimile:82‐ 2‐ 332‐ 87 ElementarySchool 459
75
Email:Administrator@seoulforeign.org MiddleSchool 252
Website: http://www.seoulforeign.org/ HighSchool 477
Total: 1535
BriefDescription
TypeofSchool
SeoulForeignSchool(SFS)wasfoundedin1912byChristianmissionaryparentstoservetheneedsof
expatriatechildreninSeoul. In the 2011/12 academic year SFS celebrated
th
its100 anniversary.Ithascontinuedasanon‐ profit,non‐ denominationalschoolwithadistinctChristianphiloso
phy.Theschoolhaswestern‐ styleElementary (K-Gr. 5),Middle Gr. 6-8)andHighSchool divisions (Gr. 9-12)
andaBritishSchoolprovidingKeyStages1‐ 3 (K-Yr. 9)
Korea‟sfirstinternationalschool,SeoulForeignSchoolbeganwithonefull‐ timeteacher,
eighteenstudentsandasingleclassroom.Buildingonitsearlycommitmenttoachallenging
educationalprogramprovidedinauniquelynon‐ denominationalChristianenvironment,the
schoolhasgrowntobecomethepre‐ eminentschoolinKoreafortheEnglish‐ speakingbusiness
anddiplomaticcommunities.TodaySFSisa community‐ oriented,western‐ styleco‐ educational
dayschoolservingover1500childrenfrom55nationsinpreschoolthroughtwelfthgrade.
SFSislocatedina 25‐ acresettingneartheheartofSeoulandfeaturesmodernfacilitiesthathave
beendesignedtosupportstudentlearningincludingthreemediacenter/libraries,anauditorium,
fivecomputerlabs,threegymnasiums,a performingartscenter,anartificialturfathleticfield
andanindoorswimmingpool.
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3. WASCAnnualUpdate
2012
Organization/Governing Structure/FinancialBase
SeoulForeignSchoolreliesontuitionasitssolesourceofrevenue.Inrecentyearstheschool„sfacilities
havebeenbuiltorrefurbishedfrombudgetedcashreserves,andtheschoolhasnotincurredanydebt.
InAugust2009,Dr.JohnEngstromtookoverasHeadofSchool.A one‐ yearInterimHeadofSchool,Dr.
NancyPrice,servedforthe2008‐ 2009schoolyear,succeedingDr.HarlanLysowholedtheschoolfor
almost20years.The schoolhasthreegoverninggroups:
a. An11‐ memberBoardofDirectorswhoappointstheHeadofSchoolandsetpolicy.
b. TheCouncil,an11‐ membergroupwhoappointstheBoardmembers,approvesthebudget,and
actsastheguardiansoftheChristiannatureoftheschool.
c. TheJaidan,afive‐ memberbodywhoareconsideredtheregistered“owners”oftheproperties
ofSeoulForeignSchool.ThisgroupincludestheHeadofSchool.
StudentBody
StudentsatSFScomefrom55countriesaroundtheworld.60%ofthestudentpopulationareU.S.
passportholders.Ethnically,overhalfofitsstudentsareKorean,althoughthevastmajorityofthese
studentsholdU.S.or Canadianpassports.While42%ofthestudentshaveattendedSFSfortwoyearsor
less(asistypicalofaninternationalschool),thereisarecenttrendoflonger‐ termenrollment.Currently,27%ofitsst
udentshavebeenatSFSfor5 ormoreyears.Fortheschoolyear2011‐ 2012,the
studentenrollmenthasbeenabout1535inPre‐ SchoolthroughGrade12.
Faculty
SFSemploysatotalof186teachingfacultyand39TeachingAssistants.Divisionalstaffconsistsof3 assistant
principals, 1 deputy head, 7 counselors,4librarians,a
HighSchoolregistrar,anIBDiplomaCoordinator,andapart‐ timeIGCSE Coordinator and HS Athletic Director.
In 2012/13 the number of assistant principals will increase to 4 with the addition of this position in the
Elementary School.
Administration
Theschool‟seightadministratorsincludetheHeadofSchool,AssistantHeadofSchool–
Operations,AssistantHeadofSchool–Academics,fourdivisionPrincipals,andtheDirectorof
CommunicationsandDevelopment.
School-wide positions include a Curriculum Coordinator, an IT Director, an Educational Technology
Coordinator, two Admissions Directors, anAquaticsDirector, a
ChristianMinistriesCoordinator,ActivitiesDirector,HumanResource
Director,K‐ 12DramaDirector,DirectorofPerformingArts,SchoolPsychologist, anda SchoolNurse.
ClassifiedStaff
SFSemploys124classifiedstaff.Membersofitsfullandpart‐ timeclassifiedstaffareemployed
acrosstheareasofmaintenance,housingservices,transportation,generalaccounting,secretarial,
safetyandotherservicescriticaltothefunctioningofthecampus. Classifiedstaffemployeesarehiredlocally.
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4. WASCAnnualUpdate
2012
Curricularprogram
SeoulForeignSchooliscommittedtoacademicexcellence.Itscollegepreparatorycurriculum,which
includestheInternationalBaccalaureateDiplomaprogram, anditsdynamiclearningenvironment,
challengesstudentstoachievetheirfullintellectualpotential.Equally,itscommunitycherishesChristian
valueswhichencourageitsstudentstodevelopstrongcharacter,liveandworkwithintegrity,and
acceptresponsibilityforthemselvesandothers.SFSenrollsstudentsfromallreligiousfaithsand
backgrounds,andprovidesanurturingChristianatmosphereofacceptanceandtolerance.
TheBritishSchoolusestheUKNationalCurriculum.ThehighschoolofferstheIBDiplomaandInternationalGeneralC
ertificateof SecondaryEducation.Asidefromthesetwoprograms,othercurriculumintheschoolis
predominantlyAmericaninorigin. These programs are implemented using the inquiry based model embedded
within the Understanding by Design curriculum development framework.
TheActionPlan
TheoriginalActionPlanintheSelf‐ Studywasrevised,submittedtoWASCJune1,2010,andapproved
byWASCaspartofa six‐ yeartermof accreditation2010–2016.ThefivemaingoalsoftheAction Planare:
Goal1:Create,implement,andregularlyreviewacoherent,accessible,articulated,standards‐ based
K‐ 12curriculumtoensureimprovedstudentlearning.
Goal2:ImplementsystemsthatanalyzeSFSdatainthecategoriesofstudentlearningand
achievement,schoolprogramsandprocesses,perceptions,anddemographics.
Goal3:Identifyapproachesthatwillacceleratetheintegrationoftechnologytoimprovelearning.
Goal4:Createacomprehensive,SFS‐ wideProfessionalDevelopmentPlanthatorganizesand
expandsprofessionalandstaffdevelopmentandalignswithschoolgoals.
Goal5:Endeavortostreamlinetheschool’sgovernancestructureswhichincludetheBoard,the
Council,theJaidan,andtheGovernors.
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5. WASCAnnualUpdate
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Accomplishmentofeachschool‐ wideactionplansection:
Goal1:Create,implement,andregularlyreviewacoherent,accessible,articulated,sta
ndards‐ basedK‐ 12curriculumtoensureimprovedstudentlearning.
STANDARDS BASED CURRICULUM: Work continues on adopting and implementing a
standards based curriculum for the Elementary, Middle, High School sections. The 2011/12
academic yearbuilt on the standards adopted in 2010-11 for the majority of the curriculum and has
included: The National Standards for Social Studies for Gr. 4-8, with Foreign Languages, French,
Spanish and Korean adopting the UK Modern LanguagesStandards to cover their programs.These
standards have been used to devise Korean placement test for students moving into the Middle
School Program.Christian Studies have also developed and adopted a comprehensive set of
standards across the school.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FUNDAMENTALS: With the adoption of standards largely
completed to cover the courses offered at SFS considerable work was done on refocusing school
systems to support the further development of the curriculum. This involved refocusing the use
ofthe Understanding by Design (UbD) Curriculum Development Model as the inquiry base for
curriculum development and rejuvenation of Atlas Rubicon the school‟s curriculum mapping
program to support curriculum development.
1. UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN – INQUIRY BASED DEVELOPMENT MODEL:The
services of school based UbD trainers were accessed to provide a comprehensive training
program for a core team of 45 teachers representing grade and subject levels across the
school. The role of these teachers was to support their colleagues in using UbD as the basis
of their unit planning across the school.
2. CURRICULUM MAPPING – ATLAS RUBICON:Atlas Rubicon, the school‟s curriculum
mapping program was rejuvenated to further support the UbD Inquiry model.
Representatives from Rubicon came to the school to initially work with the curriculum
coordinator and assistant coordinator to review and update data in the system. The
template was redesigned to include UbD updates and school initiatives. These initiatives
included more program specific information for the IB Diploma, IGCSE and the school-wide
introduction of the IB Leaner Profile and Trans-disciplinary skills. The latter involved the
adoption of skill setswhich supported the development of the IB Learner Profile, the school‟s
st
ESLRs and skills necessary for the 21 Century. Grade level specific skills based
benchmarks are to be developed in 202/13. In May ‟12 Core Team Training occurred in the
use of Atlas. This core team of 33 teachers was trained over 2 days in the use of Atlas to
develop greater awareness of how this program is useful not just in documenting the
curriculum but in analyzing and refining it to promote curriculum articulation. Again this core
team is responsible to support their colleagues in this use of Atlas.
The Core teams in both cases mentioned above were very supportive of the school‟s
administrationdecision to allow this training to occur during the normal daily schedule.
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6. WASCAnnualUpdate
CURRICULUM DOCUMENTATION GOAL:With the adoption of standards based curriculum,
2012
refocusing of UbD as the school‟s curriculum development model and Atlas as a curriculum
mapping program, the building blocks for building and documenting the dynamic SFS curriculum
have been laid. In 2011/12 all teachers were expected to apply their learning to develop 1 quality
unit based on UbD and have it documented in Atlas. The time line for the documentation of the
standards based / UbD curriculum has collaboratively been set for June 2015. Each year leading
up to this time subject areas will be expected to identify unit planning expectations to meet this
deadline. Management structures are in place to monitor progress on these developments. In
setting this goal it is also understood that the curriculum is dynamic and will be continually revised
as part of the normal teacher planning process and according to the more formal review cycle.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLANNNG: In the two whole faculty work days set for
the year subjects areas meetacross divisions to develop action plans aimed at addressing school
wide initiatives as well as identifying their own subject specific initiatives. School-wide initiatives
came from WASC recommendations and included 1. Curriculum Articulation; 2. Professional
development. These formed the focus of further meetings throughout the year.
CURRICULUM REVIEW:Curriculum Review continues in-line with the school‟s established
curriculum review cycle.
1. MATHEMATICS REVIEW: This year Mathematics progressed through the adoption phase.
This entailed development of a vision statementbased on current research and best
practices. This statement outlines the values and beliefs about what is to be taught and how
it will be taught and how the school mission statement can be implemented in this subject
area. These beliefs guided the adoption of programs and resources to support the direction
set for the teaching of Mathematics at SFS. At this stage Mathematics is adopting the new
„Maths In Focus‟ program K-8. The pedagogical base of this program supported the school‟s
focus on a standards based program,the use of manipulatives, a variety of activities and
authentic problem solvingto develop a solid conceptual understanding.
2. SCIENCE REVIEW: Science as part of the review process of the curriculum review cycle,
has drafted a vision statement for the purposes outlined above. A focus being the use of
scientific inquiry to support student learning. Several teachers attended conferences in the
US to gain insights into programs available to support this direction.
3. FOREIGN LANGUAGES REVIEW: This is an out-of-cycle review initiated by the HOS. A
task force was establish consisting of AHOS- Academics, the curriculum coordinator, IB
coordinator, IGCSE coordinator, curriculum leaders for Korea, Spanish & French, the British
school principal, and parent representatives from each of the four divisions. The focus of
this task force was to: 1. Consider the provision of our current foreign languages courses
i.e. should we consider offering more – possibly Mandarin; 2. How effective are the
practices and structure of our current foreign languages program in promoting continuity of
learning. This task force commenced its task in April and will continue into 2012/13. A
language consultant, Greg Duncan has been contracted to work with the task force on this
review.
WHOLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE POLICY: The school‟s language policy is being revised. The
policy recognises that all teachers are language teachers. The policy will state the vision of
languages at SFS. Sections within the document will identify philosophy and practices related to: 1
The language of Instruction; 2 Support for the Language of Instruction; 3. Support for the language
of the Host country; 4. Provision of Foreign Languages; 5. Professional development.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES: The work on developing organizational structures to support
curriculum development within and across divisions is in progress with clear job descriptions,
equity across divisions in expectations and allocations being considered as part of a school wide
focus to promote career opportunities within the school as well as curriculum articulation. 5
Transition to a structure to support positions of responsibilityis planned for over the next three
years.

7. WASCAnnualUpdate
2012
ASSESSMENT. With the adoption of standards based curriculum a focus this year has been to
connect these standards with a variety of assessment tasks. To help guide this practice the high
school has developed an assessment policy while the Middle School has been revising their
assessment methods. Both these divisions have adopted 5 common types/ Approaches To
Assessment (observations, performance / contextual product, designated responses, academic
prompts, self assessment). These will be used to guide the development of the assessment tasks
and then track these across the divisions to ensure this variety in assessment tasks. The
Elementary and British School are also considering adopting these. Assessment will continue to
be a focus of our curriculum development. In 2012/13 the focus will be assessment and
standardisation practices with 2013/14 focusing on restructuring the reporting process.
Goal2:ImplementsystemsthatanalyzeSFSdatainthecategoriesofstudentlearningandachie
vement,schoolprogramsandprocesses,perceptions,anddemographics.
STATISTICAL REPORT: TheHeadofSchool again communicated a statistical report detailing the
school‟s academic performance with regards to standardized tests such as the Educational Record
Bureau (ERB) scores; the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT); IB results and results from the Standardised
Assessment Tasks (SATs) and SOSCA for the British School.Thisdocumentalso communicated
student‟s performance in sporting events, participation in Christian Ministry events and student and staff
demographics.
ATLAS ANALYTICAL TRAINING: As mentioned in the curricula section of this report, training has
been undertaken in the use of Atlas as a mapping tool to analyse the curriculum. Using this tool, the
standards for each curriculum area can be analysed to determine how they are being used to focus
student learning and gather evidence of this learning. This tool allows subject groups to readily
analyse their curriculum to identify trends to aid them in the program reviews.
STUDENT DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: The school has undertaken a process to acquire a
student data management system (SDMS) that integrates with its existing student data system,
Power School. The preferred system being considered is the „Inform‟ system offered through
Pearson. It is planned to implement this system in the 2012/13 academic year. This system will
integrate existing student demographics and achievement results currently contained within Power
School and collate this with standardized results from MAP, ERB, SAT and PSAT, results from IB
Diploma and IGCSE as well as common internal assessment tasks. The ability to compile these
over several years willgive us a clearer indication of trends in subject, grade, class and individual
academic performance. Analysis of such data will assist in identifying and remediating trends
promptly and hence optimize student learning opportunities.
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8. WASCAnnualUpdate
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Goal3:Identifyapproachesthatwillacceleratetheintegrationoftechnologytoimprovelearning.
ONE-TO-ONE LAPTOP PROGRAM: The one –to-one laptop program was initiated this year for Gr.
5, 6 and Yr. 6, 7 in the British School. The program was overseen by the newly appointed ET
coordinator and two technology integrationalists. These ET personnel worked closely with the Metiri
Advisory group contracted to implement the program and support teachers in integrating technology
to enhance student learning. They further supported the cohort trained prior to this year‟s
implementation and also trained a new cohort responsible for the expansion of the program to Gr. 8 /
Yr. 9 in 2012/13. With the expansion of the program in 2012/13 two additional personnel have been
appointed to the ET dept.
TECHNOLOGY TRAINING: In addition the ET dept. sourced reputable professionals to develop
skills and awareness in the use of technology in education. These included Jeff Utecht and Susan
Brookes –Young. These presenters worked with teachers and parents to develop a community
understanding of the direction the school is taking with regards to technology. The ET team also
provided regular ongoing optional training for all teachers through-out the year on tools and devices to
support learning. They have also developed podcasts to highlight developments and effective
classroom projects that embraced technology. Where possible school personnel have been sourced
to provide this training for their colleagues with funds being provided to presenters in recognition of
their willingness to share their expertise.
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN: As part of the school‟s strategic plan an Educational
Technology Plan has been developed to outline the school‟s developments in technology. This
program is developed until 2016 when it will be revised. A group consisting of the Curriculum
Coordinator; ET/ IT coordinators; parent, board, administrators and teacher representatives worked
for the majority of the year to identify strengths and needs, and develop an action plan covering the
next four years. Information from the MetiriGroup and the International Society for Technology
Education (ISTE) were valuable for research and advice on structures and initiatives to support the
development of this plan.
Goal4:Createacomprehensive,SFS‐ wideProfessionalDevelopmentPlanthatorganizesandex
pandsprofessionalandstaffdevelopmentandalignswithschoolgoals.
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRAINING: TheMetiriGroup(http://www.metiri.com/)has continued
to be sourced to provide online and onsite training for teachers and advice on further development
encapsulated in the school recently developed Educational technology Plan to promote effective use of
technology to promote learning.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FUNDAMENTALS – With the adoption of standards based
curriculum, training was undertaken to refocus UbD as the school‟s curriculum development model and
Atlas as a curriculum mapping program. These programs form the building blocks for the development of
a dynamic curriculum at SFS.
1. UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN (UBD) TRAINING. The services of school based UbD
trainers were accessed to provide a comprehensive training program for a core team of 45
teachers representing grade and subject levels across the school. The role of these teachers
was to support their colleagues in using UbD as the basis of their unit planning across the
school.
2. ATLAS CURRICULUM MAPPING TRAINING.In May ‟12 a Rubicon trainer trained a core team
of 33 teachers over 2 days in the use of Atlas to develop greater awareness of how this program
is useful not just in documenting the curriculum but in analyzing and refining it to promote
curriculum articulation. Again this core team is responsible to support their colleagues in this use
of Atlas.
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9. WASCAnnualUpdate
SUBJECT SPECIFIC TRAINING:
2012
Smallgroupsofteachersweresponsoredtoattendtrainingorconferenceson:technology
integration;Mathematics,Science,theIGCSEand InternationalBaccalaureate programs, contentand
assessmentworkshops.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLANNING: In the two whole faculty work days set for
the year subject areas meet across divisions to develop action plans aimed at addressing school wide
initiatives as well as identifying their own subject specific initiatives. School-wide initiatives came from
WASC recommendations and included 1. Curriculum Articulation; 2. Professional development. These
formed the focus of further meetings throughout the year.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - FUTURE INITIATIVES:A Professional Development long-term
plan has been developed based on needs identified from administrators and specific subject area needs
as identified in their action plans. These are offered at a school level with several being opened to
EARCOS schools.
2012/13
o Aug. 9-13 Math Training to support the new „Math in Focus‟ program K-8 – Dr. Yeap
(author of the program).
o Oct. 18-20 Best Practices in Assessment – Bambi Betts –School wide and also
open to EARCOS schools
o Oct. 22-26 P.E. Multi-skills Program: 4 day workshop SFS PE staff and also open to
local schools, 1 day KORCOS workshops. Developing coaching standards
and movement skills across all ages.
o Oct 26-27 Brain Gym: Optional - Introduces 26 physical movements to promote cognitive
Development.
o Jan. date TBAMath Training follow-up
o April 5,6Leadership Training for Middle Managers:Supporting SFS middle
managers in their leadership responsibilities. School wide. Open to
EARCOS schools.
2013/14 – Identified training options. Dates TBA
o Assessment – Reporting – Bambi Betts – school-wide
o ESL in the mainstream –VirginaRohas – school-wide
o Teaching strategies – Dr. Spencer Kagan – school-wide
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - SCHOOL BASED WEBSITE. A School Based Professional
Development Google website has been createdto enhance communication of training opportunities. This
site gives details of workshops available locally, and internationally.
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10. WASCAnnualUpdate
Goal5:Endeavortostreamlinetheschool’sgovernancestructureswhichincludetheBoard,theCo
uncil,theJaidan,andtheGovernors.
2012
Although we have not been able to make any substantial changes to our governance structure per se, I believe
we are positioning ourselves for improved structure and alignment. Here are the various points of discussion
and change:
1. The British Division‟s Governors have agreed with the SFS Board to place British Governor
representatives on each of our Board standing Committees including the Development Committee and
the Academic/Personnel Committee. The Fiscal/Property Committee and the Planning Committee
already had a representative from the Governors.
2. The Governors are piloting the viability of their group serving as a standing committee of the SFS
Board versus a “governance” body. They recognize that they can address many of their concerns in
that structure. They also understand, rightly so, that they would be more influential in the direction of
our school while participating in this fashion. This would be a good way of streamlining our school
governance.
3. The School Board has implemented changes in the way it conducts business which has streamline its
functions. In the 2011/2012 school year the frequency of meetings was reduced to five full-board
meetings (from ten full-board meetings). The committee meetings (aside from Fiscal-Property) were
reduced to four meetings per year/per committee (from ten committee meetings per year). This creates
a more effective Board governance structure and paves the way for evaluating ways to improve the
effectiveness of the entire governance structure.
At this point, there has been no change in the Council or Juridical Person governing groups.
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