CAISL is the only accredited American school in Portugal, and it seeks to blend the best from the United States model of education with that of a variety of national systems. All classes place a premium on communicating effectively and learning the skills of searching for and analyzing information rather than having the information handed to them by the teacher.
Technology is naturally integrated in the learning environment and Students in Grades 2-12 learn in a 1:1 laptop environment. Each is provided a laptop as a tool for learning.
The curriculum in the Native Language Portuguese classes closely parallels that taught by Portuguese public and private schools, thus easing transition out of and into the Portuguese system.
Students take Portuguese as either a foreign or a native language through Grade 9 and may elect to study Portuguese in Grades 10 through 12. Students who are not yet mainstreamed into the English classes are enrolled in the “Foundations of English Classes” which is designed to teach students to become socially and academically competent in English. This subject is offered without any extra fee for students in all grades through Grade 10 and at varying levels of fluency.
Almost all of our students go on to university either immediately after high school or after a gap year. This means that we work to challenge the students academically. We don't expect all of the students to achieve A's; we do expect them to do their best, to learn how to be responsible, to become giving members of the community, and to push themselves intellectually. Our academic program reflects these goals.
