Bridgeport International Academy (BIA) is a small private high school located adjacent to the seaside campus of the University of Bridgeport. Students share use of university facilities such as Wheeler Recreation Center, the Marina Dining Hall, Wahlstrom Library, and the Student Center. The academy offers a well-rounded college preparatory program for grades 9 through 12 with an emphasis on character education and community service. The faculty and the student body represent nearly every continent of the world.
The academy provides young people with a broad view of the world and of their place in it as active and thoughtful citizens. Students are encouraged to explore many avenues of learning and to be prepared with solid academic and practical skills for whatever educational or professional path they choose to pursue. BIA’s integrative academic program includes cultural, ethical, and technological competence so that graduates meet admissions requirements for top colleges and universities worldwide. No subject is taught as an isolated discipline. Students master skills, facts, and theories as they explore ethical and interpretive dimensions of knowledge in every major academic area.
Technology offers BIA students instant access to enormous amounts of information and access to various forms of communication. BIA recognizes the larger need for internal skills required to make moral judgments, prioritize, develop integrity, select careers, and develop healthy relationships with peers and teachers. Courses for credit and extracurricular activities are geared toward the development of life skills. Community service is a required component of each student's academic plan.
Accreditation and Approvals: BIA is approved as a non-public school by the State of Connecticut’s Education Department and has received a ten-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). BIA also has approval from the U.S. government to issue I-20 forms in order for international students to obtain F-1 non-immigrant student visas.
Graduation Requirements: Students must complete a minimum of 23 credits in order to graduate. Required courses include four years of English, three years each of mathematics, social studies, and science, and two years of foreign languages in addition to electives. An English as a Second Language (ESL) program is available for international students. One credit equates to a one-year course that meets 200 minutes each week.
Accelerated Courses: Qualified juniors and seniors may take courses at the University of Bridgeport (UB) or at Housatonic Community College (HCC). The academy has a dual credit system in which a student receives college credit that meets high school requirements. Such courses are marked “UB” or “HCC” on student transcripts.
Ranking: BIA does not rank students.
Grading: Grade point averages indicated at the end of the transcript are calculated on a 4.0 unweighted scale. College course grades are not weighted on a student’s high school transcript.
Grading Scale
Letter Grade
|
Percentage Equivalent
|
| A |
93-100 |
| A |
93-100 |
| A |
93-100 |
| A |
93-100 |
| A- |
90-92 |
| B+ |
87-89 |
| B |
83-86 |
| B- |
80-82 |
| C+ |
77-79 |
| C |
73-76 |
| C- |
70-72 |
| D+ |
67-69 |
| D |
63-66 |
| D- |
60-62 |
| F |
Below 60 |
Community Service Requirement: Each student is required to perform a total of 75 hours of community service as a requirement for high school graduation. Students volunteer to work in local non-profit community service agencies, service projects, and elementary schools. Projects have included Habitat for Humanity, Head Start Programs of Action for Bridgeport Community Development, home visits to the elderly, help with local neighborhood cleanup, and painting houses at the University of Bridgeport.
Students will be expected to gain fundamental understanding in the following subject areas:
- English Language Literature and Composition: Students will achieve a high level of competency in four skill areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking; become familiar with both world and American literature; and have the ability and confidence to communicate in a wide variety of public and private situations.
- Second Language Acquisition: Students will gain the ability to communicate in a second language in the four skill areas listed above.
- Technology: Students will gain a fundamental mastery of computer use and research skills and be able to integrate these skills into every academic area. They will understand technology trends and career applications of such trends.
- American and World Cultures: Students will gain fundamental knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the historical and cultural experience of America and major world cultures. They will be oriented to the significance of geography, transportation, economics, communications, and politics.
- Mathematics: Students will master both basic and advanced mathematics and understand the role and application of mathematics in business, engineering, technology, design, the arts, and everyday life.
- Science: Students will understand scientific perspectives focusing on the major experimental sciences and addressing their responsibility to care for the environment and natural resources.
- Physical Education and Health: Students will gain a well-rounded experience of team and individual sports and martial arts. They will learn the importance of good physical and mental health, physical fitness, and exercise and learn to value a healthy and principled lifestyle as the foundation for personal and familial happiness.
- The Arts: Students will gain aesthetic understanding and appreciation of music, dance, drama, and other forms such as film, video, and multimedia arts.
For more information, contact Nora Spurgin, Principal, at (203) 334-3434, or write to Bridgeport International Academy, 285 Lafayette Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604.
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