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School Design Matrix

The ISSN School Design Matrix describes in detail the model school that enables students to meet the ISSN Graduate Profile.

The Design Matrix provides a blueprint for designing, opening, and maintaining a model international studies school. It helps to guide schoolwide and networkwide growth and assessment. It also provides each school with a framework for collecting data useful in planning for continued growth and development.

The ISSN School Design Matrix includes a description of the ISSN model school and benchmark measures to help schools build on successes. The Matrix covers six interconnected domains:

Vision, Mission, Culture: This domain addresses the school’s vision, mission, and culture as an international studies school as well as the schools' expectations for all students to be ready for college and post-secondary school success.

Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes: This domain examines the progress being made by all students toward achieving the characteristics defined in the ISSN Graduate Profile.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: This domain describes a consistent global focus throughout the curriculum and across all academic activities. It examines teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students. It also highlights ongoing, performance-based measures of student learning.

School Organization and Governance: This domain considers the degree to which the school is structured to support teaching and learning.

Professional Learning Community: This domain focuses on the systems of collaborative communication and professional development established to improve teaching and learning. 

Family and Community Partnerships: This domain explores the family engagement in the school’s educational mission and the connections established with local organizations and institutions.

The full ISSN School Design Matrix, training, and related tools are currently only available to Network schools.