Secondary School

Secondary Education I at CDSC begins with an orientation phase in the 5th grade. During this year, teachers carefully observe and differentiate, so as to be ready to give a recommendation for the continuing educational path of each student at the end of the school year. Parents can then choose whether to follow the recommendation or not, deciding between Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. Since there is only one class per grade at CDSC, all three education types will take place in the same classroom.

Years 5 and 6 are taught according to the “re:start” concept. Pupils learn the main subjects German, mathematics and English in a more self-organized way. Further information can be found under the “re:start concept” tab on this page.

In the 6th grade, students qualified for Gymnasium will begin to study French as a second language; students qualified for Realschule may choose between French and crafts/technical education. Students qualified for Hauptschule normally attend crafts/technical education classes.

Students will obtain their graduation certificates after examinations at the end of 9th grade (for Hauptschule students) and 10th grade (for Realschule students). The CDSC has received permission from the German Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz: KMK) to issue both kinds of graduation certificates. The examinations required to receive both Hauptschule and Realschule certificates are conducted by the examination appointee of the Federal Government-Federal States Committee for Schools Abroad (Bund-Länder Ausschuss für schulische Arbeit im Ausland – BLAschA).

A core examination procedure with written and oral examinations must be passed for the Realschule-certificate and Hauptschule-certificate. In the 10th grade of Gymnasium, centralized class tests with special gradings are written in the main subjects.

The 10th grade plays a unique role at CDSC: It is the concluding year of the Realschule (based on the G8-system), i.e., secondary education I. It is also the first of the upper-level Gymnasium years (three years in total, making up secondary education II).

By being transferred to the 11th grade, Gymnasium students are entitled to attend the qualification phase of the Gymnasium upper school.

During the 2012/13 school year, we established our own Secondary Education II at CDSC, encompassing grades 10–12. We also obtained permission from the KMK to conduct the Abitur examinations at the end of 12th grade. The German International Abitur (Deutsches Internationales Abitur – DIA) is a new education certificate of the KMK which—in addition to the Abitur—awards the general higher education entrance qualification and thus provides access to German and international universities. The DIA includes a focus on the English language, due to an increasingly international composition of parents abroad. This means that the CDSC begins teaching history bilingually (German/English) in the 8th grade and teaches physics lessons completely in English beginning in the 10th grade.

“re:start” – self-organized learning in grades 5 and 6

Overview
In Years 5 and 6, the main subjects German, mathematics and English are taught according to the “re:start” concept. Pupils are challenged and supported at their own level in order to develop their potential to the best of their ability.
This not only promotes personal responsibility and self-organization, but also the development of key skills that strengthen the pupils on their further educational path.

“re:start” already recorded positive results during the pilot phase. The concept is currently being further developed and improved and will be extended to Years 7 and 8 in the next school year. The concept will be adapted to the requirements of the year group.

Individuality
Our pupils learn on iPads, on which they work on a variety of material packages. These material packages have been individually developed by CDSC teachers and tailored to the students. They contain a wide range of teaching content that uses all the forms that digitalization has to offer. This allows students to shape their own learning environment and pace, which significantly increases the potential for self-directed learning and personal development. It also allows each individual to make better use of their strengths and reach their full potential.

Learning plans and coaching sessions
Each week, students create individual learning plans for themselves to help them organize themselves and track their progress. In addition, they receive weekly coaching sessions where they can discuss their experiences and possible difficulties. This personalized approach ensures that each student is individually encouraged and receives the best possible support.

Different levels of responsibility
In this self-organized learning environment, students have the opportunity to reach different levels of responsibility. This means that they can gradually assume more autonomy over their own learning, which leads to a sustainable development of their organizational and self-regulatory skills.

Learning studio and learning landscape
To meet students’ needs in terms of their learning environment, students can choose between two different learning spaces: In the learning studio, they can concentrate on learning in quiet individual work. In the learning landscape, they have the opportunity to work together in groups or partners. This allows them to try out different learning styles and adapt their learning environment to their individual preferences.

Connectivity to the German, Austrian and Swiss education system is granted.

Below you will find the current timetable:

Subject/Grade 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
German 5 5 4 4 4 5 5 5
English 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
French/Thai 4 4 3 3 3 4 4
French Intensive (4) (4) (4)
Thai Language and Culture 2 2 2 2 (2) (2)
Arts 2 2 2 1
Music 2 2 2 1 2 2 2
Technics/Crafts 2 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
History 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Geography 2 2 2 2 3 3 3
Social studies 2
Religion 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Mathematics 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4
Physics 2 2 2 3 3 3
Biology 2 2 2 1 2 2 3 3
Chemistry 2 2 2
Informatics 1 1 1 1 1 1
Sports 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Student Council 1 1 1
Total 32 34 34 33 35 35 35 35