The criterion for acceptance into SIS-Yas Island is a willingness to put in the effort to achieve full potential, not high “innate” ability. Placement into a grade level is determined by academic attainment, with age acting as a limiting factor. Students applying to enter Grade 2 and above take diagnostic tests to determine accurate placement.
Students who are found to be behind academically are rarely refused. Instead, they are offered, at an extra cost, one of several different solutions, depending on their academic needs. These may be:
Summer School: A six-week summer course offered in June, July, and August. Students who are academically below the required standard can attend this course and often make up for academic gaps.
Special Lessons: A student found to be weak in one subject attends extra periods in that subject until the level of the class is reached.
Full-Special Classes: Students are given accelerated programs intended to prepare them to join the regular classes. In many cases, Full-Special students have done the work of two or more scholastic years in one.