Secondary School

TIS Secondary Program

The secondary program at TIS prepares students for colleges and universities in the United States or across the globe. Classes are individualized, closely monitored, and supervised on campus.

The rigorous academic program offers a well-rounded educational program that consists of Mathematics, Science (Biology, Physics, and Chemistry), World Cultural Studies, History, Economics, Literature, Writing, Art, Music, Physical Education, Foreign Language, and Technology.

Each student is required to complete a year-long research project in the last year of their Secondary program. Secondary students may attain an Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma.

Students receive the support needed to prepare for the demands of college, receiving guidance on careers, college entrance requirements, and SAT test preparation.

Beyond academics, secondary students are encouraged to engage in a wide-range of extracurricular activities, as well as student-oriented service learning projects.

In This Section

Did You Know?

Our secondary students have graduated from TIS and gone on to the following prestigious universities:

King's College London (UK)
City University London (UK)
University College London (UK)
Jacobs University (EU)
University of Toronto (CA)
George Washington University (US
Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)
University of Southern California (USA)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (USA)
Babson College (USA)
Vassar College (USA)
Bocconi University (EU)
University of Edinburgh (UK)
Princeton University (USA)
University Birmingham (UK)

...and many more!

Our Secondary Program At a Glance

Daily Schedule

Course Offerings

The following secondary course offerings are provided as an example of scope and sequence an average QSI school may offer. Each QSI school will modify the course offerings according to local needs and requirements. Some schools may offer further courses to be made available through the QSI Distance Learning Program.

Mathematics

English

Cultural Studies

Science

Languages

Health and Physical Education

Fine Arts

TIS Diplomas

Academic Diploma

This diploma is a college or university preparatory course of study. Students who satisfactorily complete this program should expect admission into an American college or university, or universities in other countries.

A total of 240 Credits (including electives) is required for this diploma.

Minimum Requirements by Department

English (80 credits)

20 - Literature (Literature I & II)
20 - Writing (I & II) or demonstrated competency
10 - American Literature
10 - British Literature
10 - Research Project
10 - Technology

Mathematics (30 credits)

10 - Algebra
10 - Geometry
10 - Mathematics elective

Science (30 credits)

10 - Physical Science
10 - Biology
10 - Science elective

Cultural Studies (40 credits)

10 - World Geography
10 - Modern World History
10 - US-History
5 - World Governments
5 - Economics

Personal Health (20 credits)

10 - Wellness
10 - Physical Education elective

Languages Other than English (20 credits)

20 in one language or demonstrated competencies in a second language

Creative and Applied Arts (10 credits required)

These can be a collection of credits from secondary courses such as: Art I & II, Music, Photography, Drama, etc.

Academic Diploma with Honors

This is the most advanced diploma offered by Quality Schools International. Requirements are the same as The Academic Diploma but with the condition that the credits include at least two Advanced Placement (AP) courses (ten credits each) or at least two International Baccalaureate (higher level) courses.

A total of 240 credits (including electives) is required for this diploma.

General Diploma

This is available to students experiencing time restraints or other challenges that make it impractical to pursue an academic diploma. It is only available to students who are in their fourth year of secondary studies or who will turn 18 years old no later than 30 October following their graduation. This diploma is designed for students requiring a sound general secondary education.

A total of 220 credits (including electives) is required for this diploma.

Minimum Requirements by Department

English (50 credits)

20 - Literature (Literature I & II)
20 - Writing (I & II) or demonstrated competency
10 - Technology

Mathematics (20 credits)

10 - Algebra
10 - Mathematics elective

Science (20 credits)

10 - Physical Science OR Science Applications
10 - Biology OR Microbiology / Environmental Science

Cultural Studies (30 credits)

10 - World Geography
10 - Modern World History
10 - Cultural Studies electives

Personal Health (20 credits)

10 - Wellness
10 - Physical Education elective

Languages Other than English (20 credits)

20 in one language or demonstrated competencies in a second language.

Creative and Applied Arts (10 credits required)

Ten units of credit will be required in the area of Creative and Applied Arts. These ten units can be a collection of credits from secondary courses such as: Art, Music, Photography, Drama, etc.

IB Diploma Program

Mastery Learning in Secondary

Mastery learning is a driving force in our secondary program, and this is founded on high expectations and academic rigor. Our teachers are skilled at mastery learning, providing students the necessary support and individualization needed to be successful. At QSI schools, the mastery learning model defines rigor through the quality of work, which means:

Depth of material over breadth of material.
Mastery of understanding as well as analytical thinking within specific competencies.
High quality work on assignments that shows deep thinking and understanding.
Homework that is specific, purposeful, and relevant to the competencies being mastered rather than busy work.
Mastery of the competencies in the curriculum rather than choosing an arbitrary percentage cutoff, such as a 60% or 70% passing grade, as the standard for passing.

Student Services

TIS provides academic support and career planning with the goal of helping students succeed now and prepare them for their future. The secondary counseling program helps students form healthy goals, positive attitudes and behaviors. A carefully planned course sequence focuses on the Academic Diploma and the AP Capstone Program, which are widely accepted and well recognized for college admission. Students also have the many options to take elective courses to grow and develop new interests and talents.

Student Life

Secondary students at TIS are encouraged to take part in a wealth of activities, both athletic and academic in nature. Throughout the school year, there are several athletic teams that train and compete in local and regional competitions. We also offer a range of academic extracurricular activities:

Speech and Debate
Knowledge Bowl
Math Counts
Student Counsil
Drama
National Honor Society
Robotics
Model United Nations
Soccer
Cross Country
Volleyball
Basketball
Track&Field

TIS Graduation Flow Chart

Secondary program

First page of the PDF file: PathtoGraduationSecondaryLearning

Middle School & Secondary Classroom Peaks

SEC: TIS Students Wrote 800,000 Words in One Month

2 Dec 2022

About 70 TIS students participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) during November this year online with the Young Writers Program website. They were challenged to set a writing goal, plan a novel or short story and write every single day to reach their goal in just 30 days. Mr. Sellers, Ms. Titus and Ms. Lisa participated in the challenge with their writing students who amassed nearly 800,000 words in total for the month! Read More....

MS/SEC: Writing 13; Psychology, Lit 13; TOK

18 Nov 2022

Action-packed stories! Brain mysteries! Spooky moods! How do we know what we know?

SEC: IB Business Management

18 Nov 2022

IB Business management students have been learning about human resource management and organizational structure. What better real-world example than Tirana International School! Students went on an organizational scavenger, interviewing staff to see how departments and responsibilities are organized. Students scoured the campus, talking to everyone from food service and security to Mr. Mudd. Then, they put the pieces together into a graphic. Finally, we analyzed the chart, looking for connections and making comparisons to other organizations. Big takeaway: Mr. Mudd has a lot of responsibility!

PE: Elementary & Middle School & Secondary

18 Nov 2022

Secondary PE have successfully worked on "softball" (whifle-ball) and kickball unit. All students have mastered the skills and have demonstrated leadership in self- organizing the game and applying good knowledge of the game rules. Recently Sec PE have started the Basketball Unit 🏀. I am very positive they will excel like previous units.

SEC Physics

11 Nov 2022

Physics! The answer to the question of ‘when are we going to use this stuff?!’ in Math class. Using their hard-won trigonometry and geometry skills, our secondary Physics students have been exploring kinematics and Newton’s Laws of Motions. Although it may sound like bangs and clangs, and look like weights being swung overhead (swung outside, to protect the delicate labware of the Chemistry students), our young physicists are exploring forces, vectors, and orbits, to better understand the motion of planets, the trajectories of catapults, and the gravitational pull of black holes. For those unfortunate enough to study directly below the lab, fear not – the ‘quieter’ units on light, electricity, and magnetism are right around the corner!