Admission policies

All students are eligible to apply for admission to AEL regardless of gender, race, religion, creed, or national origin. Students applying will be admitted based on age, readiness for our academic program, and space availability. Lincoln’s admission policies promote cultural diversity and strive to maintain the U.S. and international character of the school’s educational program. These policies and procedures are designed in keeping with our Mission and Vision statements to ensure that all students admitted are provided the necessary tools to achieve academic success. 

Admissions decisions will be guided by English language proficiency level as determined by WIDA MODEL and academic readiness of the applicant. 

To be admitted at AEL, a student should demonstrate:

• The capability in Kinder 4 - Grade 6 to maintain progress with support services as appropriate within AEL’s available English as an Additional Language and Learning Support program guidelines.
• The capability in grades 7 - 12 to maintain progress in an International, college-preparatory program, with support services as appropriate, within AEL’s available English as an Additional Language and Learning Support program guidelines.
• English Language Proficiency is determined by WIDA Levels in grades 6 - 12 together with MAP scores in grades 6 - 8.

Admissions Priority: Because AEL is a family oriented school, siblings of current students are given priority, regardless of application submission, if space is limited.

Wait-Listed: AEL does have a cap limit on class size for each specific grade and in the case of being wait-listed, the date that all paperwork is turned in is considered the date of wait-listing, not the initial contact date.  When seats are not available due to lack of space in a grade or program, applicants shall be wait listed until a space becomes available.

Students who are enrolled in a school whose calendar matches AEL will most often continue in the next grade level if entering at the beginning of the school year, and will remain in the same grade if coming in the middle of the school year.

However, students coming from schools with vastly different calendars (i.e. Argentina,  Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, India) will continue in the same grade level even if that means the student remains in the same grade for the equivalent of one and a half school years. Argentine Law does not allow students to join a grade mid year and requires students to complete a full year of classes before being promoted.

In Argentina, education is compulsory through high school and grades 1-12 is divided into two levels: primary and secondary.  Secondary school begins in grade 7 and, by law, all of our students actively pursue the Argentine HS diploma, bachillerato.  Some countries have educational agreements with Argentina and students arriving from Argentina are exempt from the following.  All other students who arrive to Argentina in grades 8-12, regardless of Spanish Level upon arrival, must take equivalency studies to earn credit towards graduation in Spanish, Argentine History and Geography in addition to courses in their schedule.  Students are assigned an advisor in the Spanish Department and work with this advisor on meeting the requirements to earn a passing grade. Furthermore, students are enrolled for the duration of their stay in Argentina in Spanish and Social Studies classes that follow the curriculum requirements for Argentina regardless of nationality or length of stay in the country.

1. K4 & K5: Placement is based on age as of September 30.
2. Grades 1 - 6: The most important consideration for placement is age as of Sept. 30.  The last grade level completed is also taken into account. Our expectation is that students will complete a minimum of 1 year at each grade level.
3. Grades 7 - 12: For students transferring at the beginning of the AEL school year, placement is based on the last grade level completed. Our expectation is that students will complete a minimum of 1 year at each grade level.
4. Grades 8 - 12: Students transferring from a country without an educational agreement with Argentina may need to make up some of the topics in literature, history, and geography  required in Argentine Secundaria beginning in grade 7. Although some work outside regular classes may be necessary, these “equivalency” studies will be administered by Spanish teachers and integrated as far as possible in the regular Spanish classes.
5. Grades 10 - 12: Grade placement in grades 10-12 is contingent upon number of credits received by the end of school year prior to admission that are transferable to AEL. Because of this, students may not be eligible to enroll in the next grade when amount of credits received to date do not meet the minimum required at that grade level:

• Minimum required at completion of grade 9: 6
• Minimum required at completion of grade 10: 12
• Minimum required at completion of grade 11: 18

Learning in a diverse environment is beneficial for all learners, teachers, and our community. Our Learning Support teams comprise certified and experienced special educators.

At AEL we provide support for students at all grade levels in a manner determined on a case by case basis taking into account how best to meet the students’ needs and the number of students in that grade level currently receiving support. Great care is taken to determine the type of services requested/required for the student to be successful and the manner in which these services will be provided. Admissions decisions are based on a careful assessment of each student’s strengths and needs. An offer of admittance is made when the Admissions Committee has reviewed all of the information requested, and it is determined that AEL can meet the student’s needs with the services we provide and/or can access locally. Full disclosure and open communication are critical in ensuring an appropriate placement. Failure to disclose information related to learning needs may result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission.

We believe that students with learning needs excel when expectations set for them are high but attainable. Every student who enters our Learning Supported program is serviced through an Individualized Learning Plan, and great care is taken to meet all of their needs. Once a student is admitted to our school, we work diligently to collaborate and provide the best services possible for students to reach their full academic potential. As much as possible we differentiate and scaffold instruction with accommodations in the regular classroom setting. Some students may receive additional support with Learning Support staff and best efforts are always made to provide the least restrictive setting possible given the structure of our school. Support staff across the school collaborate with teachers on a regular basis to aid with small group instruction, assessment, and at times co-teach where appropriate.

Students whose first language is not English are part of our ELL (English Language Learner) program until Native English Language Proficiency is acquired. In addition, because we are a bilingual school, all students enrolled at Lincoln are also enrolled in a Spanish class determined by placement evaluation, The overarching goal is that students who are enrolled for the long term will eventually reach Native Level Proficiency in both English and Spanish. AEL’s Language Support Program is different for each grade level and language support that is needed.

Students are not admitted with no or low proficiency levels of English from grade 6 up. Students who arrive from abroad with no Spanish proficiency in grade 12 may require additional support in Spanish beyond the school year in order to receive the Argentine bachillerato diploma.