ACS Recognized as Innovative School

The Ministry of Education and Science officially declared the American College of Sofia "an innovative school" for its project Integrating technology into the learning environment through the use of Chromebooks and the Google Classroom platform.

The idea behind innovative schools, as postulated in the Law of Pre-School and School Education, is for them to be a model of modern school where the students would improve their scores and their critical thinking through innovative learning processes, teaching methods, school leadership, and curricula.

The ACS project is based on specific goals, each one offering to change the educational landscape and the way students learn, via:

1. Creating a platform for interactive communication both among students and between students and teachers;

2. Building skills for ethical and responsible use of digital technology;

3. Guaranteeing easy access for students to platforms that allow a multi-level evaluation of their skills and knowledge;

4. Creating an inspirational environment where students are at the center of education at any time and where their efforts and accomplishments are evaluated in real time, and whenever there is need for teacher support, it is individually targeted;

5. Creating a meaningful and inspirational environment where the students build their knowledge and find original solutions which encourage each student's individuality.

The project was made possible by a generous donation of Chromebooks from the American people via the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The first Chromebooks were introduced two years ago in Eighth Grade, and with the start of the new school year ACS has 800 Chromebooks to help every student study in Google's virtual classroom.

The Ministry of Education's committee on innovative schools featured psychologists, sociologists, pedagogy experts, representatives of the science community, professionals with a track record in innovation in the realms of education, science and technology.

The innovation processes described in the green-lit projects will have a duration of 4 years. For each school year, there are specific levels of progress and results to be monitored by the Ministry, and the goals and ideas are outlined pertaining to the personal, intellectual and emotional development of the students.

Godspeed in the 2017-18 school year in our innovative school!