Rochambeau French International School
Rochambeau The French International School is a private French international school in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland.
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History
Rochambeau The French International School was founded in 1955, and has a current total enrollment of approximately 1,200 students, the largest of the nine French schools in the United States. Rochambeau The French International School, formerly known as Lycée Rochambeau, is a non-denominational, coeducational, day school serving students from nursery through high school and the last year of the French secondary system on two campuses located just outside the city of Washington, D.C. Rochambeau offers a French Immersion program for non-French speakers from nursery school until 3rd grade.In 1992 the school had plans for a new campus for all grades K-12 and the administration in an area in Potomac, Maryland, and that year it acquired land there. Area residents complained as they feared there would be more vehicular traffic. Liz Spayd of the Washington Post wrote "The community's opposition has been interpreted by some to be a thinly veiled attempt to keep foreigners out of Potomac". In November 1993 the county planning board gave disapproval to the French school's plans there.
Campuses
The School's secondary school enrolls about 310 students on an campus in Bethesda, the Forest Road Campus; the same campus houses the school's administrative offices. The preschool and elementary school classes are at the Maplewood Campus off Rockville Pike in Bethesda. This campus has 170,000 sq. ft. of instructional space and a capacity of 700 students.Previously, the school had a campus in nearby Chevy Chase and another on Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda.
Student body
About forty-nine percent of students hold French citizenship, fourteen percent are U.S. citizens, and thirty-seven percent come from fifty-five other nations. Many Rochambeau students come from families who are in Washington, D.C., on postings with embassies, foreign-owned corporations, and multilateral organizations.In 1993, most students came from countries that spoke French, including France, Belgium, and countries in Africa.
Graduation requirements
To receive the high school diploma accredited by the state of Maryland, Rochambeau students must complete a minimum of 21 Carnegie units. Twenty of these units must be in specified areas:- 4 units in English
- 4 units in French
- 4 units in Social studies to include 1 credit in U.S. History
- 3 units in Science
- 3 units in Mathematics
- 2 units in a third foreign language
Because the Maryland-accredited high school diploma is usually awarded to students before their last year of study at Rochambeau, students who have earned the diploma and who plan to attend U.S. colleges and universities have the option of leaving Rochambeau without completing the Terminale year and without sitting for the Baccalauréat examinations. More than ninety-five percent of students at Rochambeau, however, choose to stay for the Terminale year in order to sit for the Baccalauréat examinations.
Structure and curriculum
All French lycées follow the academic curriculum established by the French National Ministry of Education. Rochambeau's faculty members are certified by the same French ministry. The student-faculty ratio is 10 to 1, with all courses being taught in French. However, English and U.S. civilization classes are taught in English, along with History classes in the International Baccalauréat section. Beginning in the first year of Middle School , Spanish, German and Arabic are offered as a second language, with each student having to choose one of those languages. English language instruction is offered at four levels with placement depending on a student's level of proficiency: Group 1 – ESL; Group 2 – standard English; Group 3 – Honors English; and Group 4—OIB English. During the Terminale year, Groups 1 and 2 and Groups 3 and 4 are combined, and a separate Group is created for the OIB section. In addition, students may enroll in a Latin class, which is made available to them at the beginning of Middle School and continues on until the final year of High School. Theater, Cinema, Art and Music may be chosen separately as optional classes during the first year of High School.Course load
During the final three years of secondary education, Rochambeau students often carry a course load of 37 to 40 hours per week, with a corresponding amount of homework. School hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. or 5:30 p.m for upperclassmen, depending on each student's schedule. Given the long school day and heavy academic load, students have little time to pursue extracurricular activities. However, various activities are organized by different student groups, including a talent show, which takes place before December break and features students presenting particular talents. Sports, such as swimming, rugby, basketball, volleyball or soccer, are accessible to students of different grades. Rochambeau also celebrates the Fête de la francophonie, emphasizing the diverse francophone cultures from which the various students come.French ''Baccalauréat''
During the last two years of French secondary education, students choose concentrations in one of the following specialized academic tracks :Série ''L Série ES Série S''In addition to their concentration courses, all Rochambeau students are required to enroll in English, a second modern foreign language in addition to English, history and geography, and philosophy.
Baccalauréat examinations are developed at the French national level, with the same examinations being given at lycées worldwide at the end of the Première and Terminale years. Each section of the Baccalauréat examinations consists of a series of essays requiring in-depth analysis and a well-reasoned response. The written section of the Baccalauréat is scheduled over a two-week period, encompassing 17–32 hours of testing. Students also present two to four oral examinations. Over the past ten years, the success rate on the Baccalauréat examination at Rochambeau has averaged approximately 96.2%, with over 66% of the students receiving honors, compared with the annual pass rate at 90.95% at other French lycées in the U.S.
However, there has recently been a change to the structure of the French Baccalauréat exam which has dissolved these specialized academic tracks. Rochambeau is fully incorporating these changes into their curriculum as of the 2019–2020 academic year.