High school at Al Madina School of Richmond is a time of preparation for life outside of the school which would include the preparation for college and career. Students will be given responsibilities to decide and set goals for their future as they would after they graduate and they will experience classes specific to departmental curriculum like in college. The basis of the curriculum is the VA S.O.L.s along with Qur’an, Arabic and Islamic Studies curriculum that is accredited by CISNA (Council of Islamic Schools in North America).
Al Madina’s curriculum for high school education integrates CISNA (Council of Islamic Schools in North America) guided Islamic Studies and Qur’an into the VA S.O.L. The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, mathematics, science, history/social science and other subjects.
In addition, students have the opportunity to enroll at a Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and earn college credits through the Concurrent Enrollment program. Special qualifications are needed to be eligible for the Concurrent Enrollment program; please see the Concurrent Enrollment link for details. A Dual Diploma program is also offered at Al Madina School of Richmond. This program gives students the opportunity to graduate high school with 2 diplomas: a high school diploma and an Associate Degree diploma. Special qualifications are needed to be eligible for the Dual Diploma program; please see the Dual Diploma link for details.
Students at Al Madina would have the opportunity to learn and express various medium of art. Islamic culture have always been enriched with distinguished work of art such as the Dome of the Rock, Taj Mahal and the Calligraphy of Qur’anic verses. Al Madina will incorporate such fascinating examples in addition to other activities. These activities would include, but not limited to coloring, sketching, drawing, painting, singing of nasheed, craft making, and calligraphy.
Arabic as a foreign language is offered at Al Madina School of Richmond to facilitate our students fulfilling their foreign language elective credits as required by the Virginia Department of Education for earning a high school diploma. The class focuses on the culture of Arabic language in terms of speaking, reading, and writing. This class stands apart and is not part of the QAIS curriculum. However, teachers may infuse Islamic teachings into the curriculum content as they see fit.
High school mathematics in Al Madina School of Richmond is based on the SOL Standards. The curriculum is based on giving students the ability to achieve six mathematical focus: number and systems, algebraic methodology, functions, modeling, geometric logic & dimensions, and statistics & probability.
The 6 mathematical focus are applied into the following sequential content each year:
6th Grade: MATH (6)
7th Grade: MATH (7)
8th Grade: Algebra I
(Taken as early as 7th grade~ High School Credit given for passing grade)
9th Grade: Geometry
(Taken as early as 8th grade ~ High School Credit given for passing grade )
10th Grade: Algebra II
11th Grade Trigonometry & Pre Calculus
12th Grade: (ELECTIVE) Advanced Mathematics
(Including Calculus & Statistics)
Any further pursuance of mathematics as an elective, may also be explored under the Dual – Concurrent Enrollment program.
Students at Al Madina would have the opportunity to learn physical education that would motivate them to move regularly and treat their body well. Students would understand that they must keep their body well as it is a trust given by Allah. Students will learn to stay fit through the play of physical games and develop sportsmanship and cooperation by the learning of the rules of the game and displaying fair play.
In addition to physical education, Virginia Department of Education requires high school students to take health class as part of the requirement of a high school diploma. Health class would focus on proper hygiene as guided by sunnah. Health class would also serve to inform students to the Islamically guided psychological and social approach through the changes of puberty. All high school physical education and health classes are segregated by gender.
ELA – English/ Language Arts are taught in Al Madina with the baseline methodology aligned with the State Standards. Students in 9th through 12th grade will build upon College and Career Ready expectations which include exploring non-fiction, literary and critical reading and analysis, composing revising and editing works, learning the correct way of documentation and the ethics behind such documentation and reviewing and growing great communicating through listening, collaborating and presenting information effectively.
Any further pursuance of ELA as an elective, such as creative writing, may be explored under the Concurrent Enrollment program.
High school social studies in Al Madina School of Richmond is based on the State Standards curriculum. The curriculum focuses on the ability of a student to cite textual evidence; identify key steps in historical / social process; understand specific vocabulary to specific historical/ social domain; discern author’s point of view in historical/ social content; integrate various visual, digital, & print text sources; tell the difference between facts, opinions, and reasoned judgment; examine arguments and justify which is contextually appropriate; and assess author’s varying opinions on the same historical/ social topic.
The social studies focuses are applied into the following content for different grade levels:
Grade 9: WORLD HISTORY to 15000
Grade 10: World History to Present
Grade 11: HISTORY OF AMERICAS (VA/US)
Grade 12: US GOVERNMENT/20th C. WORLD
Any further pursuance of social studies as an elective, such as sociology, may be explored under the Concurrent Enrollment program.
During the school year, emphasis will be placed on helping the students develop their Islamic identity as believers (Mu’minun) and to learn basic concepts of Islamic practices and implementing it in their daily lives.
The students will be studying five main subjects:
Aqidah (Islamic Creed)
Fiqh Al-Ibadat (Jurisprudence of Worship)
Sunnah, Seerah and Islamic History
Tafseer of the Quran
Adab & Akhlaq (Islamic Morals and Manners)
Our CISNA accredited curriculum grants us 6 different levels for Qur’an and Arabic. Students will progress based on their levels in learning Arabic and reading the Qur’an. All students will learn the basics of Qur’anic reading, writing, recitation with tajweed, and memorization. Students will also learn the specific Arabic vocabulary of the Qur’an to enhance their understanding of the Qur’an. Arabic in QAIS is taught as part of learning Qur’an. Arabic as a foreign language is taught as a separate class.
The goal for our students in QAIS is for them to be able to read, recite, write, memorize, and interpret the Qur’an by themselves with the rich background of Islamic history and tradition so that they may practice and live with the Qur’an as their guide.
High School science in Al Madina School of Richmond is based on the VA State Standards curriculum. The curriculum focuses on the ability of a student to follow through the scientific method with critical analysis. Students would acquire the ability to do proper research and citation, present ideas using their own words with the same meaning, analyze and resolve gaps and inconsistencies in scientific data, interpret various charts, tables and figures, differentiate reporting data as results and interpret data, conduct an experimental procedure and understand the significance of the method. Students are encouraged to participate in annual science fair and be reminded of the appreciation of Allah’s creation.
The science objectives are applied into the following content with all high school levels (grades 9 – 12) being able to take any of the classes pending on the fulfillment of pre-requisite and co-requisite:
Biology:
Pre-requisite: none
Co-requisite: 9th grade ELA
Chemistry:
Pre-requisite: Algebra I and Geometry
Co-requisite: 10th grade ELA and Algebra II
Physics:
Pre-requisite: Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II
Co-requisite: 11th grade ELA, and Trigonometry & Pre-Calculus
Any further pursuance of science as an elective, such as physiology, may be explored under the Concurrent Enrollment program.
High school students at Al Madina would be given the opportunity to learn to become responsible digital citizens in the 21st century. Students would learn the proper use technology including the world wide web. This includes the ability to use basic software in the field of word processing, spread sheet, project presentation, installing software, and introductory to coding. This also includes using internet for proper research, knowing how to maintain hardware and software with appropriate updates, and knowing how to gain protection from general digital threat such as virus, spam, and adware.
