In 2018, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helped launch a global effort to assess student “global competency.” This was also the year our middle school program at Presidio Knolls School (PKS) was being designed by a group of educators and researchers committed to creating a program like no other—a middle school founded on the promise that our graduates would have the skills, mindsets, and content knowledge necessary to thrive in an interconnected, multicultural, and quickly changing world.
We wanted to open a program that did more than merely sharpen our students’ IQ—we wanted to give our students opportunities and challenges to develop their emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) as well. Bilingualism and biculturalism are core components of global competency—prerequisites, in fact—but there is so much more to this promise.
Integrating Global Competency Into the Curriculum
Our middle school designers paid close attention to PISA’s definition of global competency and integrated their methods of assessment into the PKS curriculum. PKS middle schoolers are assessed on their habits of perspective taking, adaptability, conflict management and resolution, intercultural communication, and grit.
They are challenged to investigate the pressing global issues they will inherit, from the uses and ethics of artificial intelligence to the realities of climate change, and to approach these challenges not just from the perspective of Bay Area teens, but instead with awareness of wisdom that arises from very different perspectives.
Learning Beyond the Classroom: Middle School Travel Experiences
Our travel program, PKS东南西北, is part of how we ensure our graduates have these unique and ever-more-important skills and mindsets.
Earlier this year, our 6th graders spent 10 days farming on rural O’ahu, farming, living in in tents and learning from native Hawaiian teachers abou land stewardship and sustainability.
In the coming weeks, fifth graders will head to the Sierras, seventh graders will travel to Taiwan, and eighth graders will visit Dali, China as part of their immersive learning journeys.
These experiences challenge students to step beyond their comfort zones, engage with different communities, and apply their global competency skills in real-world settings.
Our middle school graduates don’t just leave with strong academic foundations—they leave with the ability to think critically, adapt to new environments, and engage meaningfully with the world around them.
Our If you want learn more about these adventures, reach out to Mike, our Head of Middle School at mike.levy@presidioknolls.org.