Title: IBO Mission Statement
1IBO Mission Statement
- The International Baccalaureate aims to develop
inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people
who help to create a better and more peaceful
world through intercultural understanding and
respect. - To this end the organization works with schools,
governments and international organizations to
develop challenging programmes of international
education and rigorous assessment. - These programmes encourage students across the
world to become active, compassionate and
lifelong learners who understand that other
people, with their differences, can also be right.
2Unlike conventional Americaneducational
philosophies, IB . . .
- emphasizes critical thinking, intercultural
understanding, and exposure to a variety of
points of view. - enables students to develop sound judgment, make
wise choices and respect others in the global
community. - focuses on the development of the whole child,
and an overarching concept of how to develop
international-mindedness, emphasizing
intellectual, personal, emotional and social
growth for real-life challenges as well as to
prepare for entry into the worlds leading
universities. - stimulates young people to be intellectually
curious and equip them to become autonomous
lifelong learners (Principles to Practice).
3IB is built on the philosophy that
- learning is a process not a product.
- students should make meaningful connections
between disciplines to become makers of
meaning and acquire the ability to solve
problems. - students must understand how they learn, their
own preferred styles, strengths and limitations
because an IB education should be rigorous,
engaging, challenging and should equip them for
life in the 21st century (Towards a Continuum of
Education).
4IBOs three programmes
Diploma Programme (ages 16-19)
Middle Years Programme(ages 16-19)
- Quick Facts
- Non-profit, non-governmental, organization
founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968 - 1300 schools in 110 countries
Primary Years Programme(ages 3-12)
5Why American high schools adopt IB
- South Side H.S. (Rockville Centre, N.Y.)
Compared two groups of 25 students in - 16th-85th percentile on PSAT
- 32 of non-IB students graduated
- 88 of IB students graduated
- 15 to 1 odds of graduating by taking two or more
IB courses - 100 percent of IB students reported satisfaction
with their H.S. education and nearly all felt
prepared for college in English, Social Studies,
Math, Science, and Foreign Language - Westwood H.S. (Texas) IBs presence on campus
increased A.P. participation - Control three-year period 254 students for 444
exams in three-year period - Four years later 376 students for 901 exams
- Reading scores on state tests increased in
reading (6.4 percent), math (8.5) and writing
(2.9) - Palmer H.S. (Colorado) After introducing IB
- saw increases in ACT scores and SAT verbal
- Other testimonials
- American Federation of Teachers calls IB a
program that works. - Howard Gardner in The Disciplined Mind What All
Students Should Understand included IB on his
list of families of schools that are already
successful. - Time Magazine featured IB in 2006 as a way to
bring our schools out of the 20th century.
6Why American parents choose IB
- South Side H.S. (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) 100
percent of its IB graduates completed their
college degrees in four or less years compared to
39 percent as a national average. Only 54 percent
of American college students complete their
college degrees within six years (Chronicle of
Higher Education). - University of Pennsylvania studied Americas
Highly Selective and Most Selective
universities as concluded that 59 percent of
those schools gave preference in the admissions
process to IB students. - Smith College analyzed its acceptance rates and
saw that it accepted 68 percent of IB applicants,
12 percent higher than its non-IB applicants.
Also, that number would have been 76 percent, or
20 percent above, if financial aid had not been a
consideration. - The College of William Mary accepted 64
percent of IB applicants, compared to 45 percent
of the entire applicant pool. - The State University of New York (Binghamton)
recommended that students earning 30 or more
points toward their IB diploma should get a full
year of credit.
7A study at the University of Florida
- showed that IB students suffered less college
shock than their non-IB peers. UF students
from standard college prep programs saw their
high-school grades drop 28 percent as freshmen.
A.P. students saw a 21 percent drop. IB students
only dropped 13 percent. - Also, standard college prep students scored 1158
on their S.A.T.s, compared to 1177 for A.P.
students and 1213 for IB students.
8A study at the University of Florida
- IB students at UF outperformed their non-IB peers
in - Introduction to Chemistry (by 33.4)
- Upper-level Chemistry (27.8)
- Quality Analysis 2 (21.3)
- Quality Analysis 1 (19.2)
- Technical Writing (18.7)
- Expository Writing (9.6)
- Analytical Geometry / Calculus (7.9)
9At the College of William Mary
- IB students consistently have higher G.P.A.s than
the average of their non-IB peers.
10Virginia Tech compared
Student performance at Virginia Tech indicates
that important positive attitudes toward learning
are developed at IB high schools. These attitudes
seem to apply even to students outside the IB
programmes.
- students who simply attended schools that had IB
programmes and found that the IB environment
created this stark of a contrast. Comparing
student populations with G.P.A.s above 3.0 (a
standard B)
Student Group Percent above 3.0
Non-IB / Non- A.P. 33
A.P. 41
Students at an IB school 88
11College acceptance rates for students with IB
certificates, not diplomas
University U.S. News World Report rank All applicants IB applicants
Harvard 1 11 15
Mass. Institute of Tech. 7 17 26
Duke 9 22 36
Johns Hopkins 13 35 69
Brown 15 (tie) 17 22
Cornell 15 (tie) 28 51
Emory 20 42 82
New York University 33 26 52
Florida 53 51 98
Florida State 104 49 99
U.S. Air Force Academy N/A 12 68
12There are 10 reasons to be IB.Coincidentally,
these are the traits I believed in so strongly, I
left a cushy job at SIHS two years ago. Its
because thats who I want my daughter to be.
- There are five skills
- Inquirers
- Knowledgeable
- Thinkers
- Communicators
- Reflective
- And five attitudes
- Principled
- Open-minded
- Caring
- Balanced
- Risk-takers
13Middle Years Programme
- All eight subject areas are taken each year and
designed for interdisciplinary learning Language
A, Language B, Humanities, Sciences, Mathematics,
Arts, Physical Education, Technology - Every unit of study is filtered through one of
five Areas of Interaction Approaches to
Learning, Community and Service, Human Ingenuity,
Environments, Health and Social Education
14Middle Years Programme (cont.)
- Seven Approaches to Learning Collaboration,
Communication, Information Literacy,
Organization, Reflection, Thinking, Transfer - The MYP Unit Planner What SIHS alumna Tammy Russ
calls the PDSA on Steroids - Learner Profile
15The Diploma Programmeand its Hexagon, which will
grow with us
- Group 1 English HL
- Group 2 Spanish / French SL or HL
- Group 3 History of the Americas and 20th Century
Topics HL - Group 4 Biology, Physics, and Chemistry (all SL
or HL) - Group 5 Math Studies SL or Math SL
- Group 6 an second science or a third language
16HL and SLbest of many national systemswithout
a bias toward one
- Higher Level
- on par with A.P. course and receives same number
of quality points (two) - student experiences 240 hours in two years
- focuses on the depth and breadth of subject
- like declaring a major
- must have 3-4
- Standard Level
- on par with A.P. course and receives same number
of quality points (two) - student experiences 150 hours in two years
- focuses on the depth of subject
- like taking a class outside ones major
- must have 2-3
17Group 1 Language A
- More than 80 are offered by IB, but ours will
just be English HL for now, emphasizing - strong written and oral skills
- respect for ones literary heritage balanced with
an international perspective - lifelong interest in literature
- love for elegance and richness of human
expression
18Group 2 Language B
- Ours will be French SL and HL and Spanish SL and
HL and French ab initio and Spanish ab initio for
now, emphasizing - powers of expression
- ways of thought that may differ from ones own
- focus on written and spoken communication
19Group 3 Individuals and Societies
- Ours will be History of the Americas and 20th
Century Topics HL for now, emphasizing - subject matter is contestable, requiring students
to tolerate some uncertainty - appreciation of change and continuity
- methodology
- theory
- research
20Group 4 Experimental Sciences
- Ours will be Biology SL and HL, Physics SL and HL
and Chemistry SL and HL for now, emphasizing - appreciation of methodology
- practical lab skills
- collaborative work and an interdisciplinary group
project - discussing ethical / moral issues stemming from
local and international comparisons - promoting social responsibility
21Group 5 Mathematics
- Ours will be Math Studies SL and Math SL.
- Math Studies SL covers the equivalent of Algebra
III, Advanced Geometry, Trigonometry, and a
strong background in Statistics. It is designed
for students who will likely make this their last
math class. - Math SL covers the equivalent of Pre-Calculus,
A.P. Calculus AB, Statistics, and other math not
typically taught domestically. It is designed for
students who will use mathematical concepts in
their career, such as business people, doctors
and some engineers.
22Group 6 Elective / Arts
- Ours will be a second science or a third language
for now. - The second science would allow students who
previously studied Biology, Physics or Chemistry
to study one they missed or challenge themselves
to study another science concurrently. - Ab initio is designed for students who have not
previously studied a language with an eye on
being trilingual. It is a strong Group 6 option
for a student who is more inclined toward the
humanities than the sciences.
23Theory of Knowledge (ToK)
- This is the signature course of IB that is
considered its most valuable for its
interdisciplinary components and its ability to
challenge students ability to critically reflect
on knowledge inside and outside classroom.
Students spend 100 hours over two years - investigating grounds for moral, political, and
aesthetic judgments that individuals make in
their lives. - considering how they know what they know.
- exploring various cultural traditions to think
about strength and limitations of different ways
of knowing. - learning to clarify thought.
- ToK is assessed externally by a 1200-1600-word
essay and internally by a 10-minute presentation
and a self-evaluation report.
24Extended Essay (EE)
- Students will choose a topic of special interest
from a list of 22 provided or outside that list
to - spend about 40 hours of private time conducting
independent research - meet with a trained faculty supervisor who will
guide time management, academic honesty, overall
structure, appropriateness of research question,
level of analysis and quality of argument - write a 4,000-word essay at university level that
will be externally assessed
25Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)
- Students will plan, complete, document and
reflect upon 150 hours of life outside the world
of scholarship, educating the whole person to
build a more compassionate and active citizenry.
In the equivalence of 3-4 hours per week,
students must achieve eight learning goals and
seek self-evaluation through insight. - Creativity could include, but is not limited to,
pursuit of an artistic talent, contributing to a
school / local publication, or many other
options. - Action could include, but is not limited to,
individual and team sports, expeditions or local
/ international projects. - Service could include, but is not limited to,
helping special needs children, visiting
hospitals, working with refugees or homeless.
26 CreativityCreativity is interpreted
as imaginatively as possible to cover the widest
range of arts and other activities and includes
creativity in organizing and executing service
projects. Examples of available CAS activities
- Newspaper or yearbook staff work -
Participation in a choral or instrumental musical
performance - Preparation of a submission to
a literary magazine - Preparation for a display
at an art show - Preparation for a service
project - Organizing and/or implementing a
school- sponsored club activity.
27 ActionIt does not necessarily restrict
itself to expeditions, sports or physical
training, but may include carrying out creative
or service projects.Examples of available CAS
activities-Participation at the team or
individual level in all competitive athletic
events -Participation in any individual sports
(hiking, cycling, horseback riding, swimming,
running, rollerblading, etc.)- Participation in
Outward Bound
28 ServiceIt does not mean exclusively social
service but it can include environmental and
international projects.Examples of available
CAS activities - Mission projects (of a
non-religious nature) with a church youth
group.- Volunteering at a local hospital,
nursing home, retirement home, or day-care
center.- Volunteer work for the Red Cross or
homeless shelters- Walks for Cystic Fibrosis,
AIDS or Breast Cancer
29The formula forthe Diploma
- In May of the senior year, students will have
completed two years of assessed work in six
courses and sit for six final exams. Those exams
are graded on a seven-point scale. Perfect scores
on all six exams would lead to 42 points. - There are a maximum of three points available for
the combination of ToK and EE for a grand total
of 45. - Students who acquire 24 or more points receive
their diploma. - Internationally, 80 percent of diploma candidates
receive the diploma.
30This two-year course offers a voyage toward
self-discovery and multi-cultural appreciation.
The student who chooses to embark on this journey
receives a general map, as well as guidance,
advice and encouragement. However, the roles of
sailor, navigator and captain belong to the
student alone. The distance traveled and the
discoveries made rest upon the shoulders of each
participant. -an IB student whenasked about the
value ofthe IB difference
31This is post-modern education.
- This is especially key as the global population
becomes more mobile. There will be a demand for
balanced bilinguals who are highly proficient,
literate and knowledgeable in two or more
languages. - Employees of the next two decades must have the
ability to process and evaluate knowledge not
just acquire it . . . Universities and employers
are increasingly seeking to attract globally
aware, adaptable learners who are able to apply
and transfer their skills and knowledge to new
contexts.
32Student benefits
- The core of ToK, EE, CAS broaden the educational
experience and challenge students to apply their
knowledge and understanding in real-life
contexts (Principles to Practice). - The IB is adamant that we should not restrict the
program for an academic elite because Even
when students fail to attain the full diploma,
they often comment on how the educational
experience has enriched their lives and better
equipped them to be successful in further
education and their professional and personal
lives (Building an Accessible Programme).
33Student benefits (continued)
- The world is changing rapidly, requiring
learners to anticipate the unknown and adapt to
change, not just respond to it. - Employment prospects increasingly require an
ability to transfer skills and learning. - Learning to work and solve problems
collaboratively is becoming as important as
learning to work individually. - Developing self-confidence in learners, as well
as academic competence, is essential of learners
are going to be able to function effectively. - Constructive critical thinking is a tool
necessary for individual and collective survival
students must be able to distinguish sense from
nonsense, propaganda from truth and make their
own well-informed judgments (Towards a continuum
of international education 13).
34A Teachers Know and Do
- Know
- DP team meetings (Mondays) are open to anyone.
- IB teachers classrooms are 24/7 demos and IB
teachers are expected to visit other classrooms
quarterly. - The IB Learner Profile traits, because you will
hear that as common dialogue.
- Do
- Attend DP meetings as often as you can. We want
to grow this program, which will mean more hands. - Come visit and / or make your classroom open to
be visited. - Involve yourself in helping us prepare for the
site authorization visit in Fall 2011.