International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

Jay Friedenberg, Program Coordinator

What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program? 

The IB Diploma Program is an academically challenging and balanced program of education that prepares students for success at college and life beyond.  Since the late 1960s, the program has:

What is the mission of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program? 

The program prepares students for a global 21^st century by developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better, more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.  To this end, the IB organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.   

What is the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile? 

The Learner Profile is the IB mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for curricular and extracurricular activities.  To become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners, IB students strive to be:

• Inquirers                   
• Open-minded
• Knowledgeable      
• Caring
• Thinkers
• Risk-takers
• Communicators                      
• Balanced
• Principled                               
• Reflective       

How is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program structured? 

To help prepare for the two year program in grades 11 and 12, freshmen and sophomores take Pre-Diploma Program (PDP) courses in English, foreign language, social studies, science, and mathematics.

Juniors and seniors study one course from each of the six subject groups illustrated in the hexagon below.  They study IB English (group 1), IB Foreign Language (group 2), IB History (group 3), IB Science (group 4), IB Math (group 5), and an IB Elective (group 6).  Three subjects are taken at higher level (recommended 240 teaching hours) and three subjects are taken at standard level (recommended 150 teaching hours)

The program also has three core requirements intended to broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding.  The requirements are:

• Theory of Knowledge, an interdisciplinary course designed to encourage  students to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language, and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical, and historical)
• Extended Essay, a 4000 word paper that offers students the opportunity to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question of their choice
• Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), activities that enable students to learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom.

Diploma candidates take the program in full as described above.  Students can also choose to study for individual subject certificates, rather than the full diploma, if the diploma combination does not best meet their individual needs.

What is the  sequence of courses for International Baccalaureate Diploma Program students?  (PDP=Pre-Diploma Program courses)

Non-French Immersion Students

French Immersion Students

            * as part of French Immersion

How are International Baccalaureate Diploma Program students assessed? 

At the completion of each IB course, students are assessed both internally and externally in ways that measure individual performance against stated objectives for each subject.

• Internal assessments are carried out by teachers in the school who mark individual pieces of work produced as part of a course of study.  Examples include oral exercises, projects, class presentations, practical laboratory work, and mathematical investigations.
• External assessments are marked by examiners outside of the school and include World Literature assignments, Theory of Knowledge essays, and Extended Essays.  Examiners also mark examinations administered at the end of each course.

How is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program graded?

Each subject is marked on a 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest) grading scale.  Diplomas are awarded to students who take the program in full and earn a minimum total of 24 points in their six subjects.  Students can be awarded up to three additional points for their combined results on Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.    Certificates are awarded to students who either do not take the program in full or who do not earn sufficient points for a diploma.  The grading system is criterion based; results are determined by performance against set standards, not by each student’s position in the overall rank order.

What are the benefits of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program? 

Among the many benefits of the program are:

• Higher university and college acceptance rates for IB applicants than for total population applicants
• Opportunities to earn university and college credit and advanced standing at worldwide institutions
• Increased scholarship and grant opportunities
• A rigorous academic program that transitions students to university and college
• Interdisciplinary instruction that fosters internationalism
• Encouragement of lifelong learning
• Formally trained IB teachers, guidance counselor, and librarian.