IB Diploma Programme Information

IB DP Coordinator

Extended Essay Coordinator

CAS Coordinator

Theory of Knowledge Teacher

IB(International Baccalaureate) Acronyms and Vocabulary

IB (International Baccalaureate) Acronyms and Vocabulary 

 

Anticipated Student: A junior student who is completing the requirements for the IB Diploma.

 

Approaches To Learning (ATL) (MYP): systematic development of learning skills: communication, collaboration, organization, self-management, reflection, research, informational literacy, media literacy, creative and critical thinking.

 

Approaches To Learning (ATL)/PPS (Personal and Professional Skills): a course required for the Career-Related Program.

 

Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS): a core component requirement for the IB Diploma. Student learning and experiences outside of the classroom. 18-month commitment to exploring areas in creativity, activity and service. Seven areas of growth are documented through goal setting and reflection.

 

CP: IB Career-Related Programme, a two-year programme designed for ages 16 – 19 or grades 11 and 12. Students take IB courses and CTE courses.

 

Key Concepts (MYP): key ideas that cross disciplines and should be used when developing integrated units of study. Aesthetics, Change, Communication, Communities, Connections, Creativity, Culture, Development, Form, Global interactions, Identity, Logic, Perspective, Relationships, Systems, Time, Place and Space.

 

Course Student: A junior or senior student who is not working toward the IB Diploma  or the IB Career-related Certificate, but is taking an IB course and therefore is taking an IB exam.

 

Diploma Candidate: A senior student who is completing the requirements for the IB Diploma.

 

DP: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a two-year comprehensive programme, designed for ages 16 – 19 or grades 11 and 12.

 

Extended Essay (EE): a core component requirement for the IB Diploma. The EE is a 4,000-word research paper written by a Diploma Candidate, Students choose their own topics and are supervised by a faculty advisor.

 

External Assessments (EA): A component of a class, such as Literature essays or May IB exams, that is not graded by the JLHS teacher, but rather is sent to an IB examiner for assessment.

 

Global Contexts (MYP): A set of contexts that encourages students to explore international-mindedness and global engagement. These are included in unit planners and taught in units: Identities and Relationships, Orientation in space and time, Personal and cultural expression, Scientific and technical innovation, Globalization and sustainability, Fairness and development.

 

Group Subjects: IB full Diploma candidates are required to take classes in six subject areas: 3 higher level and 3 standard level:

Group 1: Literature

Group 2: World Language

Group 3: Individuals and Societies

Group 4: Experimental sciences

Group 5: Math

Group 6: The Arts or an IB Elective

 

Higher Level (HL): A course of study with increased depth and breadth of subject in comparison to a 

Standard Level (SL) course. All HL courses are a two-year course sequence with exams the senior year.

 

Internal Assessments (IA): IB required assessments. Depending on the subject, the IA could be oral exams, projects, essays, experiments, case studies, etc. that are scored by the teacher. IB externally moderates randomly selected samples of these assessments to ensure that the teacher is scoring appropriately.

 

Marks: IBO’s language for grades given to internal and external assessments as well as exams.

 

MYP: International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, designed for ages 11 to 16 or students in the 6th through 10th grade. MYP courses include Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Language Acquisition, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Sciences, Arts, and Design.

 

MYP Certificate: Students who are taking at least the 2nd year of a world language in 10th grade, complete community service in 9th and 10th grade, successfully complete a Personal Project, and successfully complete MYP assessments in their courses receive the Certificate at a ceremony at the end of the school year.

 

Orals: Students in English A1 (Group 1) and World Languages (Group 2) must complete oral presentations. These presentations are sent to IB examiners for assessment. (Students in Film and Visual Arts complete a similar process.)

 

Paper: IBO’s language for an exam in a subject area. An IB exam is never just one exam, but rather a series of “papers,” often administered over the course of two days.

 

Personal Project: a requirement for the MYP Certificate. All sophomores must complete a Personal Project. The PP includes a report, a journal, and a product or outcome. Students choose their own topics and are supervised by a faculty advisor. Students display their projects at the Personal Project Showcase in the spring.

Scores from projects are sent to the IB along with samples for moderation.

 

Predicted Grade (PG): IB teachers submit to IB their prediction of the Subject Result the student will earn in their IB subject. Students do not see these grades, nor do they figure in their ultimate IB grade in the subject. They are used for initial acceptance to universities in countries other than the United States.

 

PYP: International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, designed for ages 3 through 12 or grades K–5.

 

Reflective Project: a requirement for the Career-related Programme. The IBCP Reflective Project is an in-depth body of work produced over an extended period and submitted in year 2 of the programme. Students identify, analyse, discuss and evaluate an ethical dilemma associated with their career-related studies. Students choose their own topics and are assigned a faculty supervisor.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK): A core component requirement for the IB diploma. TOK is the IB Diploma Programme capstone course, which asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge. This course integrates all six subjects with the goal of teaching students that all knowledge is related.

Overview

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is an internationally recognized program of studies offered to highly motivated 11th and 12th-grade students. This program provides the academic rigor, structure, and experiences for students looking for the highest degree of academic challenge. IB students are challenged to use their education to "create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." (IBO Mission Statement)

The IB Diploma Program is a two-year program of studies across disciplines with multiple components. After completing the required IB classes and taking the IB exams, students will receive an IB Diploma in addition to their Virginia high school diploma.

Learner Profile

The IB learner profile is the IB mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century. The learner profile provides a long-term vision of education. It is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.

Requirements

To be awarded the IB Diploma students must:

  • Completed six IB courses in different subject groups
  • Complete assessments and external examinations in each group
  • Participate in the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component
  • Complete a Theory of Knowledge course
  • Submit an Extended Essay

Core

  • CAS, TOK, and the Extended Essay -- required components of the IB Diploma -- stem from the Learner Profile. Students pursuing IB Certificates in individual classes do not pursue CAS, TOK, or the Extended Essay.
    • "CAS" stands for Creativity + Activity + Service. Across junior and senior years, diploma candidates accrue at least 50 hours of planned and supervised activities in each category. Such participation is meant to encourage the appreciation of attitudes and values other than one's own, and to enable the student to communicate readily on both a philosophical and practical level. Learn more about CAS
    • "TOK" is the Theory of Knowledge course. This course -- an after-school seminar during junior year and a year-long course senior year -- stimulates critical reflection on the knowledge and experiences acquired both inside and outside the classroom; evaluates the bases of knowledge and experience; and develops a personal mode of thought based on critical examination of evidence and argument. Learn more about TOK
  • The Extended Essay is a 3,500- to 4,000-word research paper on a topic of the Diploma candidate's choice. Development of this essay is guided by a faculty supervisor. Learn more
  • Students opting to undertake the school's most rigorous academic program undertake the full IB Diploma Program, intellectually challenging students both inside and outside the classes in a wide range of disciplines. Students can pursue IB Certificates in individual classes.

Courses

Click here to view the IBDP Course Sequence