Why IB?
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Fundamentally, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is an educational philosophy. IB classes provide an opportunity for high school students to become well educated and to utilize critical thinking skills typical of college level work. Mastery of subject material is essential, as are analysis and integration across disciplines. Critical thinking, innovation, and intercultural understanding are useful attributes that are cultivated in the IB program and which give a competitive edge to IB students’ future endeavors, in today’s world and global economy.
The International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), a non-profit educational foundation based in Switzerland, offers the Diploma Program for students in the final two years of secondary school (junior and senior years of the American high school), the Middle Years Program for students in grades 6-10, and the Primary Years Program for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. As a membership organization, the IBO provides curriculum and assessment development including teacher evaluation and student examinations, teacher training and administrative seminars, electronic networking and mentoring, and other educational services to its more than 2,100 participating schools in 125 countries around the world. To maintain consistent standards of performance, a multinational team of IB educators and examiners headquartered in Wales continually develops curriculum materials and evaluates samples of student work from member programs.
History
Founded in 1968, the IBO grew out of the efforts of international schools to establish a common curriculum and university entry credentials for geographically mobile students, predominantly the children of diplomats and international business leaders. International educators were also motivated by an idealistic vision: to provide a shared academic experience emphasizing critical thinking and an exposure to a variety of viewpoints that would foster tolerance and intercultural understanding. Concentrating on the last two years of secondary school, they sought to build a comprehensive curriculum leading to a baccalaureate, a diploma awarded on the basis of passing a series of extensive exams that could be administered in any country and recognized by universities around the world. Because of its balanced curriculum and high standards of assessment, the Diploma Program has evolved from its original purpose as a service to the international community into an internationally recognized program of academic excellence available in national systems across the globe. The program was introduced to the United States in 1974.