The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) is currently offered at Ingraham High School, and Chief Sealth High School is on track to begin offering IB courses in the fall of 2007.

What is IB?

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a challenging two-year curriculum for juniors and seniors providing an integrated and proven approach to college preparation.

Students learn more than a collection of facts. The Diploma Programme prepares students for coursework at the college level and encourages them to:

• ask challenging questions,
• learn how to learn,
• develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture, and
• develop the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures.

Freshman and sophomores take prerequisites and world language courses in preparation for IB coursework that lead to the IB diploma.

Program Overview

The mission of the International Baccalaureate is to promote international understanding and responsible world citizenship through high academic standards and the development of lifelong learners who think critically. Students learn how to compare and contrast information, draw connections between knowledge from a variety of fields, and broaden their understanding of themselves and the world as they prepare themselves for higher learning opportunities.

There are six core curriculum areas including:

• English
• History
• Science
• Math
• World Languages
• Arts

IB students also take a unique course called Theory of Knowledge, which helps them integrate and apply what they learn in the core subjects. To earn an IB Diploma, students write a 4,000 word original essay and meet Creative/Action/Service requirements.

Whom does the program serve?

The IB Diploma program is available to Juniors and Seniors who wish to challenge themselves with a world-recognized curriculum. The program is designed to serve all interested students, including students identified as academically gifted/highly gifted through the District testing systems, students nominated by their teachers as potentially benefiting from program participation, and students who self-nominate. There are no testing-in requirements.

Ingraham and Chief Sealth High Schools each have their own participation guidelines. For more details contact the school IB Program coordinators listed below.

Links to Program Sites and IB Resources

IB Organization Web Site

IB Diploma Brochure
Get an overview of the IB Curriculum, educational philosophy, approach to assessment, and emphasis on building strong, compassionate world citizens.

College Credit Eligibility

Depending on the institution, college credit is available for the successful completion of individual IB exams as well as for the IB Diploma. Students can take exams in multiple disciplines including world language, math, science, art and English. To check out the college credit transfer policy at the colleges that interest you and your student, check out: http://www.ibo.org/country/US/index.cfm

What makes the IB Diploma Program different from Advanced Placement

The IB Diploma program emphasizes critical thinking and an integrated approach to learning along with an international perspective. Students are evaluated in a variety of ways in addition to course work, portfolios and exams. Exam sessions are longer for IB than AP, which is beneficial for students who need more time to formulate and communicate their thoughts and to demonstrate their subject mastery.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/repository/ibcomparbro_20740.pdf

What Educators are saying about the IB Diploma Program

Colleges and universities evaluate students based on whether they took the most rigorous courses available to them. The IB Diploma program levels the playing field for Seattle School District students looking to demonstrate their competence and achievements. http://home.comcast.net/~westseattleib//educators.htm

Schools' Web Pages

Chief Sealth
Chief Sealth is in the first of a two year accreditation process and is on track to begin offering IB courses in the fall of 2007

IB Program Coordinator
Laura Robb
lkrobb@seattleschools.org
206 206-252-8611

Snapshot of all Advanced Learning Programs