International Baccalaureate

Colleges report that incoming freshmen are not ready for college and many need to take remedial courses. Knowing that college admissions are as competitive as they have ever been, parents and students are looking for an advantage. The best program to prepare students for college and help give them an advantage in college admissions in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

IB was created in Europe after the second world war as a way to standardize college admissions in Europe. The idea behind IB was to develop a common curriculum and set of exams for all students regardless of country, to measure students against one another for college admissions.

International Baccalaureate is a two program starting the junior year of high school. In order to receive an IB diploma students must take classes in six content areas or groups; group one is a language, group two a second language, group three individual and society, group four experimental sciences, group five math and computer science, and group six the arts. In addition to the core areas students must take a two semester long course called Theory of Knowledge, complete two hundred hours of community service and write a 2500 to 3000 word essay on a subject of their choosing.

Each core area class requires an internally moderated project called an internal assessment. At the end of the second year diploma candidates take five hours worth of tests for each of the six core courses. Each test is scored out of seven points. The essay, community service and Theory of Knowledge requirements are also awarded up to two points. In order to receive an IB diploma the candidates need to achieve a minimum of twenty-four points between the six tests and score no lower than a three on any of the exams.

Although the program seems daunting, it is balanced and fair. The curriculum of the classes generally emphasize depth of knowledge over breadth of content and the exams allow students to choose from a variety of questions. IB wants to let the student show what they know and can do, not what they do not know. Tests are rarely done with multiple choice questions, instead allowing the students to explain what they know in shorter responses or full length essay responses.

Regardless of how a student scores on the exams, the experience of the IB program challenges all students to grow and develop as learners. The curriculum and requirements are similar to most colleges and universities, making the transition from high school to college easier and more successful.