International Baccalaureate (IB)

IB History

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a nonprofit educational foundation, started in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968. The IB offers challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment to a worldwide community of schools. Its three programs (the Primary Years Program, the Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program) for students aged 3 to 19 help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

The IB, however, is more than its three educational programs. At its heart, the IB organization is motivated by a mission to create a better world through education. IB values its hard-earned reputation for quality, for high standards and for pedagogical leadership, and promotes intercultural understanding and respect, not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential part of life in the 21st century.

The IB has experienced rapid and consistent growth over the last 20 years. Currently, there are more than 582,000 IB students attending more than 2,100 schools in 125 countries. IHS Portland plans to become the first independent, nonprofit high school in the greater Portland area offering a fully integrated IB curriculum for students in grades 9 through 12.

IB Program Description

The IHS Portland academic program is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula with a continuum of instruction from Grades 9 through 12. The IB Program is recognized both nationally and internationally for its breadth and depth, focus on critical thinking, global perspectives and integration of subjects.

The IB Program is learner-centered and inquiry-based; the teaching begins with, and builds on, the curiosity of the students, their capacity to understand the materials, and the questions they ask. Through the comprehensive and rigorous curricula combined with challenging assessments, students are prepared to be functionally multilingual and informed with a world perspective in history, literature, geography, mathematics and the sciences. At IHS Portland, components of this rigorous curriculum may be delivered in several languages of instruction: English, French, German, Mandarin and Spanish.

Students take courses from each of the following six groups:

  • Group I: Language A (English)
  • Group II: Language B (French, German, Mandarin or Spanish)
  • Group III: Individuals and Societies
  • Group IV: Experimental Science
  • Group V: Mathematics
  • Group VI: Visual or Performing Arts (or a second subject from group II or III)

The IB Capstone

Students in the IB Diploma Program must also complete the following core requirements:

The Extended Essay
The heart of the IB Diploma, the Extended Essay is a guided individual project. Each student selects an area of study for investigation, formulates a thesis, researches and tests the thesis, and produces a 4000-word essay that reflects the results of the learning process. The work proceeds according to an established timetable and guidelines, with structured exercises on organizing the research, compiling a bibliography, evaluating evidence, generating an outline, drafting, self-editing and final presentation.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
The TOK requirement is central to the education philosophy of the program, as it is an interdisciplinary course that offers students and teachers an opportunity to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and to consider the role of knowledge in their own culture and in other cultures in the world. TOK prompts students to develop an awareness of themselves as thinkers and the complexity of knowledge, and to recognize the need to act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected world. As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing and different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is, “How do we know?” Through this process of reflective inquiry students will become aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including subjective and ideological biases, and develop a personal mode of thought based on analysis of evidence expressed in rational argument. TOK transcends and unifies the academic subjects, demonstrating ways in which students may apply their knowledge with greater awareness and credibility.

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)
The CAS requirement takes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a counterbalance to the academic program. A minimum of 150 hours of participation in these three areas can range from participating on athletic teams (Action), committing time to volunteer work (Service) or learning a new instrument (Creativity), to a combination of two or three activities.

IB Diploma

Successful completion of the program leads to attainment of the IB Diploma, which is recognized by colleges and universities around the world. At the end of each of the six courses, student work is assessed both externally and internally on a criterion-based performance standard. Each of the six courses is rated on a seven-point scale for a possible total of 42 points. In addition, the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge courses can earn students three points. The IB Diploma is awarded to students who have successfully completed the six courses, Extended Essay, TOK and CAS with a minimum total score of 24 points.

IB Accreditation

IHS Portland will seek authorization as an IB World School.

IB Organization

For further information about the IB and its programs, visit: www.ibo.org.