Family Information

 

My student is interested in the IB program.  What do I need to know?

Students in our IB program can follow a path towards the IB Diploma or can be enrolled as an IB Course candidate.  Either path allows students to enroll in a rigorous course sequence that challenges them to seek to understand the role of knowledge in our global context.

Information can be found throughout our website about:

  • Curriculum
  • Enrollment
  • Exams
  • IB Core (Extended Essay, CAS, and Theory of Knowledge) requirements

We encourage all interested families to reach out to Ms. Liz Landry, our IB Coordinator at elizabethlandry@smsd.org

 

What is the IB program?

 

The secret language of IB:

Deciphering the acronyms...

EE ......... Extended Essay ......... A 4,000-word independent research paper on a topic of the student's choice. This is a massive commitment that spans over a year. Your role: Provide encouragement, proofread for clarity, but absolutely do not write it!

TOK ........ Theory of Knowledge ......... A required course about how we know what we claim to know. It encourages critical thinking across all subjects. It has two assessments: an exhibition and an essay.

CAS ......... Creativity, Activity, Service ......... The experiential component. It’s about doing things outside of class (arts, sports, volunteering) and reflecting on them. It's mandatory for the Diploma, and there are no grades—only completion.

IA ......... Internal Assessment ......... The major project or paper in each class that is graded by the teacher (and then moderated by the IB). This could be an oral presentation, a lab report, or a portfolio. It's a significant chunk of the final grade.

EA ......... External Assessment ......... The final written exams your student sits in May. These are sent to be graded by examiners around the world. (In short: The high-stakes tests.)

HL/SL ......... Higher-Level / Standard-Level ......... Students take three subjects at HL (more depth, more hours) and three at SL (broader scope, fewer hours). HL subjects are often required for specific college majors.

DCC ......... Diploma Candidate (or Course) Condition ......... Essentially, all the little rules about scoring, completing the core, and avoiding things like academic misconduct that determine if the student earns the full IB Diploma.