About IB
International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum and Objectives
The IB Programs offers a highly accelerated and enriched curriculum for students starting in kindergarten and continuing through the twelfth grade. The comprehensive curriculum selects elements from the educational systems of many counties and provides students with the knowledge, critical thinking skills and international awareness necessary for competing in a global economy. The IB program emphasizes problem solving, not just book learning, in addition to community service. As a part of its international focus, the IB curriculum also includes a foreign language. The student who satisfies its demands demonstrates a strong commitment to learning, both in terms of the mastery of subject content and in the development of the skills and discipline necessary for success in a competitive world.
Why the IB Program is unique:
- The IB program has a reputation for high-quality education sustained for over 35 years. The curriculum represents the best from many different countries rather than the exported national system of any one. The challenging Diploma Program assessment is recognized by the world’s leading universities. The organization maintains its high standards by actively training and supporting teachers, and by authorizing and evaluating IB World Schools.
- The IB encourages international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, the organization believes that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally-essential for life in the 21st century.
- The IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to critically reflect, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. The organization encourages community service because it believes that there is more to learning than academic studies alone.
- The IB ensures that its programs are accessible to students in a wide variety of schools-national, international, public and private-in 134 countries. These IB World Schools form a worldwide community in which there is no such thing as a “typical” school (more than 50% of IB students are in state-funded schools). IB World Schools cooperate in curriculum development, student assessment and the governance of the IB, making this a unique international collaboration.
