The International Baccalaureate program (www.ibo.org) is a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum with an international focus offered at over 2300 schools around the world. The program challenges the student to develop critical thinking skills, challenge assumptions, and support their arguments. Students typically earn college credit by successfully passing IB exams in their senior year.
The program addresses concerns about standards and accountability by having selected works by each student graded by subject examiners at other IB schools around the world using an international rubric. Also each teacher receives individualized written reports from a subject examiner describing in detail how well the IB teacher graded the students' work.
#1 – The IB Program at CRHS is 15 years old (Nov 2009)
In 1994 three students committed to the IB diploma program. In 1995 the first IB diploma was awarded. The graph to the right shows how many students completed the IB program in their senior year in the first 12 years. In that time 456 students completed the IB program as either certificate candidates (224) or full diploma candidates (232). Of the 232 diploma candidates, 200 (86%) students obtained the IB diploma. During the 2006-2007 school year, CRHS had 148 pre-IB students in the freshman class, 148 pre-IB students in the sophomore class, 104 IB students (34 diploma candidates) in the junior class, and 103 IB students (35 diploma candidates) in the senior class. This means that 503 of the 1317 students at CRHS are involved in the IB program. The following chart and graph show the number of senior students participating in the IB program over the last 12 years.
#2 – Senior Participation in the IB Program has increased at a rate of about 10% per year, on average. (Dec 2006)
The 103 senior students currently participating in the IB program is the largest in the history of the program at CRHS. Similarly, the 35 diploma candidates in this senior class represent the largest group of diploma students in the history of the program.
#3 – Over the past ten years (1996-2006) the IB program has grown, on average, 10% per year.
In the graduating class of 1996 there were 15 IB diploma candidates and 18 IB certificate candidates. In spite of some growth variability over the intervening years, by 2006, there were 30 IB diploma candidates and 39 IB certificate candidates. This represents an average growth rate of 10% per year for diploma candidates and 11% per year for certificate candidates.
To achieve the IB diploma students must accomplish the following in their junior and senior year:
Perform 75 hours of community service in each year.
Write an original and independent research paper of at least 4000 words.
Successfully complete the prescribed IB course work in 6 areas:
a. four years of foreign language. b. four years of literature based English, literary analysis, writing, and critical thinking c. history d. science; chemistry, biology, physics e. mathematics through calculus f. sixth subject in which students may choose between a second science, second language, psychology, philosophy, music, photography, or studio art.
Successfully pass the IB final exams
Successfully complete the Theory of Knowledge course.
Similar to AP classes at other schools, students may participate in IB classes without committing to the full diploma curriculum. Students may take 1 to 6 IB classes without performing the other requirements. These students are considered certificate candidates since the student is working for a certificate in a specific subject.
#4 - 80% of IB Full Diploma Candidates of the graduating class of 2006 graduated with honors.
The CRHS graduating class of 2006 had 295 graduates, 29 of whom were IB full diploma candidates. 23 of these 29 diploma candidates graduated with honors. There are three categories of honor students based on cumulative GPA:
Honor studentsGPA 3.3 – 3.49
High Honor studentsGPA 3.5 – 3.89
Highest Honor students GPA 3.9 – 4.0
Of the IB diploma candidates, 57% (13 of 23) graduated with highest honors, 30% (7of 23) graduated with high honors, and 13% (3 of 23) graduated with honors. Their hard work and academic success was rewarded with academic scholarships that ranged from $3000 - $130,000. On average, this group of students received $56,800 for 4 years of college or an average of $14,000/year to attend the college of their choice.
It is significant to note that the whole 2006 graduating class enjoyed superior academic success. Of all the graduates, 124 (42%) graduated with honors. This is a remarkable statistic and speaks to the high standard of academic excellence at CRHS and the commitment to academic success by the students and faculty!
Contact:www.literary-arts.org/pal. Hear presentations by visiting authors, historians, artists, and critics. Check beforehand with your English teacher for possible extra credit for attendance. Tickets for students are $5 general admission and can be obtained through the website noted above, by calling 503 227-2583, or (if not sold out) at the door.
Please contact us if you have any ideas for an activity that our high school students might enjoy!
#5 – One of the most common questions asked by parents and students considering the IB program is, “how do IB and AP compare?
In November 2007, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published an analysis of the AP and IB programs, comparing and contrasting relative strengths and weaknesses, toward the goal of trying to determine if these programs constitute a “gold standard” in high school education in the United States.
Comparison Fact #1 - Both IB and AP programs are academically rigorous. With successful completion of IB and AP courses and achieving the necessary scores on the course exam, students may receive college credit for these courses.
Comparison Fact #2 - CRHS is the only high school in the Vancouver School District that offers the IB program. All high schools in Vancouver School District may offer AP courses.
#6 - Recent graduates of the IB program discuss how IB prepared them for college.
The IB World magazine (Sept., 2008) states, “…the [IB] programmes have gained a reputation for their high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalized 21st century, and for helping to develop the future citizens who will help create a better, more peaceful world. We now work with over 2,300 schools in 128 countries, delivering our programmes to over 600,000 students.”
On January 8, 2009, the IB Parent Group hosted an IB Alumni Forum in which 8 recent diploma and certificate graduates of the CRIB program discussed their experience with the IB program and how it prepared them for college. The alumni responded to many questions that families and students often struggle with when considering the IB program, such as:
Why IB instead of AP or Running Start?
How did you manage the work load?
Could you participate in sports while in the IB program?
Did the IB program get you college credit?
How has IB helped you in college?
This excellent program was recorded and is available on DVD for your viewing. Contact Mrs. Heidi Berry to view this program.
#7 – Participation in the IB full diploma program will not necessarily decrease your GPA. (Oct 2009)
It is a common myth that if a student chooses the full IB diploma program his or her grades will suffer. The experience of the CRHS class of 2009 does not support this contention. In the class of 2009, 27 students were full IB diploma candidates. All 27 earned their IB diploma.
But the question is “did the diploma program hurt their GPA?” CRHS recognizes three categories of honor students (see Fun Facts #4) based on their cumulative GPA:
Honor students GPA 3.3 – 3.49
High Honor students GPA 3.5 – 3.89
Highest Honor students GPA 3.9 – 4.0
Of the 27 full IB diploma graduates, 12 (44%) earned highest honors, 12 (44%) earned high honors, and 2 (7%) earned honors. In total, 26 (96%) of the 27 IB diplomagraduates graduated with honors, an amazing performance by these students! Would their GPA be higher if they were not in the IB diploma program but similarly rigorous coursework, such as AP? This question cannot be answered with the information available. But one may suppose that it would not. Would their GPA be higher if they took less rigorous courses? Possibly; but why would they do that?
The best predictors of academic success or job success still remain determination, time management, organization, and a willingness and commitment to do the hard work, to stretch, to reach higher, to master and apply new knowledge. If the work is too easy, is anything really learned? It is true what is said in sports, “no pain, no gain”. There is no easy road to academic, personal, or financial success. The IB path is rigorous and not for the timid. But the rewards are many. The IB full diploma program will not necessarily decrease one’s GPA.
IA – Internal Assessment. In nearly all subjects at least some of the assessment is carried out internally [i.e. at CRHS] by teachers, who mark individual pieces of work produced as part of a course of study. Examples include oral exercises in language subjects, projects, student portfolios, class presentations, practical laboratory work, mathematical investigations and artistic performances.
EA – External Assessment. Some assessment tasks are conducted and overseen by teachers without the restrictions of examination conditions, but are then marked externally by examiners [i.e. graded by examiners at other IB programs sometimes in other countries] . Examples include world literature assignments for language A1, essays for theory of knowledge and extended essays. The grading system is criterion based (results are determined by performance against set standards, not by each student’s position in the overall rank order).
CAS – Creativity, Action, Service. These are required for Diploma students who should complete 75 hours during the junior year and 75 hours during the senior year. Participation in the school’s CAS program encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work, thus fostering students’ awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena.
EE – Extended Essay. Required for diploma 12th grade students and replaces the school district’s required “Senior Project.” Working with a faculty advisor, the student typically starts the project the summer before the diploma student’s 12th grade and continues through the 12th grade year. The extended essay has a prescribed limit of 4,000 words. It offers the opportunity to investigate a topic of individual interest, and acquaints students with the independent research and writing skills expected at university.
TOK – Theory Of Knowledge. The interdisciplinary TOK course is designed to provide coherence by exploring the nature of knowledge.
#8 - University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education studies the effectiveness of the IB Program.
The University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education has received a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to study the relationship between an accelerated high school curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and college-related outcomes. The study involves analyses of 12 years of data rom the Florida K-20 Data Warehouse and the National Student Clearinghouse.
Henry May, assistant professor and a researcher and statistician at GSE's Consortium for Policy Research in Education, and Laura Perna, associate professor, will lead a team of faculty and stuents to examine how participating in an IB program is related to students' academic readiness for college, college access, academic performance in college, bachelor's degree completion, and graduate school enrollment.
The study should be completed by February, 2011, and may have implications for future IB programming.
