International Baccalaureate Programme

An IB World School which offers the internationally recognized curriculum and examinations.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme is a comprehensive and rigorous two-year curriculum leading to examinations for high school students in their senior years of study. The IB Diploma has become a symbol of academic integrity and intellectual promise. It is a deliberate compromise between the specialization required in some national systems and the breadth preferred in others.

The general objectives of the IB are to provide students with a balanced education, to facilitate geographic and cultural mobility and to promote international understanding through a shared academic experience. The student who satisfies IB 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. College and universities are well-served by encouraging the enrollment of these able young scholars.

The Diploma candidates choose their programme of six subjects to be studied over two years, from the following:

Group 1

Language Al (best language) includes the study of selections from World Literature.

* ENGLISH

Group 2

Language A2 (second language) - provides a language/literature course for highly competent speakers of the target language.

Language B (second language) - provides a foreign language course for students with previous experience of learning the language. This is a communication programme.

* FRENCH or Other language with approved private tutor

or

Language Ab Initio (second language) -is a foreign language course, offered at Subsidiary Level only, for students who have no previous experience of learning the target language.

Group 3

Individuals and Societies: History, Geography, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Anthropology, Business and Organization.

*HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY

Group 4

Experimental Sciences: Biology, Chemistry HL, General Chemistry SL, Applied Chemistry SL, Physics, Environmental Systems.

* BIOLOGY SL/HL, CHEMISTRY SL/HL, PHYSICS SL/HL

Group 5

Mathematics: Mathematics HL, Advanced Mathematics SL, Mathematical Methods SL, Mathematical Studies SL.

* MATHEMATICS SL

Group 6

Electives: Art/Design, Music, Latin, Classical Greek, Computing Studies, a third modern language, a second subject from Humanities or Experimental Sciences Group, Advanced Mathematics SL, or a School based Syllabus approved by IB.

* DANCE, MUSIC & VISUAL ARTS

* Courses offered at ASCIS

To be eligible for the award of the Diploma, aIl IB Diploma candidates are required to write one subject examination from each of the groups.

At least three and not more than four of the six subjects are taken at the Higher level, the others at the Subsidiary level.

Each examined subject is graded on a scale of 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum). The award of the Diploma requires a minimum total of 24 points and the satisfactory completion of three additional requirements:

1. Extended Essay of some 4,000 words which provides the first experience of the independent research paper.
2. Theory of Knowledge (TOK), a course which explores the relationships among the various disciplines and ensures that students engage in critical reflection and analysis of the knowledge acquired within and beyond the classroom.
3. CAS, a component which requires students to participate in extracurricular and community service activities. (Bonus points may be awarded for the exceptional essay or performance in Theory of Knowledge.)

Approximately 70- 75% of Diploma candidates earn the Diploma. Students who do not satisfy the requirements of the full program are awarded a certificate for the examinations completed.

Only schools officially approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) are authorized to offer the curriculum and to present candidates for the examination. The IB program is offered in 80 countries throughout the world and in 630 members schools such Académie Ste Cécile International School. Significant numbers of IB Diploma holders both from within and outside North America have gained admission to Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, McGill, Toronto, Michigan, MIT, Byrn Mawr and other prominent institutions.

The headquarters of the International Baccalaureate Organization is located at Geneva, Switzerland, with administrative offices in New York, Buenos Aires and Singapore.

Responsibility for the IBO is vested in a Council of Foundation, chartered by the Swiss government. Members of the Council include representatives of national governments supporting the programme, heads of IB schools and ad personam representatives of other countries.

The Examinations office, located at Cardiff, Wales in the United Kingdom, oversees two examination sessions per year .The May session serves the large majority of candidates. Schools in the Southern Hemisphere subscribe to the November session. Some 2000 individual examiners worldwide participate in the assessment of student work. The three working languages are English, French and Spanish.

Clifford Sjogren, formerly of the University of Michigan (U.S.A.) and the University of Southern California (U.S.A.) has written:

"The best predictor of academic success is previous academic performance. Students who elect and satisfy the standards of a rigorous and demanding program in high school are the ones best suited to benefit from the intellectual environment at university. A transcript that reveals a student’s enrollment in IB courses serves notice to the admissions officer that the applicant is someone who accepts rather than avoids educational challenges. Further, a successful IB student will enroll with some advantages over students who have taken less intensive programs. The educational sophistication that students develop through an experience in an IB program will serve them well at institutions that attract serious students. Other advantages include an increased self confidence that comes from classroom experience with college-level academic material, a sharing of intellectual activities with the best students of the school, better time management, more experience with independent study. Of course, the fact the IB is a world examination with nearly universal recognition can mean additional benefits for the internationally oriented young scholar"