AISC – NOW AN OFFICIALLY AUTHORIZED INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA  PROGRAMME  SCHOOL

AISC received notification on 10 April  from Mr. Jeffrey R. Beard, Director General, IBO, Geneva, that the school’s application to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (DP) has been accepted with immediate effect.

   Accordingly, the school will commence offering the IBDP in August, 2007.

THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE ( IB ) DIPLOMA PROGRAM

PREFACE:
“The International Baccalaureate Organization’s Diploma Programme (DP), created in 1968, is a demanding pre-university course of study that leads to examinations; it is designed for highly motivated students aged 16 to 19. The programme has earned a reputation for rigorous assessment, giving IB diploma holders access to the world’s leading universities. The IBO has shown, over the course of 30 years, that IB Diploma Programme students are well prepared for university work”. – International Baccalaureate Organization’s document entitled “The Diploma Programme” – Page 3.

ADVANTAGE OF THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAM FOR THE STUDENT…
Students who receive the IB Diploma not only increase their chances of gaining admission to the college/university of their choice but may even qualify for the waiver of courses normally required in the freshmen year of college/university.

CURRICULUM MODEL:
Briefly, the IB Diploma Program which is offered during the last two years of High School, operates through a very cohesive and comprehensive curriculum model, a diagram of which is shown below. The model is composed of six academic areas in addition to a required extended Senior Essay composed of approximately 3200 words, an integrated course entitled “Theory of Knowledge” (TOK) and weekly involvement during the two years of the program in an activity called “Creativity, Action, Service” (CAS).

Very briefly, the six academic areas or groups are defined as follows:

Group 1 : Language A1 – which involves mastery of the student’s first language

Group 2 : Second Language – involves the student’s mastery of a second language

Group 3 : Individuals and Societies – involves subjects in Humanities and Social Studies such as Economics, History, Geography, Philosophy, Psychology and Information Technology

Group 4 : Experimental Sciences – involves Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
Environmental Systems and Design Technology

Group 5 : Maths and Computer Science - All candidates for the IB Diploma are required to complete a mathematics course as a necessary foundation for pursuing studies in such fields as Physics, Engineering, Technology, Chemistry and Economics.

Group 6 : Arts - This component of the Program provides options for the Visual Arts, Music and Theatre Arts.

ASSESSMENT:
“The IBDP is designed as a linear course, with all examinations taking place at the end of last year. It is assessed through a combination of formal examinations and coursework (which is completed over the two years of the Diploma Programme).
Each of the six subjects studied is given a numerical grade between 1 and 7, where grade 7 represents excellent performance. The six grades are added together and three additional points are available for performance in Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. This means that at the end of the Diploma candidates receive a final overall mark out of a maximum 45 points.
The Diploma is awarded to candidates scoring at least 24 points out of 45, subject to certain conditions. Candidates must also submit an Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge work which are of a satisfactory standard and must meet the CAS requirements.”
STUDENT PARTICIPATION:

Participating students are required to select one subject from each of the six subject groups with at least three courses but not more than four being taken at a higher level (HL) with the remaining courses being taken at standard level (SL). HL courses represent a recommended 240 teaching hours and SL courses represent 150 teaching hours.

As stated previously, each Diploma Program candidate must do a required Senior Essay, the integrated Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course and be involved in the Creativity, Action, Service, (CAS) program for the equivalent of at least three to four hours each week during the Junior and Senior Level years.