NORTHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IB DP AUTHORIZED WORLD SCHOOL, PAGE 1

Frequently Asked Questions about

NHS’s IB Diploma Program

Note: last updated May 2017 What is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program(me)? The Diploma Programme (sic) for students aged 16 to 19 is a demanding two-year curriculum leading to final examinations and a qualification that is welcomed by leading universities around the world. The challenging IB Diploma Program (IB DP) is recognized by the world's leading universities. IB maintains its high standards by actively training and supporting teachers and by authorizing and evaluating IB World Schools. Through careful subject selection and guidance, students tailor their course of studies to meet their needs and interests. Regardless of the subject selection, all full diploma students will explore the connections between the six major subject areas: Studies in Language and Literature (English), Language Acquisition (World Languages), Individuals and Societies (Social Sciences), Sciences, Mathematics, and the Arts (or two courses from the aforementioned groups in lieu of the Arts). In addition to the full Diploma Program, Northville High School is providing an additional IB opportunity for motivated students to select these courses individually as IB “course” students to experience the content and rigor of the courses; however, this “a la carte” pathway will not result in an IB Diploma or enable exploration of the core subjects/experiences. The best informational source about the IB Diploma Program is IBO’s website: www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme How does IB differ from AP? In the United States, both College Board’s AP program and IB’s Diploma Program appeal to highly motivated and highly engaged high school students seeking improved college readiness. While the programs have many similarities in terms of college readiness, they have many differences in terms of curriculum foci and assessment practices. The Curriculum and Assessment links on the NPS website should be useful to explain these details further.

At Northville High School, students will have a choice to take AP courses, honors courses, college preparatory courses, dual-enrollment classes, and IB courses. The major change comes with the recent addition of the IB DP program in Northville as an option for students who are interested and who are prepared for the program (or individual DP courses, if preferred). Like AP, IB courses align with Common Core, and they meet and exceed Michigan Merit expectations.

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What are the benefits of the IB Diploma? The IB program is built around consistent pedagogical philosophies, course curriculums, program expectations, and varied methods of assessments. IB DP students, consequently, become successful learners, thinkers, and collaborators (i.e., working on topics of study in interconnected subjects). Learning to synthesize various academic and global understandings, IB students become contributing citizens locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Students at NHS also have the advantage of extending the MYP experiences into the DP, if they choose this pathway. Here is a nice link to show how the IB Learner Profile, integrated by both MYP and DP programs, can be viewed by college and universities: http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/recognition/learnerprofile-en.pdf Teachers in different subject areas collaborate to prepare integrated curricula. Courses can be taken individually, but the real value of the program is realized from completing the diploma requirements, which consists of six courses and the Extended Essay, CAS, and Theory of Knowledge components. Because the holistic gains from earning the Diploma and because of the clear goal the Diploma establishes for IB involvement, at NHS we plan to encourage the overall Diploma Program for interested students ready for this challenge. After all, it is the overall design of the “program” that makes many participants – and colleges/universities – value the whole experience as one that is greater than its parts.

What is the DP program at NHS? At Northville High School, we are making informed and communal decisions about the construction and the implementation of the DP program. Currently, in addition to public and school forums, we are using the NPS and NHS website, and the IB DP Corner, to keep the community updated on these developments. The IB program consists of NHS students in an IB program. These students can, unquestionably, participate at NHS in all extracurricular activities in the same way as other students could. Therefore, the only major shift to the traditional day will be that full IB DP students will use a “rotation equivalency” of seminar each week for TOK (~30 minutes per week over the two-year program), and students may need to select DP courses with their overall schedule needs in mind (i.e., band and choir students).

When did the program begin at NHS? The rising 11

th

-graders (graduating class of 2019) will be the fourth cohort of IB DP students. So far we have had 19 (2016), 31 (2017), 23 (2018), and 29 (2019) eligible full Diploma Candidates. Therefore, the first set of DP courses, the majority of which are two-year courses, began in the fall of 2014.

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What are the overall curricular components of the DP program? IB Diploma Program students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students must choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in what we typically discuss as studies in languages, social studies, sciences, and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1 to 5. Over the course of the two-year program, students: study six subjects chosen from the six subject groups complete an extended essay follow a theory of knowledge course (TOK) and complete related tasks participate, document, and reflect upon creativity, activity, service (CAS). study three (or four) of the six subjects at higher level (courses must contain 240 instructional hours) study the remaining three (or two) subjects at standard level (courses must contain 150 instructional hours). What are the “core” curricular components of the DP program? The program has the aforementioned three core requirements that are included to broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding: The Extended Essay (EE) is a requirement for students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of their subjects. The Extended Essay is a 4,000 word piece of original research conducted by each IB Diploma candidate. Completed by the first semester of the senior year, the student researches and writes on a topic of his or her choosing and has a faculty mentor/coach, as well as the Extended Essay Coordinator to help with the essay. See also this link for a study from UVA about the value of this academic endeavor: http://www.ibo.org/announcements/ibextendedessaysupportstheiruvaacademicperformance.cfm Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical). Theory of Knowledge is a seminar-type course that explores the links between IB subject area courses. It is part existential, philosophical, psychological, and metaphysical. This epistemological journey will span the junior and senior years; per IB requirements, students will complete a minimum of 100 hours of instruction. Students must fulfill an oral presentation requirement and process a reflective argument paper in

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order to successfully complete the course. This course at NHS will run for two years for full DP students, most likely during thirty-minutes rotation of seminar each week (with some make-up sessions also available).

Creativity, activity, service (CAS) requires that students actively learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to each one of them separately to satisfy learning outcomes. CAS stands for Creativity-Activity-Service. Each Diploma candidate must have documented hours of after-school activities which take place during their junior and senior years. The activities can be split among creative, action, and service oriented endeavors or a single overarching project. Students will reflect on these hours and related learning outcomes over the two-year period. Every student works with a CAS Coordinator to reflect on his or her personal growth from the endeavors. Despite some common initial public misconceptions, most likely due to differences in the local magnet International Academies, IB DP students are encouraged to participate in N H S extracurriculars, including varsity or club athletics, band, drama, clubs/organizations, etc.

The overall curriculum and core is modeled by a hexagon with six academic areas surrounding the three core requirements, with the student at the center.

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What are the assessment components of the DP program? Northville High School grades will be the responsibility for Northville High School teachers. External assessments for the IB Diploma Program do not impact NHS course grades (i.e., similar to AP exams). Students enrolled in online Pamoja courses will earn a G for these courses. Full DP students are required to take the IB exams at the end of each course, whether it is HL or SL. Students (including course students who opt to test in the courses in which they are enrolled), take written examinations (i.e., “papers”) at the end of the program, which are marked by external IB examiners. Students also complete assessment tasks in the school, which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners. The diploma is awarded to students who gain at least 24 points, subject to certain minimum levels of performance across the whole program and in individual course marks and subject to satisfactory participation in the creativity, activity, service requirement. The highest total that a Diploma Program student can be awarded is 45 points. Three essential requirements of the Diploma Program are that the students must follow a course on the theory of knowledge, they must write an extended essay of up to 4,000 words, and they must be involved in a series of activities that demonstrate creativity, activity and service, jointly forming a CAS program that is individual to each student.

[Note: content above is slightly modified from the IB website: www.ibo.org]

In other words, in addition to varied and authentic internal assessments that take place in

the classroom (which can be marked as classroom grades if the subject area teacher

makes this choice), full Diploma Program students generally take six summative

examinations in May (i.e., similar to AP exams), including assessments in one literature

course taught in the student’s native language, in one world language, in one social

science, in one science, in one mathematics, and in one arts course. The arts course can

be replaced by a second social science, a second experimental science, or a third

language. The overall assessment of student work, both by outside examiners as well as the

students' own teachers, helps measure learning outcomes and helps align instruction with

assessment. All assessment undergoes careful review or moderation to ensure that a

common, international standard is applied equally to the work of students around the

world. North American students typically take their May examinations at the end of the two-year

Diploma Program; sometimes, for SL courses, they can take up to two of their SL

examinations at the end of the first year of the Diploma Program.

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What is the IB Learner profile?

The IB Learner Profile, part of all IB programs, is a foundation from which students involved in IB work to explore the following areas of holistic self-assessment and growth (see http://www.ibo.org/programmes/profile/): inquirers

knowledgeable

thinkers

communicators

principled

open-minded

caring

risk-takers

balanced

reflective

What are the differences between SL and HL courses? Standard Level (SL) courses must meet for a minimum of 150 instructional hours, and Higher Level (HL) courses must meet for a minimum of 240 instructional hours. Because they go into more depth for a longer duration, HL classes are more intensive than SL courses and all HL courses require two years to complete. Most SL courses also require two years to complete, but there are some one-year or 1.5-year SL courses offered. In planning for the IB Diploma, students should choose HL classes in the subjects in which they are most interested and most prepared. Also, students should remember that in order to receive an IB Diploma, they must take 3 Higher Level classes and 3 Standard Level classes. Exceptions may be made for students to take 4 HL courses and 2 SL courses; however, a student can only apply six IB courses overall to IBO for their points towards the diploma.

Do all NHS IB students need to be Diploma students? No. The IB Diploma Program is an option for NHS students. All students interested in becoming part of the full IB Diploma Program will have to apply to participate in the IB Diploma Program. The full application process is for full DP candidates. If a student wishes to take one or more IB courses and does not wish to be a DP candidate, then they will follow the same

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teacher-based registration processes as AP courses. In other words, students can take IB courses, as course students at NHS, but these enrollments may still be reviewed by the DP application team, if any concerns regarding learning styles or academic preparation are raised during the registration and regular recommendation processes. Students who enroll in individual courses will receive be considered “Diploma Programme (DP) course students” – formally known as certificate students – and their transcripts will note the IB courses in which they are enrolled. Likewise, these students will have the option to pay for testing in these courses (i.e., take and submit the assessments that relate to these courses to the IBO), but, like AP courses and exams at NHS, enrollment in the courses, specifically if students choose to not “test,” will not require any additional costs. Because of the overall learning experiences and of the overall value of and respect offered by postsecondary institutions of the earned diploma, we encourage students interested in numerous IB DP courses to participate in all aspects of the program to earn “The Diploma of the International Baccalaureate.” Similarly, for the full college readiness experience, all students in SL and HL classes are encouraged to test at the conclusion of the courses.

May students take IB examinations even if they are not attending an IB school? Can an IB exam be taken without having taken the course? Unlike AP exams that may be taken if students prepare outside of the classroom and/or in courses not officially approved as AP courses, the IBO permits only students enrolled in and attending IB-authorized schools to participate in an IB program and to take IB examinations if they have completed the expected number of course hours and related internal and external assessments. The rationale here is that the assessments are ongoing, varied, and imbedded into these course curricula.

What students might be interested in applying? What will be the application process? All sophomores who are eligible for admission to Northville Public Schools may choose to apply to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program during their sophomore year. Students who are interested in challenging themselves and working with others in order improve their college readiness will be the ideal candidates. Students may be asked to show the following to be considered for the program: commitments to the Diploma Program understanding of their roles as global citizens understanding of themselves as IB DP students completed teacher-recommendation form

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interview skills, if asked, to speak directly to the above The teacher-recommendation form will ask teachers to discuss how this student matches the IB Learner profile, including an example of student-initiated inquiry. In addition, the following factors will be part of this determination process: attendance, assignment completion, participation in class, motivation, ability to work with others, leadership, maturity, discipline (i.e. work ethic), creativity, and reaction to criticism. The annual interview team will consist of the following members: 1) DP Coordinator

2) MYP Building Coordinator

3) Counselor(s)

4) IB DP Teacher(s)

What are current enrollment numbers? The graduating class of 2016 had 19 full DP candidates seeking The Diploma of the International Baccalaureate. The graduating class of 2017 has 31 current full DP candidates seeking The Diploma of the International Baccalaureate, and the graduating class of 2018 has 23 current students making this journey together. Additionally, at NHS, we have over 300 enrolled course students during the 2016-17 school year. This data signifies that over 350 eligible juniors and seniors (about 1 in 4 students) are involved in IB at least in one course. We continue to listen to stakeholders about ways to grow understandings of the program and these enrollment numbers. Responding to such feedback, we have made revisions to the application, timing of the application, and course offerings. Thank you for your help and patience: IB DP is indeed part of the NHS school culture, and this integration has been successful with the work of all stakeholders.

How do we plan to support the IB students at NHS? During and after the application process, students will receive guidance from their counselors and the Diploma Program coordinator about their DP schedules. Full DP students will share a seminar and a counselor with other DP students to help increase opportunities for collaboration and overall camaraderie. As well, there will be some opportunities for retreats and for special events as the program develops. We want students to know that they have many layers of support, including their fellow IB students, teachers, administrators and coordinators, counselors, and parent/guardians.

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What is Pamoja Education, and how might these online IB courses fit into NHS’s IB program? DP students can take one IB DP course via Pamoja online, if the course they need is not offered at NHS. Working directly with the DP Coordinator, these added course offerings will help add some potential flexibility for students, specifically creating some language opportunities for transfer students. Please note that there may be an out-of-pocket cost for the Pamoja course enrollment. See http://www.pamojaeducation.com/students/ for more information. Where would I find some current university credits for IB courses? Here is a link from IBO to see how universities around the world, including the United States honor IB credits: http://www.ibo.org/universities/listalluniversities.cfm Here in Northville, many parents have questions about The University of Michigan and Michigan State University, both of which have clear published guidelines about how they accept IB course credits: http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/ib-guidelines

http://admissions.msu.edu/documents/MSU_IB_Equivalencies.pdf

Other colleges like Alma have progressive IB acceptance policies:

http://www.alma.edu/live/files/340-ib-at-alma-college---1-page---finalpdf

Contact each school’s website and/or admissions office for more details, especially as IB’s presence in Michigan and in the United States continues to grow. A strong suggestion is to submit any and all IB and/or AP scores to the designated college/university in order to work with the academic advisor on staff, who can determine potential placements and credits, at that institution.

Potential costs to students and parents? “Testing” Diploma Program course students who opt to take their exams pay the $168 registration fee and the $116 individual course testing fees (2017 costs). This $168 “testing” registration fee is only paid once per student (i.e., for both years). Currently, for comparison, College Board’s AP tests at NHS cost ~$100 per exam. Students in the full Diploma Program are required to register and to test in all six subject areas. There are no additional costs for CAS, EE, or TOK. Like the AP program, current programs from the state also allow for Free and Reduced Lunch students to elect to have financial assistance for their IB assessments. If a student who faces financial difficulties has interest in the DP program, we hope to work with this student to figure out some options for financial assistance.

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Please do not let these costs negatively influence your participation in the program without speaking to someone at the school first. What are some IB numbers in Michigan? Are there any numbers about the successes of these programs? According to Dexter Schools’ website, in Michigan in 2009 there were 209 IB Diploma candidates. 194 (93%) were awarded the diploma. We do not have any more recent data, but this number now is statistically larger. Many districts, especially in SE MI, have recently moved towards becoming IB World Schools (including local programs in Plymouth-Canton, Farmington, Novi, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Bloomfield Hills). Thus Michigan is a “target” area for IB due to this growth. NPS is part of the IB Schools of Michigan consortium; please see http://www.ibsom.org/ for more information. For additional reference, here is a 2010 document from IBSOM (IB Schools of Michigan): http://www.ibsom.org/uploads/9/0/6/3/9063770/michigan_ib_profile.pdf

What does the IB DP mean in terms of graduation requirements? The state supports both AP and IB courses as College Level Equivalent Courses (CLEC) that work towards graduation from a Michigan public high school: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/9-12_Dual_Enrollment_FAQs_397781_7.pdf

What is IBAC, and what are the capable process for the development of and changes to the IB DP at NHS? IB and NPS remains dedicated to help us have successful IB graduates. The evaluation of the program will be ongoing and ever-present; as changes are needed (i.e., to improve the program by altering aspects of it), the IBAC committee will remain instrumental in such capable and systematic but dynamic changes. For more information on applying for this committee please see the following link: http://www.northvilleschools.org/node/1162 Can I transfer from one IB World School to another?

The IB regional offices work closely with schools to ensure that students of all ages can

transfer without problems. However, each IB World School makes its own decision

about these efforts dues to potential scheduling conflicts in course offerings at the target

school.

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When are IB DP examination results made available? Examination results are sent out in July for the May session. Students will also be able

to obtain their results online. To access the website, students will obtain a personal

identification number (PIN) from their Diploma Program coordinator.

Can students with special needs participate in the IB Diploma Program? Yes. The IBO has established policies for accommodating students with special needs. For detailed information and how it may relate to your child, please refer to the following IBO publication: http://www.ibo.org/programmes/pd/special/documents/dpspecialassessment.pdf We have found IBO to be very responsive to such students’ needs.

Will students be forced to take IB DP courses? No. The high school will continue to offer traditional courses, AP courses, and consortium opportunities, in addition to the DP courses. All ninth and tenth grade students will experience the IB Middle Years Program, and interested tenth graders can apply for the Diploma Program or enroll in its courses in the same (optional) manner as AP courses. What work has been done at NPS? Much work has been done in order to prepare for the IB DP at NHS. Highlights include the following: Ongoing DP information nights for parents and for students DP and MYP information on district and NHS website (including the DP Corner) Ongoing conversations held with administrative and counseling teams to help support DP program Ongoing conversations held with NEF to discuss fundraising and publicity All DP teachers have been trained and created course outlines; teachers subsequently analyze assessment feedback and examine needed curriculum and pedagogical changes Textbooks for curriculum writing requested, obtained, reviewed, and approved via DCC and BofE All DP teachers who had courses as part of fall authorization visit worked on course curriculum DP team includes support from EE, CAS, and TOK team members

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Mixtures of SL courses, as needed, over one year confirmed with IB precedents SL/HL overlaps confirmed, as needed, with IB precedents about using computer- mediated pedagogies for differentiation IBAC subcommittees and committee as a whole formed and implemented IBAC

Committee and DP visits to other IB schools organized

DP Admissions policy under Board review and approved (includes flexibility for transfer students in IB programs and as sophomores) (IB-related) Language Policy under Board review and approved (IB –related) Academic Integrity Policy under Board review and approved (IB-related) Special Education Policy under Board review and approved

(IB-related) Assessment Policy under Board review and approved

IB DP Course descriptions shared with DCC and approved Honors

World Language courses approved and implemented

Explorations of current databases and software for IB research

Sample and active DP schedules created (Counselor/Head of School/Coordinator)

DP Coordinator engaged in larger support role DP and MYP Coordinator working together to improve vertical and horizontal alignments (ongoing) Coordinators involved in IBSOM meetings and support groups Preparation for DP Consultant visit (Feb 2013 DP PD team mtg.) IB consultant visit in early March with DP faculty and administration Secure preliminary location for May exams (AP testing coordinator /DP coordinator) to coincide with AP testing calendar CAS Coordinator and EE Coordinator positions defined (DP, EE, and CAS Coordinators) Held conversations with local Universities about on-site library access (confirmed with Oakland University and SchoolCraft) Submitted application for authorization and received approval

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Activity items shared with building level administrators, coordinators, and CO (note: some items will impact and/or be impacted by contract negotiations) Spoke to NHS staff about DP program and access to information Creating detailed question and answer potion of website (ongoing)

Creating means to highlight International mindedness already happening in NHS programs TOK, EE, and CAS leaders attended training Policies approved (2013) Curriculum writing (2013-14, renewed 2015) Textbook proposals and approvals (2013-14, renewed 2015) Website re-design and updates (ongoing) Continued meetings with parents and students (ongoing) Worked with Kognity (formerly Lanterna) online textbooks as pilot program