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International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
Frequently Asked Questions
When was
the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program begin at the Lab School?
How
will I know if the Diploma Program is right for my child?
When
will a student apply to enroll in the Diploma Program?
What
courses constitute the IB Diploma Program?
Can a
student choose to take one or two IB courses without committing to the full
diploma?
Will Diploma Program
courses carry weighted GPA's?
Why are IB courses
better than the AP courses we offer?
With TOPS and LSU's
admissions requirements in place, how will IB help the typical U-High
graduate?
Can a student
withdraw from the IB Diploma Program once he is enrolled?
Will U-High
continue to offer a regular college-preparatory curriculum?
Will IB enrollment
result in summer obligations for students?
As parents
contemplate enrolling their children in IB, should they consider any other
factors?
If I have more
questions about the IB, to whom should I talk?
When was the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program begin at the
Lab School?
Our first diploma class began IB courses in the fall of 2001.
How will I know if the Diploma Program is right for my child?
The IB motto is "Education for Life." The Diploma Program is aimed at
college-bound students who value a liberal arts education. This means
several things: proficiency in various subjects' disciplines combined with
an appreciation for thinking, dedication to citizenship and service, and the
development of a strong work ethic. If a student possesses or desires these
traits and plans to attend college, IB would be a good choice. IB is not
a course of study reserved for geniuses and bookworms. It is the best
college-preparatory curriculum available anywhere in the world.
When will a student apply to enroll in the Diploma Program?
In January of the 10th grade year.
How will the Lab School choose IB candidates?
Students will be recommended for the IB Diploma Program from several
sources. First, they must apply to the IB Coordinator to be accepted.
Second, they must be recommended for the program by both their math
and English teachers in the 10th grade. They also must submit a third
recommendation by another member of the staff, along with an application
essay. ( See Application) Their standardized test scores and Degree
of Reading Power scores will be examined by the IB Coordinator, who will
recommend acceptance into the Diploma Program to the high school principal
and Director, who will make the final decision on entry into the program.
Before this process begins, students and parents will be fully apprised of
the content of the Diploma Program. Additionally, each tenth grader's
cumulative file will be examined by guidance and the IB coordinator to
ensure the best possible match of student to curriculum.
What courses constitute the IB Diploma Program?
Students take a two-year course of study in 11th and 12th grades. IB courses
are offered in six subject disciplines: English, foreign language, history,
science, mathematics, and elective. Within this framework, students have a
wide range of options. However, all Diploma candidates must take at least
three courses at the higher level. In addition, IB requires that all
students take a one-year interdisciplinary course called Theory of
Knowledge.
Can a student choose to take one or two IB courses without committing to
the full diploma?
Yes, but students who are capable of handling the demands of the full
diploma will be counseled to commit to the full program. Students who choose
individual IB courses are called certificate students. They are
required to take both years of two-year courses. Higher level course
enrollment requires commitment to take the IB external examinations at a
cost of $190.
Does a Diploma Program student have to give up sports and extra-curriculars?
No! The goal of IB is to encourage well-rounded students. Diploma students
have also been all-parish football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer
players, active members of the choral and instrumental music programs, and
leaders of school clubs and activities. Since its inception, the president
of the Student Council has been a Diploma student. The program does make
time demands that encourage students to develop excellent time management
and study skills. The bottom line is that the Diploma program will require
students to use time wisely as well as to make judicious choices about their
out-of-school time.
Will Diploma Program courses carry weighted GPA's?
Yes. Courses will be weighted. An *A* will count for 5 quality points, a "B"
for 3.75, a "C" for 2.5.
Why are IB courses better than the AP courses we offer?
The IB Diploma Program is coherent in ways that AP courses could
never be. The diploma requires the successful completion of six courses,
most of which stretch over two years, plus the unifying Theory of Knowledge
course. Additionally, IB requires CAS- Community, Action, Service- which
entails 150 hours of service. Finally, IB requires the extended essay: a
long, original research project. AP students must take tests at the end of
their courses which determines if college credit and the IB Diploma are to
be awarded. IB students' work is also externally moderated, which means it
is assessed by an expert who does not know the students. But IB work is also
internally moderated, meaning the teacher contributes to the decision on a
student's competency. Lab School teachers who have taught AP courses for as
long as sixteen years unanimously concur that IB assessments are both
more thorough and more accurate in judging student achievement. High
scores on AP exams secure college credit. The same is true for IB exams
taken at the higher level. IB enrollment is regarded most favorably by
selective colleges. Follow-up studies of IB and AP students through two
years of college work show that IB students typically achieve greater
success in college work than AP students. In short, while AP is a national
benchmark of competency, IB is regarded by colleges as an international
benchmark.
With TOPS and LSU's admissions requirements in place, how will IB help
the typical U-High graduate?
Besides the potential for advanced credit, scholarships, and higher
standardized test scores, IB promises to help our graduates where it counts:
in the competitive world of collegiate academics. Studies have shown that IB
graduates are more self-sufficient, more self-motivated, and more
self-disciplined in their academic efforts, all vital contributors to
college success on a campus of thirty thousand plus. IB Diploma graduates
not only perform more successfully than regular college-preparatory students
in college; they perform better than AP students as well. Successful
performance on IB higher level examinations will earn advanced placement at
LSU, up to nine semester hours per HL examination, depending on scores. In
a large university setting wherein only half of all freshmen graduate in
five years, IB dramatically increases the odds of college success.
Can a student withdraw from the IB Diploma Program once he is enrolled?
Yes. Every resource that is available to the school will be applied to
produce student success. In those rare instances in which students find they
have overextended themselves, provisions will be made to have them drop some
of their IB requirements at the end of the first or second semester of
study. Parents and students should be cautioned that enrollment in the
Diploma Program is not to be undertaken lightly but only after due
consideration.
How many students enroll in the IB Program?
Typically, around 25% of a class commits to the full Diploma program. As the
Laboratory School implements its ten-year school improvement plan and
includes the IB Middle and Primary Years programs, we hope to see an
increase in the number of students entering the Diploma Program. Part of
that effort includes increasing the number of IB courses available to 11th
and 12th graders. Around 80% of them take one or more IB courses, making the
Laboratory School one of the top schools in the nation in the percentage of
students taking advanced level courses.
Will U-High continue to offer a regular college-preparatory curriculum?
Yes. But IB positively affects all students because curriculum and
assessment methods will have to be coordinated in grades K-10 to prepare
students to choose IB or a regular college-preparatory curriculum in the
upper grades. Since IB is generally regarded as the finest curriculum
available, curricular articulation and assessment methods will be improved
throughout the entire school as faculty collaborate and construct curriculum
reforms in the earlier grades. Additionally, the Laboratory School plans to
adopt the IB Primary Years program for grades K-5 and the IB Middle Years
program for grades 6-10 in coming years to ensure that all of our students
have the finest curriculum available anywhere in the world.
Will IB enrollment result in summer obligations for students?
Yes. A number of optional summer activities are offered. These
include international travel opportunities. Students will also have the
opportunity to work on their CAS hours over the summer, though they may
accumulate these hours during the two years of the program. They also may
wish to work on their extended essay during their junior-senior summer. All
IB English and history students will have summer reading assignments.
As parents contemplate enrolling their children in IB, should they
consider any other factors?
Yes. The close collaborative work involved in IB courses will ensure a
unique academic experience for IB students as they and their teachers
prepare for IB examinations. The CAS service requirement, extended essay,
and Theory of Knowledge course guarantee a cooperative and personalized
educational experience which is exceedingly rare in current American
education. The impact of such an experience is literally priceless and
constitutes the very best that Lab School faculty can offer to its students.
If I have more questions about the IB, to whom should I talk?
Please contact the IB coordinator, Mr. Loupe, or a school administrator for
further information.
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