The IB Curriculum: A high standard of academic excellence

IB-Diploma-Programme

The IB Diploma Programme curriculum can best be seen displayed as a circle with the six academic groups surrounding the core. Students choose one subject from each of the six subject groups. Distribution of requirements in all six areas ensures that the science-oriented student is challenged to learn a foreign language or humanities focused content, and that the natural linguist becomes familiar with laboratory procedures. While the overall balance is maintained, flexibility in choosing higher level studies allows students to pursue areas of personal interest and to meet special requirements for university entrance.

The six groups of study offered at IB Bartow include:

Group 1 - Language A: Literature
Group 2 - Language B: Spanish or German
Group 3 - Individuals and Society: History
Group 4 - Experimental Sciences: Biology, Chemistry
Group 5 - Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Application and Interpretation
Group 6 - The Arts and Electives: Music, Visual Arts, Philosophy, World Religions, Psychology, Business Management

Inside the Circle: The heart and soul of the IB Difference

At the heart of the IB curriculum is the student, the individual learner. The core of his education is shaped through three distinct elements unique to the IB Diploma Programme - TOK, EE, and CAS.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) ­is a course designed to stimulate students' critical reflection of the knowledge and experiences they have gained both in and out of the classroom. TOK challenges students to question the bases of their knowledge, to unify learning across the academic disciplines, to encourage rational analysis of thought, and to appreciate a variety of cultural perspectives.

Extended Essay (EE) offers IB students the opportunity to complete a college level in-depth research project in one of the six academic areas where their interests lie. It is a 4000-word paper which gives students the skills and confidence to step into the rigors of university academics with ease.

Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) provides a vital curriculum requirement which truly speaks to the growth and maturity of students outside the classroom and within the community as a whole. IB's philosophy promotes the education and development of caring, creative individual who are informed participants in all aspects of the world around them. Students are required to spend time in creative pursuits, in healthy activities, and in service to others in the three strands of creativity, action, and service. Every IB student completes and documents an extended project encompassing at least one of the three CAS strands. The goal of educating the whole person and fostering a more compassionate citizen becomes real as students reach beyond themselves and their books.

For more information visit the IBO website - Diploma Programme at https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/.