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 Diploma Programme News
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Diploma Programme manager at IBNA. I have come from a long association with the IBO in the Asia Pacific region. This has included DP and MYP teacher, IB coordinator, assistant principal (Internationalism), IB senior examiner/moderator/examination setter for geography and IB workshop presenter. I also worked part time in teacher training at Flinders University in South Australia and have a keen interest in the IB teacher training workshops in this region. Sharing our expertise in pedagogy, teaching and learning methodologies and resources across regions highlights the internationalism of the DP programme.
Firstly, I would like to extend my condolences to all the school communities who were recently affected by the hurricanes in our region. I have spoken with numerous coordinators, parents and administrators addressing a variety of concerns. As a result I have liaised with the assessment office in Cardiff for special arrangements to be made on an individual school basis.
Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of speaking with many Diploma coordinators and discussing a variety of issues relevant to the development of the programme in North America and the Caribbean. I have been impressed with the variety of IB Diploma schools and the enthusiasm and commitment of the teachers, coordinators and administrators. I have also seen some schools’ “IB Newsletters,” which highlight and celebrate some of the fabulous aspects of their programmes. I would encourage you to e-mail or send me copies of your school’s IB newsletter. I am really looking forward to meeting and working with you in this dynamic and exciting region.
--Anthony Tait, Diploma Programme manager
- Regional Statistics and Newly Authorized Diploma Schools in North America
As of November 2004, there are 1221 Diploma Programme schools worldwide, with a regional breakdown as follow:
IB North America: 537
IB Latin American: 160
IB Asia Pacific: 132
IB Africa, Europe and the Middle East: 392
For the 2004 application cycle, there were 47 successful Diploma Programme applications in IBNA; site visits are currently under way and will continue through January 2005. An additional 59 schools have registered their intent to apply for application in June 2005.
Forty schools were authorized to begin teaching the Diploma Programme in September 2004. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the following schools:
Amelia High School, Batvia, Ohio
Bayview Secondary School, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Ben L. Smith High School, Greensboro, North Carolina
Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, New Jersey
Cookeville High School, Cookeville, Tennessee
Greer High School, Greer, South Carolina
Flathead High School, Kalispell, Montana
Hanover High School, Mechanicsville, Virginia
Hillwood High School, Nashville, Tennessee
Holy Trinity High School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Klein Oak High School, Spring, Texas
Locust Valley High School, Locust Valley, New York
Lyford Cay School, Nassau, Bahamas
McKinleyville High School, McKinleyville, California
Mount Pleasant High School, Wilmington, Delaware
Pacific Academy, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Pike High School, Indianapolis, Indiana
Riverstone Community School, Boise, Idaho
Sturgis Charter School, Hyannis, Massachusetts
Thomas J. Corcoran High School, Syracuse, New York
Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, South Carolina
West Anchorage High School, West Anchorage, Alaska
Hunter High School, West Valley City, Utah
Grey Gables School, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
The French-American International School of Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Druid Hills High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Galileo Magnet High School, Danville, Virginia
Hillsboro Comprehensive High School, Nashville, Tennessee
Hot Springs High School, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson, Kansas
Irmo High School, Columbia, South Carolina
Lee’s Summit West High School, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Luther Burbank High School, Sacramento, California
Martin Luther King Jr. High School, Lithonia, Georgia
Minnetonka High School, Minnetonka, Minnesota
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy, Trinidad, California
Skyline High School, Salt Lake City, Utah
Tucker High School, Tucker, Georgia
Westerville South High School, Westerville, Ohio
Lester B. Pearson High School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- U.S. Federal AP/IB Fee Reduction
Don't forget about the U.S. federal AP/IB fee reduction program when registering your students! Some states receive funds from the federal government that allow them to partially reimburse IB exam fees for low income students. The following states receive AP/IB exam fee funds from the U.S. Department of Education: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington D.C.
Please contact your State Department of Education or the IBNA office for more information. Also see form B10 in the Registration section of IBNET.
- May Examination Session Calendar
A reminder to check the dates and deadlines for the May examination session calendar, starting on page 13 of the Vade Mecum. This is a very busy time for coordinators, with nine possible deadlines due in the month of November alone.
- Regionalization of Examinations
There were regionalized examinations for the first time in May this year to help combat possible time zone cheating. Regional variations occurred with the May 2004 physics HL and SL, biology HL and SL, mathematics HL and mathematical methods SL exams. Considerable efforts were made to make the regional variants as comparable as possible. Additional statistical checks were also used to help maintain continuity of standards in the different regions. This will continue with a random selection of subjects each examination session.
- Special Education Needs (SEN)
A new package and recent resources for schools with questions about Special Education Needs are now available on the OCC. Please take some time to look at this, with the reminder that D1 forms (candidates with special assessment needs) are due to IBCA 18 months before the written exam.
Coordinators should direct the relevant subject teachers to the OCC for the latest information on calculator use in examinations. Teachers and schools are reminded that it is their responsibility to check calculators used by their students in examinations, including the memory of the device. Detailed information is available on the calculator forum on the OCC.
- Diploma Programme Evaluation
The IBO requires authorized DP schools to undergo a programme review at five-year intervals. Eighty-nine schools are scheduled to complete the review process this school year. This year’s Programme Evaluation is a new model of review based on reflection and self-assessment. The self-study questionnaire provides a vehicle for schools and IBNA to review and assess the current status of a school’s Diploma Programme. The evaluation also gives IBNA the opportunity to work more closely with schools that may need assistance in strengthening their programmes.
When completed, questionnaires are evaluated by the Diploma Programme Evaluation Committee. The regional office will send out the data required for schedule 4 (Diploma Programme results over the past five years).
Completed evaluations (five copies) should be mailed to the Vancouver office by 2 May 2005. Questions about the review process should be directed to Bob Poole and Marianne Bower-Smyth at the Vancouver office: 866-826-4262 (toll free) or vancouver@ibo.org. Having just completed this new evaluation model in the southern hemisphere, I can assure you that it is a useful process for identifying areas of a programme in need of improvement and a great vehicle for implementing the change process (where necessary). I am also available to discuss issue with schools involved in the evaluation.
Having used IBIS for this coming November examination session in the southern hemisphere, I am well aware of some of the issues involved for DP coordinators. I have spoken with many of you over the last few weeks about some of the “teething problems” encountered in the system. The site is still under construction, so please feel free to provide feedback. If you are still experiencing problems, make sure to contact the coordinators help desk (help@ibo.org). If you wish to e-mail me with suggestions for improvement, I can pass on your ideas to IBCA.
Marking examination scripts and/or moderating internal assessment is a valuable professional development exercise. Not only does it give you an invaluable grasp of the IB standards, it also provides an insight into programmes in other regions. I would like to encourage more teachers in this region to apply to become assistant examiners. It is also very useful for those of you wishing to become workshop leaders. Examiner application forms are available on the web site (www.ibo.org) Go to shortcuts, Jobs IBO, scroll down to the assistant examiners application and download the form.
In particular, teachers of the following subjects are encouraged to apply: French B, Spanish B, theatre arts, maths studies, TOK, English A1, psychology, ITGS, economics, history of the Americas, environmental systems, biology and physics.
Schools should now have received the 2005 Vade Mecum. A reminder that the TOK titles for the May 2005 session are included in section E11 and should be passed on to the relevant teachers. This mailing also contained excellent teacher support material. This included the geography resources for the revised internal assessment and TOK lessons from around the world. I highly recommend these documents as they provide an excellent resource for these courses. I also recommend the assessment principles and practice document; this provides an in-depth discussion on the assessment techniques used in the IB Diploma Programme.
Due to changes in staffing in New York and changes to the infrastructure of IBNA we have not yet responded to the spring 2004 CAS reviews. A response to schools and the return of the documents will now originate from our Vancouver office. We apologize for the delay, and schools can expect to hear from us in the near future. Specific comments or questions can be directed to Bob Poole in our Vancouver office.
- Online Curriculum Centre (OCC)
I would encourage all teachers to log on to the OCC and make use of the many new features and resources available. The discussion forums are an excellent way to discuss issues relevant to your subject area and to share resources and ideas. It is also a great way to highlight the internationalism of your subject and gain different regional perspectives. The OCC subject specialist will also address any questions or discussion items you wish to post.
A reminder that the curriculum review of the extended essay guide has been extended. The target publication date for the new extended essay guide is now February 2007, for first examination in 2009. The existing Extended Essay guide (published April 1998) remains current until then.
- Curriculum Review Schedule
A reminder that mathematics and computer science teachers should be teaching the new group 5 courses for the first examination in May 2006.
Many of you may have worked with Megan Schade, the Diploma Programme associate here at IBNA. Megan has now taken the position of regional communications manager. I would like to thank her for her fabulous contributions to the School Services division and wish her all the best in her new position. I would also like to welcome Michael Hennessy to IBNA who is currently acting in the role of Diploma Programme associate.
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