IB Standards

The authorisation of an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School is a simple but reasonably thorough process which examines a prospective candidate on five criterion standards: A) Philosophy and Internationalism, B) Support for the Programme, C) Curriculum and Assessment, D) Resources, and E) Student Support. Whenever a new IB World School is authorised, it is given about a year to follow up on recommendations given to it by the International Baccalaureate Organisation. The school is also commended for what it has achieved in attaining that authorisation.

Examples of recommendations received might therefore include items like:

arrange a timetable that encourages IB style interactive teaching, provide a timeline that allows students to complete core tasks (EE, TOK, CAS) with sufficient teaching and learning support, incorporate core material (e.g. aspects of TOK) into the teaching of various disciplines, use criterion-referenced grading as opposed to norm-referenced grading (i.e. there should be little or no moderative adjustment – students should be graded on achievement of rubric criteria and nothing else), the head librarian should be a trained teacher of an appropriate discipline, trained university admissions counsellors should be provided, a clear and definite calendar of IB deadlines and key dates should be provided to all students and parents/guardians, the curriculum should be rigorously reviewed for alignment with well-documented and justifiable curricular aims (and the philosophy of the IB system of education)... the list goes on.

It is therefore not easy to have a school authorised as an IB World School. Anyone in such a school is fortunate to a large extent; of course, there are other good systems around the world – but the IB system is one of the best and most rigorous.