International Baccalaureate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
International Baccalaureate (
IB), formerly known as the
International Baccalaureate Organization (
IBO), is an international educational
foundation headquartered in
Geneva,
Switzerland and founded in 1968.
[1][2] It offers four educational programmes: the
IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Programme for students aged 16 to 19, the
IB Middle Years Programme, designed for students aged 11 to 16, and the
IB Primary Years Programme for children aged 3 to 12.
[3] To teach these programmes, schools need to be authorised by IB.
The organization's name and logo were changed in 2007 to reflect a reorganisation. Consequently, "IB" may now refer to the organisation itself, any of the four programmes, or the diploma or certificates awarded at the end of a programme.
[4]
Contents
[
1 History
History
Inception
When
Marie-Thérèse Maurette wrote
"Educational Techniques for peace. Do they exist?" in 1948,
[5] she created the framework for what would eventually become the
IB Diploma Programme (IBDP).
[6] In the mid-1960s, a group of teachers from the
International School of Geneva (Ecolint) created the International Schools Examinations Syndicate (ISES), which would later become the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) and then the International Baccalaureate (IB).
[7]
First programme
The IB headquarters were officially established in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968 for the development and maintenance of the IB Diploma Programme. The objective of this programme was to "provide an internationally acceptable university admissions qualification suitable for the growing mobile population of young people whose parents were part of the world of diplomacy, international and multi-national organizations" by offering standardized courses and assessments for students aged 16 to 19.
[8][9]
International Baccalaureate North America (IBNA) was established in 1975
[10] by Peter Nehr, International Baccalaureate Africa, Europe and Middle-East (IBAEM) in 1986,
[11] and International Baccalaureate Asia Pacific (IBAP) during the same period.
[12]
Other programmes
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) was first offered in 1994. Within five years, 51 countries had MYP schools.
[13] A revised MYP programme was introduced in September 2014.
[14]
The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) was piloted in 1996 in 30 primary schools on different continents, and the first PYP school was authorised in 1997,
[15] with 87 authorised schools in 43 countries within five years.
[16]
The IB Career-related Programme (formerly IB Career-related Certificate
[17]) was first offered in 2012.
Directors
Alec Peterson was IB's first director general (1968–1977), followed by Gérard Renaud (1977–1983), Roger Peel (1983–1998), Derek Blackman (1998–1999),
George Walker (1999–2005),
Jeffrey Beard (2006–2013) and Dr. Siva Kumari (appointed 2013, incumbent from 2014).
[18]
The IB learner profile
As the IB's mission in action, the learner profile concisely describes the aspirations of a global community that shares the values underlying the IB's educational philosophy. The IB learner profile describes the attributes and outcomes of education for international-mindedness. IB learners strive to be:
[19]
- Inquirers
- Knowledgeable
- Thinkers
- Communicators
- Principled
- Risk-takers
- Balanced
- Reflective
All four programmes (PYP, MYP, DP and CP) use the IB learner profile.
Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum outline
Main article:
IB Diploma Programme
Age Range: 16–19
DP Core
[20]
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
- The Extended Essay (EE)
- Creativity Activity and Service (CAS)
Subject areas
[20]
- Studies in Language and Literature
- Language Acquisition
- Individuals and Societies
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- The Arts
Organization
The International Baccalaureate (IB) aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organisation works with schools, governments and international organisations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.—International Baccalaureate Mission Statement
[24]
The IB is a not-for-profit educational foundation. The IB maintains its Foundation Office in
Geneva, Switzerland. The Assessment Centre is located in
Cardiff,
Wales and the curriculum centre moved in 2011 to
The Hague, Netherlands. Three Global Centres have been opened:
Bethesda, Maryland (within the metropolitan area of
Washington, DC) in the United States,
Singapore and The Hague.
The organisation is divided into three regional centres: IB Africa, Europe and Middle East (IBAEM), administered from The Hague; IB Americas (IBA), administered from Bethesda and
Buenos Aires, Argentina; and IB Asia-Pacific (IBAP), administered from Singapore.
[25]
Sub-regional associations "are groups formed by and for IB school practitioners to assist IB schools, teachers and students in their communities—from implementing IB programmes to providing a forum for dialogue."
[26] There are currently fifty-six (56) sub-regional associations, including:
- fifteen (15) in the IB Africa, Europe and Middle East (IBAEM) region;[27]
- thirty-six (36) in the IB Americas (IBA) region;[28] and
- five in the IB Asia Pacific (IBAP) region.[29]
In 2003, the IB established the IB Fund, incorporated in the United States, for the purpose of enhancing fundraising and keeping funds raised separate from operational funds.
[30] In 2004, the IB approved a strategic plan to "ensure that programmes and services are of the highest quality" and "to provide access to people who are socio-economically disadvantaged."
[31] In 2010 and 2015 the strategic plans were updated after substantial consultation. The vision for the next 5 years was to more consciously establish the IB as a leader in international education and the Board outlined a vision and four strategic goals with key strategic objective.
[32]
Access remains fundamental to the mission of the IB and a variety of initiatives and projects are helping to take it forward in
Ecuador,
Poland,
Romania, the
Czech Republic,
South Africa,
Kazakhstan,
Spain,
Malaysia, and
Japan[33]
The United States has the largest number of IB programmes (2,010 out of 5,586) offered in both private and public schools.
[34]
The IB works with governments and non-governmental organizations across the world and has consultative status as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO) and has collaborative relationships with the
Council of Europe and the
Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
[35]
Governance
The IB governance is composed of an IB Board of Governors and six committees (access and advancement, audit, education, finance, human resources and governance). The Board of Governors appoints the Director General, sets the strategic direction of the organisation, adopts a mission statement, makes policy, oversees the IB's financial management, and ensures autonomy and integrity of the IB Diploma Programme examinations and other student assessment. The structure of its different committees are based on respect, representation and collaboration.
[36]
The Board of Governors can comprise between 15 and 25 members. Members are elected by the Board on the recommendation of the governance committee, and from nominations presented from the Heads Council, Regional Councils and the Board. To encourage diversity of gender, culture and geography, there are only three ex officio positions: Director General (non-voting), the chair of the Examining Board and the chair of the Heads Council.
[37]
Advisory bodies include the Heads Council and Regional Councils
[38]