IB Program Research Articles

Disclosure of records to IB program banned by FERPA

Case name: Letter to: International Baccalaureate Coordinator at Edmonds Woodway High School (FPCO 07/29/14).

Changes in Stress and Psychological Adjustment During the Transition to High School Among Freshmen in an Accelerated Curriculum

This study determined whether participation in an accelerated curriculum (specifically, the International Baccalaureate [IB] program) upon entry to high school is associated with increases in stress and/or associated with psychological problems. Data from self-report questionnaires were collected at two time points (summer after eighth grade, fall of ninth grade) from 134 freshmen entering three high schools. Results indicate that ninth-grade students in the IB program reported more perceived stress than students in general education, at levels higher than what was present before the students began high school. Despite this increase in stress, the psychological functioning (life satisfaction, psychopathology, and social anxiety) of IB students was statistically similar or superior to the mental health indicators reported by their peers in general education. The main effects of time, gender, and academic program are also discussed in the context of prior research on students’ adjustment during the transition to high school.

Factors Influencing the Implementation of an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in a Diverse Urban High School

This article identifies factors that promoted the successful implementation of an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in an urban high school. The study draws on data from an in-depth case study at a large high school serving an urban community in a Western state. The study investigates seven implementation mechanisms that research suggests encourage local-level stakeholders to eschew existing practices and adopt practices supported by the model. Data suggest six of the seven research-based best practices were present in the IB program. These were staff selection, preservice training, coaching, staff evaluation, program evaluation, and administrative supports. These practices were instrumental in moderating contextual factors that might have hindered model implementation. It is possible for high-quality academic programs to operate in low-performing schools and for a wide range of students to benefit from this type of program.

From International Schools to Inner-City Schools: The First Principles of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

Background/Context In the past 35 years, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program has spread to 564 schools across the United States, with an ever-growing share of these schools located in the inner city. These American school sites comprise vastly different contexts than those in which the IB program began-the international schools of Europe.<p> Purpose/Objective/Focus of Study To understand the migration of the IB from international schools to inner-city schools, I examine both the intentions and the implementation of two of the most distinctive features of the program: its assessment system and its emphasis on promoting intercultural competence. Research Design In this analytic essay, I rely on historical accounts to uncover the first principles that the founders sought to embed in the design of these two curricular components. Drawing on accounts written by journalists and educators about the implementation of the IB, I then consider implications of these first principles in the context of American schools generally, and inner-city schools in particular. Conclusions/Recommendations I argue that although the growth of the IB may be due to the broad appeal of its first principles, as the IB continues to spread to new school sites, these first principles remain vulnerable, challenged by the constraints and conventions of the American schooling system. To remain true to its founding ideals and first principles, the program will need to continue to balance interests that in the American context often conflict, such as progressive and standards-based education, and access and prestige.

Understanding the Music Curriculum in the International Baccalaureate Program

S Wh y hool, West Morris Central High School in Chester, New Jersey, applied for membership i the tenatonal Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program, our principal encouraged all elective teachers Sbecoe involved in the IB curriculum. I became interested in teaching IB Music because my doctorate is in music history, and I've now taught it for five years. Patly becase of its participation in the IB program, West Morris Central was among the top one thousand hg schools in the United States featured in the May 8, 2006, issue of Newsweek magazine. To assess the quality of education in more than 27,000 public high schools, Newsweek used a ratio: the number of all students in a school who took International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement exams

The international baccalaureate: A program for gifted secondary students

This article suggests the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) as an alternative secondary program for gifted youth. After tracing the history of the IB Program from its inception in Europe in the early fifties to its establishment in North America, comparing the IB program to other programs such as the Advanced Placement program, and outlining the IB curriculum and requirements, the article shows how the IB Program appropriately meets the needs of academically gifted secondary students.

Achieving excellence through the international baccalaureate program: A case study of university‐school district cooperation

Interest in the development of a higher quality academic program at a South Carolina high school in cooperation with the College of Education at the University of South Carolina has brought about the introduction of the International Baccalaureate in secondary school. The introduction of the IB program is a cooperative undertaking between two institutions with a long history of cooperation. This article traces the developmental stages of the program result in the first year of program for rising eleventh graders in August, 1985.

AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: COURSE CONSTRUCT & DESIGN.

In structuring an IB program to compensate for the inadequacies of the traditional business curriculum, the goals, interests and resources of the school must be evaluated. This requires a consideration of the views and potential contributions of students, faculty, administrators and businessmen. Such an examination is too complex and lengthy to outline here but from it we can abstract several important points. First, the design of the program needs to consider the interest and ability of its present faculty or the resources and willingness of the administration to obtain a qualified outsider to teach the courts. Because of the breadth and complexity of the field, as outlined above, it is not easy for most schools to find an instructor who will not either butcher the course or merely skim the surface so lightly as to make the effort almost worthless. In the balance of this presentatiom therefore, emphasis will be placed upon an introductory course which is restricted to an examination of the IB environment...