The goal of the IB organization is to do more than provide an academic-only approach to learning. The IB organization offers students the chance to unify all of their high school experiences–personal, social, civic, and academic.

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From  IBO.ORG “What It Means To Be an IB Student”–

What is an IB student?

The experience of being an IB student is different from being a student at other schools in several important ways.

IB students learn how to learn

We believe that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student’s education.

We have five interrelated skills called the IB approaches to learning. These skills aims to empower IB students of all ages to become self-regulated learners who know how to: 

• ask good questions
• set effective goals
• pursue their aspirations, and
• have the determination to achieve them.

We hope these skills will help you feel in control of your own learning and see your learning as an active and dynamic process. 

The five IB approaches to learning are:

• thinking skills—including areas such as critical thinking, creative thinking and ethical thinking
• research skills—including skills such as comparing, contrasting, validating and prioritizing information
• communication skills—including skills such as written and oral communication, effective listening, and formulating arguments
• social skills—including areas such as forming and maintaining positive relationships, listening skills, and conflict resolution
• self-management skills—including both organizational skills, such as managing time and tasks, and affective skills, such as managing state of mind and motivation.

We offer programmes rather than just subjects because we believe it is important to make connections, explore the relationships between academic disciplines and learn about the world in ways that reach beyond the scope of individual subjects. We also want to offer you authentic opportunities to connect your learning to the world around you.

Even if you are only taking a few IB subjects and not a whole programme, the IB’s approach to teaching will help you think beyond the narrow boundaries of the subject and make links to other ways of thinking.

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There are 2,795 secondary schools in 143 countries all over the world offering the diploma programme. There are roughly 40,000 high schools total in the United States. Only 869 schools in the entire United States offer the IB diploma. Out of the 441 high schools in the state of GA, only 21 schools offer the IB program. IB sets students apart and is the mark of dedication, scholarship, aptitude, and accomplishment that colleges and universities from around the world recognize.

The full diploma program features–

● 5 core courses: English, math, science, social studies, language acquisition
● 1 IB elective
● 1 Theory of Knowledge
● CAS (independent)
● Extended Essay(independent)

CAS
CAS is an acronym for creativity, activity, and service. CAS is a requirement for all full diploma students for which students must participate in activities that fall into each of these three categories. Students also participate in at least one CAS project, which involves the student creating an original activity, organizing the effort, and encouraging participants.

The purpose of the CAS activity is to get students to stretch themselves outside the comfort zone of what they would normally do. Students must satisfy the CAS requirement in order to earn the IB diploma.

EE
EE is an acronym for Extended Essay. The extended essay is a requirement for all full diploma students. It is a 4,000 word research paper students complete independently under the guidance of an academic mentor. Students are also enrolled in Honors Writer’s Workshop for a half year which teaches students the fundamentals of research and writing.

Students work on the essay their junior and senior years. It is due before Thanksgiving of their senior year. Students must earn a passing score on the EE to earn the IB diploma.

TOK
TOK is an acronym for The Theory of Knowledge course. This is a required course for full diploma students. The purpose of the course is to explore the nature of knowledge. It asks students to consider how they know what they know in various knowledge areas like science, language, and art.

This is a unique course that is nothing like any other course offered by our state. Students who take this course are in for a treat. They will discover things they never knew about their own way of thinking and how knowledge is accumulated in our society.