International Baccalaureate
IB Standards Development Project
International Baccalaureate (IB)-North America has contracted the Educational Policy Improvement Center to develop IB standards in: Language A, Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, Mathematics, and Science (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). The IB program is a challenging, worldwide curriculum offered to students during their junior and senior years of high school. It culminates in the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Although the curriculum is standardized, IB has never had educational standards in support of this curriculum. This is problematic because the program of study did not have comparable standards language that could be aligned to state standards. Consequently, it was difficult for IB to describe to admissions officers at U.S. universities how the IB program of study prepares IB students for college success. This is an opportunity to make colleges, universities and the K-12 community aware of IB standards and expectations. It is hoped that this work will lead to further state- and province-level endorsement for IB schools and students.
The first phase of this project produced a set of draft standards derived from the IB curriculum. In this second phase, EPIC is now creating a final set of IB standards. The creation of new standards will allow comparisons between the IB program and the Knowledge and Skills for University Success (KSUS) standards, a nationally recognized set of college-ready standards endorsed by the leading research universities. The information from this project will be shared with state-level Departments of Education and colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and beyond.
