The faculty and staff of Coppell High School would like to welcome you to the Coppell High School International Baccalaureate webpage. CHS was authorized as an IB world school in December 2008. The first IB classes taught at CHS began in August 2009. In August of 2010 our program will expand the number of classes offered as well as the number of students entering the program. Our second class of students (the class of 2012) will contain over 100 students. CHS and CISD see this as an extraordinary accomplishment for the second year of our program. This ranks us, in our second year, among the top echelon of IB schools in the state of Texas in terms of the number of IB Diploma candidates. We told the visiting IB officials involved in our authorization visit that our goal was to be the best in Texas. We are moving toward that goal.

A Brief History of the IB

The International Baccalaureate was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968 as a non-profit educational foundation. Its original purpose was to facilitate the international mobility of students preparing for university by providing schools with a curriculum and diploma recognized by universities around the world. Since then its mission has expanded, and it now seeks to make an IB education available to students of all ages.

http://www.ibo.org/

International Baccalaureate Programs

According to statistics from March 2010 (http://www.ibo.org), 779,000 students participate in IB programs at 2,830 schools in 138 countries. These students are all enrolled in one of the three programs offered by the IB - the Primary Years Program for ages 3-12, the Middle Years Program for ages 11-16, or the Diploma Program for ages 16-19. In addition to the Diploma Program at CHS, multiple elementary schools in CISD are currently examining the Primary Years Program as an option at their schools.

The State Legislature and Universities Recognize the IB Diploma

The IB Diploma is widely recognized by many of the leading universities, both nationally and internationally. Additionally, the Texas State Legislature passed SB 111 granting IB Diploma holders a minimum of 24 hours of college credit at Texas state colleges and universities.

For information on the IB recognition policies for specific colleges and universities, click on the University Recognition of IB link in the resource box. You'll find links to colleges and universities commonly attended by CHS students as well as the link to IB's official database of IB recognition at schools around the world. .

The Learner Profile

The focus and desire of the IB is to collaborate with school districts to develop well-rounded students who are not only highly interested in their academic studies, but also actively engaged, through the arts, sports, and community service projects, with their local, national, and global community. There are ten elements to the IB “Learner Profile.” These are not prerequisites to participate in any of the programs, but traits the programs intend to instill through its structure and curriculum.

Inquirers	They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable	They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers	They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators	They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled	They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded	They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring	They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers	They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced	They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective	They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

The IB Diploma Program at CHS

As part of the program students must complete six IB courses. In addition to the grades earned at CHS, upon completion of the courses students receive a score of 1-7 based on the quality of externally graded examinations and internally marked authentic assessments. For either three or four of the courses students must complete examinations at the higher level (HL). If students complete the core IB activities below (CAS, EE, TOK) and earn a total of 24 points in their six IB courses, they will be awarded the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. Students are required to take the IB exams when they complete the courses and, like AP exams, there are associated fees. The total of all fees for the two year program will be roughly $675 for students beginning the program in the fall of 2010. Several payment plans are available and accommodations based on financial needs can be worked out on an individual basis.

· Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) – 150 hours of activities over the two years

· Extended Essay (EE) – 4,000 word original research paper on a topic of personal interest, mentored by faculty member

· Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course – one-semester course taken in the fall of senior year, plus some seminars/independent study over the full program

IB Diploma Program Course Options 2010-2011

Courses Available – Choosing one path (row) from each of the six groups will satisfy the IB requirements as long as the student has the ability to complete three or four HL examinations (see the far right column).

• The availability of all courses is subject to student demand and staffing concerns.
• Students wishing to take an “ab initio” language may not have had any previous school experience with the language or be a native speaker of the language
• Successful completion of the Theory of Knowledge course in the fall of the senior year with earn speech credit++
• There are no explicit prerequisites for any of the courses from an IB standpoint. However due to 4x4 math requirements students at CHS take IB Math Studies only after completion of Algebra II.

* * one year courses may be taken either junior or senior year

++government and speech credit will be awarded pass/fail