Overview

The vision for the DeKalb County School District’s International Baccalaureate programs is to empower students to engage in rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum, language acquisition, and service in order to become lifelong learners who value intercultural understanding.

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate offers challenging, yet balanced, educational programs with the mission to provide learners with the skills, knowledge, and values to create a better and more peaceful world. Today, IB offers four programs: the Primary Years Programme (PYP) serving children in grades Pre-K-5 grade, the Middle Years Programme (MYP) serving students in grades 6-8, the Diploma Programme (DP), and the Career-related Programme (CP), both serving students in grades 11-12.

In each of the four programs, students develop skills and dispositions to process and participate in the complexities of the world around them, to develop international mindedness, to value intercultural understanding, and to become life-long learners. Through approaches to learning that include inquiry, investigation, collaboration, and communication, students are prepared for their future.

Available Programs

For Grades Pre K-5

  • PYP Schools: Avondale Elementary School, Brockett Elementary (applicant school), Fernbank Elementary School, International Community School (charter) and Midvale Elementary School
  • Available for: All students in school attendance zones for Avondale, Brockett, Fernbank, and Midvale; and through application and lottery with DCSD School Choice on a space-available basis for Avondale, Fernbank, and Midvale. For International Community School, a public charter school, please see the website to learn about its application and lottery process.
  • Program Description: The PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom. In this program, children are supported to learn the local, state, and national curriculum through a framework of transdisciplinary learning. Teachers in PYP schools receive training in inquiry and concept-based teaching and learning so that they can nurture their students to become lifelong, independent learners.

For Grades 6-8

  • MYP Schools: Druid Hills Middle School, Salem Middle School, Tucker Middle School
  • Available for: all students in school attendance zones and through DCSD School Choice on a space-available basis.
  • Program Description: The MYP recognizes that middle grades students are developing their awareness of social and cultural influences and are learning to define themselves in relationship to others. MYP is designed to help young adolescent learners to develop the skills and dispositions to thrive during this phase of their lives. The program encourages independent and critical thinking, collaboration, and academic responsibility. MYP students study 8 subjects as well as interdisciplinary explorations. They develop an international perspective and community awareness. The MYP instills in its students an understanding of what it means to learn.

For Grades 9-12

  • DP/CP Schools: Druid Hills High School (DP only), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (DP only), Tucker High School (DP & CP applicant)
  • Available for: students in school attendance zones and interested students (on a space-available basis). For DP/CP, ALL STUDENTS must apply through DCSD School Choice.
  • IB Prep (grades 9-10) Program Description: The IB Prep in DCSD IB high schools prepares students for the Diploma and Career programs (where available) that begin in the 11th grade. In IB Prep, students are guided to take accelerated courses and to begin a world language sequence.
  • IB DP (grades 11-12) Program Description: The IB DP consists of a sequence of six rigorous, discipline-specific courses (including one world language) taken over two years. The course work culminates in assessments that are evaluated both internally and externally. The program emphasizes depth of knowledge and disciplinary communication as well as the interrelatedness of knowledge and skills. Through the program’s core, consisting of a Theory of Knowledge course, the completion of an extended essay, and the documentation of creativity, action, and service projects, students learn that academic learning is supported by critical thinking, research, and real-life action. Students who complete the IB DP are well-prepared for post-secondary education, and successful examinations often result in college and/or university credits.
  • IB CP (grades 11-12) Program Description: In 2020-2021, Tucker High School completed its candidacy phase to offer the IB Career-related Programme. The first cohort of CP students begins fall 2022, with program completion expected May 2024. The IB CP offers a unique approach to rigorous career education. Students complete two DP courses (see DP description above), a full CTAE sequence with the accompanying End of Pathway exam, and the CP core consisting of the language development portfolio, the Personal and Professional Skills course, and the reflective project (in-depth study of student’s career pathway). Students who complete the CP are well-prepared for their selected career paths as well as post-secondary education and successful examinations often result in college and/or university credit as well as industry credentials.

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