• The teaching and learning supported by the IB framework builds the skills that our students will need to be competitive in our ever changing world. 

• The IB framework pushes students to think deeply and differently about the world and prepares them for their next steps beyond the classroom.

• As we continue our efforts in preparing students for our 21st century world, the focus of IB on authentic student-centered learning in a global context aligns with our core values as a school.

• Check out this website for more information: https://ibo.org/ 

• International Baccalaureate (IB) is a rigorous educational program that develops the academic breadth and depth of a student’s intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills necessary to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

We are seeking to become an IB World School.  As we navigate this process, we will be implementing the LCPS Pre-IB Program. For more information about the LCPS Pre-IB Program visit: https://www.lcps.org/Page/247003

This year we are setting the stage for our LCPS Pre-IB program and we are doing this by:  

• • Moving slowly and thoughtfully in our development of the program.  It is important we take the time to understand where we are right now and where we want to go. Information, training, and opportunity to learn more about the IB program will be forthcoming and will be gradual. 

  • Applying to be authorized as an IB world school. The process will take us into the 2023-2024 school year.

• If authorized our first IB Courses will be offered in the 24-25 school year. 

• We will build our understanding and readiness to engage in a full IB program over the next two years and then engage in a continuous, iterative, and reflective process to grow as a school.

From the second a student becomes a member at Loudoun Valley High School all students are put on an academic pathway that provides them access to the LCPS Pre-International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Courses

• Diploma candidates take IB-level courses in each of six content areas As we are still in the candidate phase the courses we will offer may change and grow as we evolve into an IB world school. Currently, there are the set of courses we will seek to offer in our future IB Diploma Program. 

  • Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature

    • IB English Language and Literature

  • Group 2: Language Acquisition

    • IB German

    • IB Spanish

    • IB French

  • Group 3: Individuals and Societies

    • IB History of the Americas

    • IB Global Politics

  • Group 4: Sciences

    • IB Environmental Systems and Societies

  • Group 5: Mathematics

    • IB Mathematics Applications and Interpretations

    • IB Mathematics Analysis and Approaches

  • Group 6: The Arts

    • IB Music

    • IB Theater

    • IB Visual Arts

  • Furthermore, all students in the IB DipIoma program take:

    • Theory of Knowledge 

• Students can also pursue Certificates in one or several courses at either the Higher or Standard Levels. Certificate students are not required to take classes in each of the IB groups. Certificate students also do not participate in CAS, TOK, or the EE.

Assessment

In addition to written exams in May, IB courses have a series of other internal assessments (scored by the course's teacher) and external assessments (scored by teachers in other parts of the world) are completed at various points of each class.

A student with their ideas, perspectives and experiences are at the center of the IB Learner Profile. The IB Learner Profile represents the holistic approach to teaching and skill development that the IB and Heritage faculty want to develop in students. These are skills that are highly sought after by employers and will make a Heritage graduate successful in whatever path they choose after High School.

• Binding the IB Diploma program together is the Core. CAS, TOK, and the Extended Essay -- required components of the IB Diploma -- stem from the Learner Profile. Students pursuing IB Certificates in individual classes do not pursue CAS, TOK, or the Extended Essay.

  • "CAS" stands for Creativity + Activity + Service. Across junior and senior years, diploma candidates must complete volunteer hours that are planned and supervised. Such participation is meant to encourage the appreciation of attitudes and values other than one's own, and to enable the student to communicate readily on both a philosophical and practical level. Learn more about CAS by visiting the IB website or by reading the CAS Handbook. 

  • "TOK" is the Theory of Knowledge course. This course stimulates critical reflection on the knowledge and experiences acquired both inside and outside the classroom; evaluates the bases of knowledge and experience; and develops a personal mode of thought based on critical examination of evidence and argument. Learn more about TOK. 

• The Extended Essay is a 4,000-word research paper on a topic of the Diploma candidate's choice. Development of this essay is guided by a faculty supervisor. Learn more.