Enrollment Info for IB
If Your Student is Interested in IB Next Year
What is IB?
What Classes Can My Student Take?
- IB Literature (HL)
- IB Spanish (SL)
- IB History (HL)
- IB Chemistry I (HL)
- IB Environmental Systems and Societies (SL)
- IB Biology (HL)
- IB Math Studies (SL)
- IB Math I (SL)
- IB Psychology (SL)
- IB Visual Ats ( HL)
- IB Theater (SL).
SL= Standard Level HL=Higher Level.
HL classes will cover more material than the SL classes.
How Many IB Classes Does My Student Have to Take?
Other students choose to take six IB courses so that they can work towards earning the IB Diploma. These students are referred to as Diploma Candidates. By working towards the diploma, these students are also preparing for college and potentially earning college credit, while also giving themselves greater opportunities for scholarships and college acceptance.
Diploma Candidates must take 3 HL classes and 3 SL classes.
Diploma Candidates will also have to write an Extended essay (4,000 words), complete community service and show growth beyond the classroom (Community, Activity, Service), and take an additional class that will be similar to an intro to philosophy class (Theory of Knowledge).
What do IB Classes Cost?
Fees for Certificates
Course Candidates will have to pay their registration and exam fees, while Diploma Candidates will have their fees paid for by the district.
Currently, the registration fee is $164 and the exam fee for each IB class is $113. Students only pay the registration fee once for each year they test.
For example, if John takes IB Biology HL and IB English HL (both two-year courses), he will test at the end of the second year and will pay his registration fee of $164 and $113 for each of the classes. Total=$390
If Melissa also takes IB Biology HL (two-year course) but she takes IB Psychology SL (one-year course), at the end of her first year, she will take the IB Psychology exam. She will pay her $164 registration fee and the $113 exam fee for IB Psych. At the end of her second year, she will then take the IB Biology exam and will have to pay the registration fee of $164 (because it is a different testing year) and the $113 exam fee for IB Biology. Total for both years=$554
Note: The costs of these fees typically increase in small increments each year.
Who Should Take IB?
So Who Should Take IB?
Parents and students must understand that IB is not for everyone. Some students find the expectations and style of IB classes to be the right fit, while others find success and enjoyment in other academic options.
Students who are successful in IB classes are:
1. Self-Starting: IB teachers will have high expectations for the quality of student work. To meet these expectations, students will have to stay on top of their classwork and not procrastinate.
2. Motivated by Learning: Grades are obviously an important part of academics, but IB students should prioritize learning over grades. Students who have consistently earned A's in their previous classes may find that the same is not true in their IB course work. Students should be concerned about their grades, but they should be more focused on truly learning the material covered in their classes.
3. Strong Readers: All IB teachers will be assigning complex, challenging readings throughout their courses. In order keep up, students need high level reading skills to comprehend and retain the information contained in these readings.
4. Not Afraid to Struggle: Grit is talked about more and more in education circles. Many educational experts argue that students' willingness to stay motivated and productive, despite academic barriers, can be just as valuable as intelligence and skill level. IB classes are purposely designed so that all students, even the best and brightest, struggle at times. The rationale behind this is that students are going to be challenged when they get to college, so they should learn how to cope with and push past these academic difficulties in high school.
5. Dedicated: Students who are part of the full Diploma Program will still have the opportunity to be a part of extracurricular activities, but Diploma Candidates will have to make academics their top priority to remain successful.
What Colleges Accept IB?
Some colleges are very generous with what they will give students, while others are pretty stingy. Parents and students need to do their own research to see the policies for specific colleges.