International Baccalaureate
IB at NP - Fall Update
Registration closes Friday, October 30
1) Complete this registration form
2) Pay for exams through the NPHS online student store
Unfortunately, IB tests cannot be added or dropped for a refund after Oct. 30th. Contact Ms. Dogancay, IB Coordinator, with any questions about IB testing.
As of now, socially-distanced, in-person exams are planned and scheduled for April and May of 2021. In the event that in-person exams are not possible (which was true for the May 2020 exam session), IB scores will be determined via a well-tested, school-based algorithm in conjunction will all work submitted to IB prior to the May exams. We will keep you posted. IB has responded to the pandemic by reducing the requirements in many classes for this school year only.
Here is the link to the 2020-21 calendar of IB exams and internal deadlines for student planning purposes, and the exams are all shown on the April & May portions of this calendar.
If a student has a time conflict with an AP exam, contact Mrs. Ricafort right away to request an alternate testing date for your AP exam. IB exams must be taken on the designated day.
Which IB exams should you take?
For "course candidates" (students taking some IB classes, but not registered to earn the full IB Diploma), IB SL exams should only be taken in courses that do not have an AP equivalent exam. Examples include IB Music, IB Theatre and IB Philosophy. While each university has its own system of awarding college credits for IB exams, UC schools only award college credits for stand-alone IB courses if they are taken at the HL level. Thus, most SL exams are taken by full IB Diploma Candidates, who are required to take at least two SL exams for their IB Diplomas. Some private colleges and out-of-state public universities award credits for SL exams, but many do not outside of the context of the IB Diploma.
Here is a breakdown of IB exams by course
- IB English A: Language & Literature - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
- IB English A: Literature - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
Group 2: Language acquisition
- IB Spanish 1, IB French 1 & IB Chinese-Mandarin 1: full IB juniors may test SL to count toward diploma or complete Language B requirements; course candidates should either take AP equivalent or test in HL next year
- IB Spanish 2, IB French 2 & IB Chinese-Mandarin 2: HL exam is taken in the senior year; full IB juniors in this course test at the SL level
Group 3: Individuals and Societies
- IB Hisory of the Americas - juniors in this class may opt to take the APUSH exam for college credits, but this is not a requirement of the IB Diploma. No IB exam until senior year.
- IB 20th Century World History - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
- IB Psychology 1 - at NPHS, this course is equivalent to AP Psychology and therefore students can opt to take the AP Psych exam this year. However, if continuing on to IB Psychology 2, then students are encouraged to wait and take the IB Psychology HL exam next year instead.
- IB Psychology 2 - seniors in this course should take the IB Psychology HL exam
- IB Philosophy - this is a one-year course, so all students in this class should test this year. Full IB juniors can only test at the SL level, but full IB seniors can choose between SL and HL, as advised by their teacher. IB Course candidates are encouraged to take the IB Philosophy HL exam to maximize the likelihood of being awarded college credits.
Group 4: Sciences
- IB Biology - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
- IB Chemistry - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
- IB Environmental Systems & Societies - this is a one-year IB SL course. Full IB students should take the IB SL exam this year. All other students in this class are more likely to earn college credits by taking the AP Environmental Science exam instead.
Group 5: Mathematics
- IB Math Applications & Interpretation - SL exam is taken by seniors in this course
- IB Math Analysis & Approaches 1 - SL exam is taken by full IB juniors in this course hoping to boost their diploma scores or potentially complete their IB Group 5 requirement. Full IB seniors in this course should also take the SL exam. Course candidates should consider taking the AP Calculus AB exam instead to maximize the potential for credits.
- IB Math Analysis & Approaches 2 - HL exam is taken by full IB seniors in this course. Course candidates can talk with their teacher about taking either IB HL or AP Calc BC.
Group 6: The Arts
- IB Dance - HL exam is taken in the senior year only
- IB Music - students should work with their teacher to determine if the SL or HL exam is more appropriate for them. Full IB students can only take HL exams in the senior year.
- IB Theatre - students should work with their teacher to determine if the SL or HL exam is more appropriate for them. Full IB students can only take HL exams in the senior year.
- IB Visual Arts - students should work with their teacher to determine if the SL or HL exam is more appropriate for them. Full IB students can only take HL exams in the senior year.