IB Program Info for Juniors
Coordinator's Message
Juniors will be signing up for their senior year courses soon! The purpose of this newsletter is to give you some information about the IB Program and hopefully answer some frequently asked questions. IB courses are an option for students in their junior and senior years. These courses are rigorous, collegiate-level courses that are designed to prepare students for success in a global world.
Below, you will find resources you can explore as you decide which courses you'd like to take next year.
I can be available for meetings, or please email me with questions at jnormile@mcs.k12.ny.us.
Warmest regards,
Mrs. Jan Normile
IB Program Coordinator
DID YOU KNOW?
A Senior can take the first year of a two-year IB course!
Although the student would not finish the course and receive an IB certificate, the student's transcript will include that they took an IB course. This looks very attractive to colleges that want to see that a student has challenged themselves, especially in their senior year. The student also benefits from being exposed to challenging material ahead of college!
POTENTIAL NEW COURSE FOR 2023-24
If there is enough student interest, this course may be offered for the first time in Fall 2023!
Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) SL
This course is both a scientific exploration of environmental systems and in the exploration of cultural, economic, ethical, political and social interactions of societies with the environment. As a result of studying this course, students will become equipped with the ability to recognize and evaluate the impact of our complex system of societies on the natural world. Topics studied include ecosystems/ecology, biodiversity, conservation, water and soil systems, and climate change.
GROUP 1 LANGUAGE
English A: Literature HL (2-year course)
This course develops understanding of the techniques involved in literary criticism and promotes the ability to form independent literary judgments. In Language A: Literature, the formal analysis of texts and wide coverage of a variety of literature—both in the language of the subject and in translated texts from other cultural domains—is combined with a study of the way literary conventions shape responses to texts.
Students completing this course will have a thorough knowledge of a range of texts and an understanding of other cultural perspectives. They will also have developed skills of analysis and the ability to support an argument in clearly expressed writing.
GROUP 2 LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
French SL or Spanish SL (2-year courses)
These courses are dual-credit courses. For an additional fee, students can earn up to three transferrable college credits through SUNY Potsdam.
GROUP 3 INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETIES
Psychology SL (1-year course)
This course is a dual-credit course. For an additional fee, students can earn up to three transferrable college credits through SUNY Potsdam's College in High School Program.
Business Management HL (2-year course)
The business management course is designed to meet the current and future needs of students who want to develop their knowledge of business content, concepts and tools to assist with business decision making. Students will examine how business decisions are influenced by factors that are internal and external to an organization and how these decisions impact upon a range of internal and external stakeholders. Emphasis is placed on strategic decision-making and the operational business functions of:
human resource management
finance and accounts
marketing
operations management
History of the Americas (2-year course)
GROUP 4 THE SCIENCES
Biology HL (2-year course)
Biology is the study of life. By studying biology in the Diploma Program, students should become aware of how scientists work and communicate with each other. Students have opportunities to design investigations, collect data, develop manipulative skills, analyze results, collaborate with peers and evaluate and communicate their findings.
Students will study:
1. Cell biology
2. Molecular biology
3. Genetics
4. Ecology
5. Evolution and biodiversity
6. Human physiology
Additional higher level topics:
7. Ecology and conservation
This course is a dual-credit course. For an additional fee, students can earn up to three transferrable college credits through Paul Smith's College.
Physics SL
Physics is the most fundamental of the experimental sciences as it seeks to explain the universe itself, from the very smallest particles to the vast distances between galaxies. Besides helping us better understand the natural world, physics gives us the ability to alter our environments. This raises the issue of the impact of physics on society, the moral and ethical dilemmas, and the social, economic and environmental implications of the work of physicists.
Students study:
1. Measurements and uncertainties
2. Mechanics
3. Thermal physics
4. Waves
5. Electricity and magnetism
6. Circular motion and gravitation
7. Atomic, nuclear and particle physics
8. Energy production
9. Engineering physics
Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL (1-year course)
POTENTIAL OFFERING: Environmental Systems & Societies SL (1-year course)
GROUP 5 MATHEMATICS
Mathematics Analysis & Approaches SL (Precalculus/Calculus) (2-year course)
This course is a dual-credit course. For an additional fee, students can earn up to three transferrable college credits through Paul Smith's College.
Mathematics Applications & Interpretations SL (Statistics) (1-year course)
The IB DP Mathematics: applications and interpretation course recognizes the increasing role that mathematics and technology play in a diverse range of fields in a data-rich world. As such, it emphasizes the meaning of mathematics in context by focusing on topics that are often used as applications or in mathematical modelling. To give this understanding a firm base, this course includes topics that are traditionally part of a pre-university mathematics course such as calculus and statistics. Students are encouraged to solve real-world problems, construct and communicate this mathematically and interpret the conclusions or generalizations.
Students will study the following topics:
1. Number Algebra
2. Functions and equations
3. Geometry and trigonometry
4. Statistics and probability
5. Calculus
This course is a dual-credit course. For an additional fee, students can earn up to three transferrable college credits through Paul Smith's College.
GROUP 6 THE ARTS
Visual Arts SL/HL (2-year course)
Theatre SL (1-year course)
Music SL (1-year course)
PRESENTATION VIDEO
This presentation is geared toward Sophomores, but it gives an overview of the Program.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the requirements of an IB course?
Certain courses are to be completed in one year, while others are to be completed in two years. At the end of each course, students will be required to take the IB examination. The examinations occur over a three week period in May. In addition to exams, there are also mandatory internal assessments (IAs) that occur throughout the year.
Please note two important practices we have instituted to ensure that students maintain the high level of effort needed to be successful:
Students must complete all requirements of the first year of study in order to move on to the second year of study. This includes IAs, final exams, projects and any other assessment given by the first year teacher.
At the end of the first 5 weeks of course, a student’s progress will be evaluated. If insufficient effort or achievement is evident, a conference will be scheduled and the student will be placed on probation for 5 weeks. If improvement is not seen at the end of this probationary period, the student may be removed from the course.
Can a student receive college credit for an IB course?
Each college has its own policies when it comes to granting college credit. Therefore, I always suggest that a student contact the admissions department of the college to get specific answers. The IB has worked diligently to gather information on many universities, so you can also go to this website: http://www.ibo.org/recognition/university/index.cfm and search for the particular college you are interested in.
What does "dual-credit" mean?
This is something we offer to students as a way to get the college credit because it does not depend on the student's IB score on exams. It depends solely on their average in the course.
The college-credit fees are in addition to the IB exam fees, but are considerably less than the cost would be as a full-time student.
Here are the courses that are currently offered for dual-credit:
- Spanish SL I (SUNY Potsdam)
- Spanish SL II (SUNY Potsdam)
- French SL I (SUNY Potsdam)
- French SL II (SUNY Potsdam)
- Psychology SL (SUNY Potsdam)
- Biology HL I (Paul Smith's College)
- Biology HL II (Paul Smith's College)
- Math Analysis SL I / Pre-Calculus (Paul Smith's College)
- Math Analysis SL II / Calculus (Paul Smith's College)
- Math Applications SL (Paul Smith's College)
How much are the IB exam fees?
There is a sliding scale for fees. Refer to the image to the right.
The school district pays the remaining portion of the exam fee. If a student qualifies for free/reduced lunches, the school district will pay the entire exam fee as long as all the paperwork is filed with Food Services.
Does a student need to have straight 'A's to take an IB course?
What does an IB score mean?
A student’s overall IB score is based on their performance on external assessments (examinations/written assignments) and the IA. Students are rated on a scale from 1 to 7 points according to the following scale:
7 = Excellent
6 = Very Good
5 = Good
4 = Satisfactory
3 = Mediocre
2 = Poor
1 = Very poor