International Baccalaureate Diploma (Grades 11 & 12)

Princess Anne High School has been an IB World School since July 1996. The first IB Diplomas were awarded in 1998. Admission is by application. An Information Night is usually held in December before applications are due. Check this site or call the school for the exact date.

IB Admissions exams are given in January. The exam usually has two sessions, a morning one and an afternoon one to which students will be assigned, one or the other, not both. A make up session occurs the following week.

Application Procedure

The application process for the IB Program and other academies is explained fully on the VBCPS Academy & Advanced Academic Programs page.

The International Baccalaureate program is designed to meet the highest standards required of any high school in the world. This prestigious program offers a rigorous, comprehensive approach to learning in the last two years of secondary school. The lB program is composed of:

• successful completion of six academic courses in six different subject areas
• completion of an external examination in at least three higher level subject areas and three standard level subject areas
• Creativity, Action and Service Program in which students complete a project related to the three concepts
• the writing and submission of an Extended Essay in an IB DP subject area of interest to the student
• Theory of Knowledge course in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) of Geneva awards an IB Diploma to students who complete all of the above and perform successfully on the six external examinations. Students may earn college credit and advanced standing at institutions of higher learning throughout the world. A complete listing of such recognition policies is available from the lB Coordinator and on the IBO website. Embracing the last two years of secondary education, the curriculum of the program incorporates standards that assume a high level of achievement during the prior years. At Princess Anne High School, the IB Middle Years Program curriculum prepares students for the IB Diploma Program.

Course Descriptions: Our proposed areas of study consist of courses in six subject areas offered at the 11th and/or 12th grade levels. These are grouped in the following manner:

• Group 1: Language and Literature - the student's first language including the study of selections from world literature. (English or native language)
• Group 2: Language Acquisition - the student's second language. (French, Spanish, or Latin)
• Group 3: Individuals and Societies. (European History and Psychology)
• Group 4: Experimental Sciences. (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science)
• Group 5: Mathematics. (SL and HL versions of Analysis and Approaches, SL and HL versions of Applications and Interpretation)
• Group 6: Arts - Elective Options include an additional language or a second subject from groups 3 or 4, IB Music, IB Visual Art, or IB Theater Arts.

The Extended Essay

The Extended Essay (4000 words) is an in-depth study of a limited topic chosen from one of the six groups of the IB curriculum. It is designed to provide the candidate the opportunity to engage in independent research. Students are encouraged to pursue an area of special interest. In the junior year, the student decides on a topic and seeks the sponsorship of a PAHS faculty advisor. Students are expected to research for the project during the junior year and the summer between the junior and senior years under the supervision of an advisor. The extended essay is submitted just before the first week of the senior year.

Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is a year-long course divided between the junior and senior years. It will be offered the second semester of the junior year and the first semester of the senior year. The ToK student examines the philosophical framework of each academic discipline while learning to reflect critically and logically on ideas originating in the other courses.

CAS is organized into three strands; creativity, activity, and service. CAS is designed to extend and strengthen the personal and interpersonal learning of students. CAS allows students to exhibit their attributes of the IB learner profile in an authentic and practical way. Between the junior and senior year, each diploma programme candidate must demonstrate they met each of the seven learning outcomes at least once, completed a CAS project, consistently worked on a CAS related experience or project once a month starting junior year, and completed and submitted the CAS portfolio by the appointed deadline senior year. There is no longer an hour requirement. CAS is designed to compliment the academics of the IB Programme by providing opportunities for students to collaborate, initiate, persevere, and enjoy.

Examinations are taken by students in May and are evaluated externally. Oral and written examinations are prepared by the International Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners has the final authority on the setting of examinations and the assessment of all candidates for the awarding of diplomas and certificates. Students must take examinations in each of the six subject groups. These exams are assessed on a scale of 1-7. A minimum score of 24, plus a passing mark on the Theory of Knowledge essay, and the Extended Essay are required for the awarding of the IB Diploma. Three of the exams are taken at the standard level (SL) and three at the higher level (HL). Generally speaking, the HL exams test more knowledge and are more difficult than the SL exams. Students are well advised to take their HL exams in areas of their greatest strengths. Students may take one or two SL exams at the end of the junior year.