The Diploma Program

North Mecklenburg High School

What do you need to know

to be successful? Know the expectations of the

program. Know yourself as a learner.

Know how and when to seek help.

The IB Learner Profile

Note from our Guidance Counselor

• Course Selection• GPA and Class Standing• Being College Ready• Summer Prep

• Research, Apply, Participate• Time Management and Organization• Academics

SL & HL Course Designations

• Higher Level courses represent 240 hours • English• History of Americas and 20th Century History• Psychology• Visual Arts• World Languages• Biology, Chemistry, and Physics• Mathematics

• Standard Level courses represent 150 hours• Environmental Sys. & Societies and Sports, Exercise, & Health Sci.• Mathematics and Math Studies• World Languages• Biology, Chemistry, and Physics• Psychology

Assessments in IB

Internal Assessments or “IA’s” (Graded and Moderated)

Some examples include …•The English Oral Presentation and Commentary (11th & 12th)

•Spanish or French Individual Orals (12th)

•Math Project and Portfolio (12th)

•History Research & Source Analysis (12th)

•Science Lab Design Project (11th and 12th)

•TOK Presentation (11th)

•Group 4 Collaborative Presentation (11th)

•Student Designed Psychological Study (12th)

Assessments in IB

External Assessments (Graded by IB Examiners)

Some examples include …•The Extended Essay (11th & 12th)

•English and World Language Written Assignments (11th & 12th)

•The TOK Paper (12th)

•May Examinations (12th)

Theory of Knowledge I and II

A unique cornerstone course that links and transcends other core subject areas: natural and human sciences, history, language, and the arts

Asks questions about the nature of knowledge (epistemology) How do you know it’s raining? When should we question the reliability of knowledge

obtained through our senses?

Ultimately, a critical thinking course Sense perception, reasoning, emotion, language,

intuition, imagination, faith, memory

The Extended Essay

4,000-word college-level research essay; a core requirement of the Diploma Program (DP)

May be written in nearly any academic subject area: literature, history, psychology, politics, philosophy, mathematics, physics, etc.

Students paired with an Advisor (an expert in the subject) who will be a “guide on the side”

Students must take initiative, schedule meetings, meet deadlines

4th quarter TOK in junior year: evaluating source reliability, developing a research topic, navigating research databases, “reading” academic texts

The Essentials of CAS

Think Projects, Not Hours There is no CAS “vacation”– no stopping at 150.

Documenting creativity, action, service begins now and ends May 1, 2016.

Regular checkpoints and supervisor interviews How much is enough? How much is too much?

The goal is to be involved and invested in activities you care about

and to make creativity, action, and service a regular and routine part of your life.

Am I Ready for the Diploma Programme?

• Do my grades in 9th and 10th reflect success—or the potential for success—to me and my parents? Is it a good fit for me academically?

• Am I committed to developing aspects of my life beyond schoolwork, and will I be willing to provide evidence of that commitment?

• Do I have life goals that are in line with what I’ll be asked to do and learn in the Diploma Programme?