General Information
What is the International Baccalaureate®?
The International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation, motivated by its mission, focused on the student.
It offers 4 challenging programmes – PYP,MYP,DP and IBCC for students aged 3 to 19 help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.
It was founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland , whose headquarters are now in the Hague, the Netherlands, and currently involves 3,671 schools in 146 countries attended by more than 1,134,000 students aged 3 to 19 years.
The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.
The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers.
The IB Diploma Programme, for students aged 16 to 19, is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students for success at university and beyond.
The IB Career-related Certificate, for students aged 16 to 19, is the newest offering from the IB. The IBCC incorporates the vision and educational principles of the IB Programmes into a unique offering specifically designed for students who wish to engage in career-related learning.
Mission and strategy
The International Baccalaureate® (IB) is more than its three educational programmes. IB is motivated by a mission to create a better world through education.
IB values the hard-earned reputation for quality, for high standards and for pedagogical leadership. IB achieves their goals by working closely with partner schools, particularly teachers.
IB promotes intercultural understanding and respect, not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential part of life in the 21st century.
All of this is captured in IB mission statement:
„The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
The IB translated its mission statement into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century known as IB learner profile.
The learner profile provides a long-term vision of education. It is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.
The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.
IB learners strive to be:
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
What is so special about IB programmes?
- IB programmes are recognized around the world and ensure an increased adaptability and mobility for IB students.
- The curriculum and pedagogy of IB programmes focus on international perspectives of learning and teaching, while insisting that students fully explore their home culture and language.
- IB World Schools must undergo an exhaustive authorization process in order to offer one or more of the programmes, which includes a study of the school s resources and commitment to the IB mission and philosophy.
- IB teachers participate in a wide variety of professional development opportunities to constantly update their knowledge and share their expertise with colleagues around the world.
- Many students graduating from the Diploma Programme find that it enhances their opportunities at tertiary institutions. The IB works closely with universities around the world to gain recognition for IB programmes.
More information about the IB at www.ibo.org
XV. gimnazija – IB World School!
Schools that have been authorized by IB to offer one or more of IB programmes are known as “IB World Schools”.
Our school – XV. gimnazija has become an “IB World School” back in 1991 when it was authorized to offer the Diploma Program, and in 1995 the Middle Years Programme. XV. Gimnazija was the first school in Croatia to offer the high school education in English, based on modern, highly demanding and challenging curriculum and pedagogy.
Our school offers the final years of IB Middle Years Programme (MYP 4 and MYP 5) and the two years of IB Diploma Programme.
