• IB and Continuum Logo

     

    The International Baccalaureate in ACSD

    In April of 2021, the Teaching and Learning Team was invited to share an IB update with the ACSD Board.  We took the opportunity to ask educator colleagues across the district what IB has changed for them, for their teaching practice, and for their students.  The video below highlights much of what we have learned together and accomplished as we have grown into a collaborative learning community and an IB World District.

  • Why IB?

     

    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. (ibo.org, mission)

     

    The International Baccalaureate is a curricular framework that focuses on big-picture concepts and promotes an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.  It emphasizes student agency (voice, choice, and ownership) in local and global contexts as it seeks to help students understand themselves, others, their communities, and the world beyond. IB’s emphasis on student agency and self-assessment aligns with Vermont’s commitment to personalized and proficiency-based learning.  The IB mission aligns with our shared ACSD mission, "to provide an innovative, rigorous, and supportive educational community that inspires a passion for learning and cultivates empathy and responsibility."

    The continuum of IB programs from the Primary Years Program (PYP) to the Middle Years Program (MYP) to the Diploma Program (DP) provides a consistent, shared vision between schools, with the unified goal of cultivating caring, responsible, and knowledgeable life-long learners. The IB framework guides ACSD teachers in collaboratively writing, reflecting, and revising the curriculum for all students. 

    IB Programs

    The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) updates all of its programs on a multi-year cycle, ensuring that the framework remains research-based and current.  As IB teachers and administrators, we engage in ongoing professional development, collaboration, and reflective practices as we continue to learn, grow, and employ research-based best practices in our teaching and learning.  IB World Schools are involved in a cyclical process of self-study/reflection, evaluation, and revision.  The IBO routinely monitors, provides feedback, supports, and evaluates our written, taught, and assessed curriculum. 

    Middlebury Union High School was authorized as a DP (grades 11-12) school in the summer of 2019.  Middlebury Union Middle School and Middlebury Union High School became authorized MYP (grades 7-10) schools in the winter of 2019.  Our seven elementary schools were authorized as PYP (grades PK-6) schools in the fall of 2020, making ACSD an IB World District offering the continuum of programs from preschool through graduation.

    For further information about the IB and its programs, visit www.ibo.org.