IB @ Salem High School

IB World Student Conference 2016
Each IBWSC has a theme with an activity and Global Action Team programme constructed around it. Students are challenged with real, significant global issues. Working in Global Action Teams, students develop creative ways to address the problems posed by conference leaders and propose solutions to these issues in the form of creativity, action, service (CAS) projects.

The theme was Global Citizenship.

 


Our Program
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum for 11th and 12th grade students. Begun in the 1960s in Geneva, Switzerland, IB was intended to serve internationally mobile students preparing for university. Today, there are three levels of IB -- the Early Years Program, Middle Years Program, and Diploma Program -- which together serve students aged 3 to 19.

Currently in Salem Schools, the IB Diploma Program is offered at Salem High School.

The IB curriculum focuses on international-mindedness and related traits clustered in the IB Learner Profile. As such, IB students are: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.


The Academic Performance Policy
Students who commit to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program for their junior and senior years adhere to the SHS IB Agreement. They and their parents sign the agreement and agree to follow its protocol.

Salem High School students follow an Academic Integrity Policy.The International Baccalaureate Organization holds students to a high level of academic integrity. To view the IBO's Guide for Academic Honestyclick here.

General Regulations for schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to deliver the IB Diploma Program, can be found here. These regulations guide schools in their roles and responsibilities, and provide important information to IB students and their parents/guardians about academic honesty/misconduct, IB assessments, and more. All students in the program, particularly prior to the May exam period, must read and understand these regulations.

IB versus AP 
Salem High School students are fortunate to have academic choices, as we have a very strong IB program and a wide array of Advanced Placement courses.


Earning the IB Diploma
Students complete a variety of assessments over the course of their two years in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Assessments take a variety of forms: oral, written, group and individual, papers, experiments, and other projects. Some components are graded by the SHS IB teachers (internal assessments) and others are sent around the globe for grading by experts in their particular subject areas (external assessments).

For each of the six subject areas, students can earn a maximum of 7 points. A matrix of 3 maximum "bonus" points may be earned by completing the 150 hours of CAS (Creative, Action, Service) and the Theory of Knowledge presentation and essay, along with the 4,000-word Extended Essay.

To earn a diploma, students must gain at least 24 points (out of a possible 45).


Extended Essay 
The Extended Essay is a 4,000-word research paper on a topic of the student’s choosing, within the 6 core groups of study. Students begin this project in the spring of their junior year, do the majority of their reading, researching and drafting over the summer, and complete the essay in the fall of their senior year. Each student chooses a SHS teacher-advisor to work with throughout the research process. Extended Essays are sent around the world to be graded. The EE is unique in that it enables students to become original researchers in a field that interests them. Most students find the process worthwhile and beneficial in preparing them for work they’ll do in college.


IB juniors and seniors should read the 
Extended Essay Guide for details about the EE process and expectations.

World School