IB Diploma Programme

The IB Diploma Programme is a challenging and comprehensive two-year course of study for high school juniors and seniors. It entails taking six courses over two years in the traditional subject areas, as well as IB’s unique Theory of Knowledge class, part of the program “core,” in which students are challenged to think critically about areas of knowledge and ways of knowing. A

s another facet of the core of the program, diploma candidates must develop an Extended Essay, a sort of mini-dissertation, on a topic from one of the subject areas studied. Candidates must further challenge themselves to grow personally, physically, and intellectually by applying their knowledge and developing their character in real-life, hands-on situations through participation in the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) component.

The program has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.

The IB Diploma Programme prepares students for success in college and for a lifetime of learning. The Eagle Hill faculty has already developed an unrivaled educational program with an unprecedented array of options.

Our innovative nine-term schedule allows for exceptional flexibility. Dozens of exploratory as well as full-length courses, internships in theater, the arts, and athletics, as well as honors projects in nearly every conceivable field, add up to provide Eagle Hill students the richest and fullest of educational experiences.

The faculty justifiably pride themselves on their innovative, professional, and caring approach to programming and instruction. 

The IB Programme is not a collection of courses designed around passing standardized multiple-choice tests. It emphasizes depth of knowledge and understanding, mastery of material, and the careful cultivation of the skills required for complex communication and not rote memorization of a vast array of encyclopedic knowledge.

In this light, there are certainly those who would say that IB’s offerings compare very favorably with others such as Advanced Placement courses. We are eminently confident that our students, with their nontraditional learning profiles and their particular and highly individual intellectual and academic strengths, will flourish within the context of IB’s inquiry-driven, project-based, formatively assessed approaches to teaching and learning.

IB assessments often take the form of essays, usually in response to questions the student can choose from among many options. The choice of a question allows a student to play to his or her strengths while the essay response provides an opportunity to display knowledge and ideas that never come into play in a fill-in-the-bubble, multiple-choice exam.

While the AP exams are essentially a summative assessment, simply measuring student performance against set benchmarks, IB assessments are both summative and formative, measuring student progress in a way that can inform teaching strategies and improve instruction.

Exam scores are also only a portion of the overall assessment for IB Diploma Programme courses. Elements of a student’s coursework, the internal assessments, make up the balance. This means that a student’s successful completion of the program does not hinge entirely upon high-stakes exams.

So what could a prescribed course of study from an educational organization like IB possibly offer?

Over the years, many of our students have voiced their concerns about the full recognition of their academic achievements. Doubts born of previous, often unfortunate, school experiences can plague even the most accomplished “LD” student: “Will my grades be thought of in the same way as those of a traditional prep school student? Am I really as capable as my teachers say? Will colleges weigh my application the same way as those of other students?”

An internationally recognized, highly respected program such as IB’s affords students the opportunity to take on the challenge of an externally moderated, high-quality educational program. 

The IB Diploma Programme is an excellent option for students who have, by the end of their sophomore year, developed a certain level of independence and intrinsic motivation.

Students who are inquisitive, who are seeking a challenge, and who hope to optimize the competitiveness of their college applications will be strong candidates for the full IB Diploma Programme.

There is an application process through the student’s advisor in consultation with teachers who have worked closely with each student.