Columbus High School last year became an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme school and now, as the result of more than 18 months of hard work, Sale International Studies Magnet School has a good chance of becoming an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program school.
The International Baccalaureate offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools.
Columbus Municipal School District officials Monday received notification the first step in the application process for Sale to become an International Baccalaureate PYP candidate successfully was completed.
“Congratulations and kudos to the entire Sale team!” said CMSD Superintendent Dr. Del Phillips. “The principal, teachers and entire staff have worked diligently to reach the IB Primary Years Programme candidate-school status. This process is rigorous and takes hours of preparation, planning and training.”
The three-step process to become an IB PYP school includes in-depth applications, curriculum development and hours of professional development, as well as an on-site authorization visit.
Additionally, all certified staff must complete Level I IB training before becoming a candidate school.
Sale teachers earlier completed the Level I training and Sale now will enter the implementation period associated with candidate status, said CMSD officials, noting school staff will teach the IB programme for at least one year, on a trial basis.
During this period, which leads to the filing of another PYP application form with the regional IB office, a pre-authorization and consultation visit will be organized by the regional IB staff to support and assist the school.
An IB consultant will visit Sale, this fall, to give a list of recommendations and commendations; also, all certified staff will continue to Level 2 training.
The final step includes authorization by a visiting IB team, likely to be in the fall of 2011.
If previous stages were completed successfully, the IB regional office will arrange for Sale to be visited by another IB team to consult with those involved with the implementation of the IB programme, evaluate the school”s preparedness to implement the programme and complete a report on the school”s commitment and ability to deliver the programme.
“We are thrilled to reach the first milestone in our journey to become an authorized International Baccalaureate PYP school,” said Sale Principal Nancy Bragg. “This one-and-a-half year process to become a candidate school was successful due to the tireless efforts of the entire faculty and staff at Sale. This is an amazing group of educators dedicated to providing a world-class education for our students.”
“The teachers were all at Sale today in training, when we received notice (of IB candidate-school status) from the office,” Sale Media Specialist and IB Coordinator Kay Ellis said Monday. “It was very special to share the exciting news of becoming a candidate school together. We look forward to providing a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills for the Sale students.”
More than 719,000 students are in IB programmes at 2,638 schools in 135 countries.
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is designed for students ages 3 to 12 and focuses on the total growth of the developing child; the Diploma Programme is a challenging two-year programme of international education for students ages 16 to 19.
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