Graduation Guidelines - International Baccalaureate

Look for more information from the CDE Office of Gifted Education. Information is excerpted from the IB website.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) offers a continuum of international education. The programmes encourage both personal and academic achievement, challenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal development.

IB exams align with college level curriculum developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization at authorized high schools. Exams, mainly essay, are taken after completing a course.

Certificate of Completion: Students may take an individual IB course and exam.
Diploma Program: Two year course for students in 11th and 12th grades. Students must take at least three higher level exams out of six (scores range from 1-7 highest).

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) uses both internally and externally assessed components to assess student performance. For most courses, written examinations at the end of the DP form the basis of the assessment. This is because these examinations have high levels of objectivity and reliability. Externally assessed coursework, completed by students over an extended period under authenticated teacher supervision, forms part of the assessment for several programme areas, including the theory of knowledge (TOK) essay and the extended essay (EE).

In most subjects, students also complete in-school assessment tasks. These are either externally assessed or marked by teachers and then moderated by the IB.

Why This Option

Some colleges, including all state institutions in Colorado pursuant to Colorado Commission on Higher Education policy, offer college credit based on a student's International Baccalaureate exam score.

Find out more: Benefits of an IB School

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) aims to do more than other curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. We hope our students will help to build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect. More than 50% of IB World Schools are state-funded.
The IB is different from other curricula because it:
- encourages students to think critically and challenge what they are told
- is independent of governments and national systems, and therefore able to incorporate best practice from a range of international frameworks and curricula
- encourages students to consider both their local and international environment.

Implementation Strategies

Find out more: How to become an IB World School

In order to offer one or more of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) programmes of education, schools must complete an authorization process. Once they have been authorized, they are known as IB World Schools.

Cost

Find out more: Fees for Candidate Schools

During the authorization process, schools will pay an application fee when they submit their application for candidacy and a yearly candidate fee once they have become a candidate school.

Districts are encouraged to apply for the Accelerated College Opportunity Exam Fee Grant Program, which is intended to pay all or a portion of International Baccalaureate exam fees on behalf of eligible students.