Our FAQs

What Exactly is IB?

What is the International Baccalaureate Program?

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP) is a broad-based academic program for 11th and 12th graders. Over the course of two years, students complete coursework at an advanced level in six different subject areas. During that two-year period, students complete specific assessments set by the International Baccalaureate Organization for each subject area. At the end of that time they sit for extensive examinations in each subject. As part of the program, students also participate in extra-curricular activities including community service. They also complete an independently conceived, designed, and executed research project, and take a course entitled Theory of Knowledge, which helps them to consciously define what it means to learn and to know something within the context of all their subject areas.

What are the primary benefits to students of the International Baccalaureate Program?

Participants in the IB program develop their skills in all subject areas at a level that prepares them to excel in the world’s most prestigious colleges and universities. The curriculum is firmly based in critical thinking development and promotes the development of self-initiation and problem-solving. Students who achieve excellence within the IB program can expect to be rewarded by a variety of college recognition programs including: college scholarships, preferential admission, advanced standing upon entrance, placement out of preliminary coursework, and college credit. All teachers in the IB program are trained and monitored by the International Baccalaureate Organization, which is able, therefore, to certify that their standards and expectations are upheld.

Ninth and tenth grade students attending Midlothian and Meadowbrook’s Pre-DP (IB) programs receive the benefit of completing the county and state-mandated SOL-based curriculum under the tutelage of teachers who have been trained by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Those teachers know what will be demanded of students when they enter what may very well be the world’s most rigorous academic program for high school students!

Which students do well in an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme?

The IB is a demanding program that will serve the most advanced and gifted students well; however, although the IB is rigorous, students who wish to pursue an IB Diploma do not have to be prepared to begin the program the day they enter high school. This means that virtually any highly-motivated student who is willing to dedicate himself or herself to developing skills can use the years in the Pre-DP program to prepare for the actual IB in 11th and 12th grades. The most important characteristics of an IB applicant are: motivation; willingness, if necessary, to set schoolwork as a more important priority than employment or entertainment; the ability to organize and to manage several tasks at once; and the willingness to seek help when it is needed. Finally, the successful IB student must be willing and able to engage in extra-curricular activities while also managing an academically demanding program.

How does the International Baccalaureate Program differ from other CCPS Specialty Centers?

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is like the other specialty centers in that it is a special program not offered at all high schools. Students who wish to engage in the program should apply to attend and may choose to attend regardless of their usual home high school. The major differences between the IB program and other specialty centers offered by CCPS are:

The IB is an 11th and 12th grade program, and students can join the program, space being available, at any time up to the beginning of the 11th grade year. (The advantage to students of attending the Pre-DP program is that they will work with IB-trained teachers, and they will be certain that a space will be available for them in the Diploma Programme, should their interests and academic achievement warrant entry at 11th grade.)
The IB is not a program that focuses on a particular subject area or field of endeavor; students must develop strong skills in math and science as well as in English, history, and foreign language. This is a broad curriculum that allows students to choose virtually any field of academic pursuit following high school.
The IB is a set curriculum developed, monitored, and assessed by an agency external to Chesterfield County Public Schools—the International Baccalaureate Organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
IB World Schools, such as Meadowbrook and Midlothian, must undergo a lengthy authorization process and are, in effect, licensed by the IB to offer the IB Diploma Programme. That authorization is reviewed every five years in order to ensure that the school is performing to IB expectations.
Teachers in the IB are required by the IB to be trained at an IB-approved facility.
Much of the work completed for the IB diploma is set and scored by examiners and moderators of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which ensures that the quality of both the instruction and the students’ work meets IB standards.
Students who succeed in the IB are awarded a diploma from the International Baccalaureate Organization in addition to the Virginia Advanced Diploma.
Because the curriculum, instruction, and assessment are monitored by an outside agency, there is a high degree of reliability in IB Diploma results, and this reliability is recognized and rewarded by colleges and universities around the world through scholarship, placement, and credit award programs.

How do the programs at Meadowbrook and Midlothian differ?

Because all schools offering the IB Diploma Programme must meet IB standards and follow IB regulations in configuring the curricula, the two programs are virtually identical. Both schools are licensed by the IB and IB North America, all Pre-DP and IB teachers at both schools undergo IB training, and students at both schools study the curriculum stipulated by IB in all of their Diploma Programme courses.

There are a few differences in the way the program is structured at the two schools and some differences in course offerings for the IB electives. Meadowbrook offers French and Spanish as IB Languages and IB Psychology as the IB elective. Midlothian offers French, German, Latin, and Spanish as IB Languages and IB Computer Science, IB Music, IB Psychology, and IB Visual Arts as IB electives. Due to enrollment numbers, students who choose to leave the diploma program may not remain in any IB course and will need to return to their home school.

Which students would attend IB at Meadowbrook and which would attend at Midlothian?

Attendance at the IB programs is determined by high school attendance zone: students who would attend, as their home high school, Matoaca, Thomas Dale, Bird, Manchester, or Meadowbrook attend IB at Meadowbrook; students who would attend, as their home high school, Monacan, James River, Clover Hill, Cosby, or Midlothian attend IB at Midlothian.

Is transportation provided?

Transportation to all the CCPS specialty centers is coordinated centrally and is based on a series of pick-up and drop points, all of which are determined by the addresses of students who commit to attend the various centers. Students and parents should expect that they may have to travel as far as three miles from their homes in order to reach the bus stop.

Where can I get more information?

For information about the International Baccalaureate Program at Meadowbrook and Midlothian:

Jelani Lynch, IB Coordinator (Meadowbrook) 804-743-3675 ext. 6260 Jelani_Lynch@ccpsnet.net

Stuart Jones, IB Coordinator (Midlothian) 804-378-2440 ext. 4149 Stuart_Jones@ccpsnet.net

For information about the International Baccalaureate Program worldwide and college recognition policies:

http://www.ibo.org

What are some of the policies for IB students and their families?

As an IB student, there are certain guidelines expected of you and your family, but also from various school personnel.

IB Mission Statement and Learner Profile

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.

IB Learner Profile:

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

As IB Learners, we strive to be:

Inquirers: we nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love learning throughout life.
Knowledgeable: we develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
Thinkers: we use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators: we express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate collectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
Principled: we act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
Open Minded: we critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view and we are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring: we show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
Risk-Takers: we approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
Balanced: we understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives- intellectual, physical and emotional- to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
Reflective: we thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

The IB learning profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. We believe these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

*All information comes from the International Baccalaureate Organization, 2017.

Can I schedule a school visit?

Go to the contact page and send a message if you are interested in a school visit. Students are invited to attend the Open House on October 17th or the Scheduling Night (for students who accept the offer to be in the IB program) on April 17th.