International Baccalaureate

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IB Program 

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) is a rigorous educational program that develops the academic breadth and depth of a student’s intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills necessary to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

IB Curriculum

  • From the second a student becomes a member of the Pride at Heritage High School, all students are put on an academic pathway that provides them access to the LCPS Pre-International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Learner Profile

  • The students with their ideas, perspectives and experiences are at the center of the IB Learner Profile. The IB Learner Profile represents the holistic approach to teaching and skill development that the IB and Heritage faculty want to develop in students. These are skills that are highly sought after by employers and will make a Heritage graduate successful in whatever path they choose after high school.

The IB Core

  • Binding the LCPS Pre-IB program together is the Core. CAS, TOK, and the Extended Essay -- required components of the IB Diploma -- stem from the Learner Profile. Students pursuing IB Certificates in individual classes do not pursue CAS, TOK, or the Extended Essay.

    • "CAS" stands for Creativity + Activity + Service. Across junior and senior years, diploma candidates must complete volunteer hours that are planned and supervised. Such participation is meant to encourage the appreciation of attitudes and values other than one's own, and to enable the student to communicate readily on both a philosophical and practical level. Learn more about CAS by visiting the IB website.

    • "TOK" is the Theory of Knowledge course. This course stimulates critical reflection on the knowledge and experiences acquired both inside and outside the classroom; evaluates the bases of knowledge and experience; and develops a personal mode of thought based on critical examination of evidence and argument. Learn more about TOK. 

  • The "EE" is the Extended Essay and is a 4,000-word research paper on a topic of the Diploma candidate's choice. Development of this essay is guided by a faculty supervisor. Learn more. 

Courses

  • Diploma candidates take IB-level courses in each of six content areas:

  • A general course progression for a student pursuing the full IB Diploma is provided in the Heritage Course Description Guide. The Diploma program calls for students to take three classes at the Higher Level (two-year courses culminating in a senior-year exam) and three classes at the Standard Level (one- or two-year courses culminating in a junior- or senior-year exam). The course offering book identifies which classes are offered at higher and standard levels. In addition to meeting with their school counselors, Diploma candidates meet with an IB coordinator in spring of the sophomore year to plan the following year's course enrollment.

  • Students can also pursue Certificates in one or several courses at either the Higher or Standard Levels. Certificate students are not required to take classes in each of the IB groups. Certificate students also do not participate in CAS, TOK, or the EE.

Assessment

  • In addition to written exams in May, IB courses have a series of other internal assessments (scored by the course's teacher) and external assessments (scored by teachers in other parts of the world) are completed at various points of each class.

Contact

 

Important Informational Links

Heritage & IB Policies