Chennai Public School has received the candidate status for offering the international baccalaureate Diploma programme.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme (DP) is an academically challenging, two-yearprogramme which prepares the students for tertiary education.  This has broad based curriculum with the focus on critical thinking. Rigorous assessment is the strength of this programme. The assessment is criterion-referenced and hence the students are evaluated on a set of criteria rather than comparing each other.

The IBO 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.

The students are expected to choose one subject from each of the subject area listed on the corners of the hexagon shown below. For each subject there is ‘Higher Level” (HL) which involves in-depth study and Standard Level(SL) which is at the grade level.

Subjects offered at CPS:

Group 1:  English Literature

Group 2:  Hindi, French and Tamil 

 Group 3: Economics and Business & Management

Group 4:  Physics, Chemistry and Biology

Group 5: Mathematics

Group 6: Visual Arts

All subjects are offered at both levels. For Mathematics there are 3 levels – Mathematics HL, Mathematics SL and Math studies SL.

In addition to the above six subjects students are expected to take

Theory of Knowledge (ToK) – a course which teaches critical thinking

Extended Essay (EE) – a research project taken by the student on a topic which interests him with the supervision of a teacher

Creativity Action and Service (CAS) – For overall development, students are expected to get 150 hours in various activities such as music, drama, creative writing (creativity), sports, leadership activities (action) and community service (Service).

The assessments are of two parts: Internal and External for all subjects. The marking is out of 7 points.

7 – Excellent

6 – very Good

5- Good

4 – Satisfactory

3- poor

2– very poor

1 – elementary

From six subjects the total adds to 42 points. With a combination of ToK and EE, an additional 3 points are obtained.  The total is 45 points. The students are expected to get a minimum of 24 points with some conditions to get the IB diploma.

All universities in the world recognize this diploma as an entrance certificate to tertiary education.

For admission to Indian university, IB office gives an equivalent mark sheet in terms of percentages.

For further information, please visit www.ibo.org

Possible combinations:

IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

Reference: IB learner profile booklet – IBO published in Nov. 2008, updated January 2009