IB Diploma Program Goals and Expectations

B-CC’s IB Diploma Program will:

1. unite a challenging academic program with a commitment to excellence;

2. place strong importance on character and individuality;

3. foster high standards of personal development, as well as an appreciation of our cultural heritage and a mature sense of social responsibility;

4. applaud individual accomplishment and service to society;

5. value diversity and the myriad of interests and tastes which reflect such diversity;

6. provide many opportunities to develop students’ talents, whether the student is interested in leadership activities, communications, debate, performing arts, or athletics;

7. emphasize “formation” rather than “information”..... we won’t teach students how to memorize, we will teach them how to THINK;

8. help students develop time management skills;

9. help students take one step at a time toward achieving their goals in life, and making sure that their high school experience is all they dreamed it would be;

10. help students lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Expectations of IB Diploma/Certificate Students

A student entering the B-CC IB Diploma Program either as a diploma candidate or as a certificate candidate makes a commitment to:

1. arrive with an open mind;

2. become a lifelong learner;

3. be an active learner who understands that learning means using your curiosity about the world to expand and share knowledge in collaborative and exciting ways; through classes, internships, community service, athletic competition, student organizations and friendships;

4. appreciate that an educated person is more than a repository of facts and figures. Educated people know how to think critically about what they’ve learned and apply it creatively;

5. not only conceive ideas, they will speak them and write them well, they will be able to communicate them with others in a persuasive manner;

6. engage in critical thinking, an exercise that develops analytical reasoning. Critical thinking includes the ability to read and understand a text, explore ideas raised in the text in class, formulate opinions, and defend those opinions with confidence;

7. develop a discipline students can take with them throughout and beyond high school; a discipline that refines study habits, focuses attention on matters of substance, and builds intellectual curiosity;

8. know that in union there are strengths organize peer study groups and seek out teachers for help with lessons, homework, and life skills;

9. value the importance of personal integrity to not lie, cheat or steal;

10. learn to care about people and the world in which we live.