IB Courses and the IB Diploma  IB Diploma Logo

     At Seneca Valley High School, all students are encouraged to take one or more IB courses.  We are an open program with the philosophy that all of our students are IB students.  IB courses provide high interest, hands-on learning with a depth of knowledge in the particular subject area.  The SVHS IB Coordinator is available to help plan a schedule which best fits the academic needs of individual students.  Scroll down for detailed information about each of our IB courses. 

    Earning the IB Diploma 

    All students wishing to be eligible to earn the IB Diploma must choose one course in each of the six groups of IB courses, in additional to completing other requirements. To further add choice, a group 6 (The Arts) course can be replaced with any other IB course in group 2-5.  All full IB diploma students (students may choose to take any number of IB courses, but those who wish to be eligible to earn the IB Diploma, must follow the prescribed course list), must also take the IB Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course, complete an Extended Essay (EE) and fulfill the requirements for Creativity, Action and Service (CAS).  Full IB diploma students must take three Higher Level (HL) courses and three courses at the Standard Level (SL).  HL courses are taught for a minimum of 240 hours (usually two-year classes) and SL courses (one- or two- year courses) require a minimum of 150 hours.  Students who are not eligible for, or who do not earn the IB Diploma, will earn an IB Certificate detailing the courses taken and noting their grades. 

    IB Course Requirements 

    IB courses, internal assessments, works done in and outside of class, throughout the school year, and external assessments, formal exams in May, for which students must register by early November,  must be taken in order to complete the IB examination process and earn a grade for each subject.  Students can earn up to seven points for each IB course taken (see above for requirements) and an additional three points total, for their scores in ToK and on the EE.  CAS does not count as points, but must be completed in order to be eligible for the diploma.   

    The IB Fine Print 

    Twenty-four points, in the six core classes (with not more than one grade of 2 in a Higher Level class), with grades of D or above on the EE and in ToK, along with other IB requirements, must be earned to receive an IB Diploma.  If the student earns an E on either the EE or in ToK, the student must earn 28 points to be eligible to receive the IB diploma.  If the student earns an E in both ToK and on the EE, the awarding of the diploma is not possible.  Students may retake exams or redo the work for ToK or on the EE for the November or May session immediately following the May exam session during which they took their exams to attempt to earn the IB diploma, even after high school graduation.  

    The IB assesses fees for registering for the examination process.  Registrations must be finalized in early November.  At SVHS, we accept payments with cash, check or credit card.  We offer individualized payment plans.  If there is a greater financial need, grants and fee waivers may be available. 

    For complete details on earning an IB Diploma, registering for IB exams and other questions regarding our SVHS IB Diploma Program, please visit:  www.ibo.org or contact Jeannie Awono, the SVHS IB Diploma Coordinator at Jean_A_Awono@mcpsmd.org. 

    IB Courses Offered at SVHS

    Group 1 – Studies in Language and Literature 

    Group 2 – Language Acquisition 

    Group 3 – Individuals and Societies 

    Group 4 – Experimental Sciences 

    Group 5 – Mathematics 

    Group 6 – The Arts 

    IB Core