International Baccalaureate Organization
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 programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
What is it?
The International Baccalaureate Organization was founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland to establish a consistent curriculum for international students. They offer four programmes: Primary Years Programme (PYP) for elementary students, Middle Years Programme (MYP) for middle school students, Diploma Programme (DP) for high school students, and the IB Career-Related Programme for high school students on a career/technical track. The IB focuses on best teaching practices and provides education for more than a million students in over 146 countries.
How do we learn?
The primary teaching model for all IB PYP schools is inquiry-based instruction. Inquiry includes research, wondering, questioning, experimenting, developing curiosity, and much more. We use the 5E Model of Instruction to organize our lessons: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.
What do we study?
As a public school, we follow the Georgia Standards of Excellence. These standards are incorporated into our Programme of Inquiry, organized around the six transdisciplinary themes:
Grades 1st-5th participate in six units of inquiry that connect all subject areas through big ideas or key concepts (form, function, causation, connection, change, perspective, responsibility, and reflection). Pre-K and Kindergarten participate in four units of study.