International Baccalaureate
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Newbury Park High School, an IB World School since 1996
Newbury Park High School offers the Diploma Program (DP), a rigorous pre-university course of study for highly motivated secondary school students. This broad and balanced curriculum requires 11th and 12th grade IB diploma candidates to study multiple languages, a social science, an experimental science, mathematics, and an elective. As an alternative to the full diploma program, students may choose to test in one or more IB subjects for individual course recognition.
General information about the IB Diploma Programme at NPHS:
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Overview of the IBO:
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), founded in 1968, is a recognized leader in the field of international education. It is a non-profit, mission-driven foundation that works with nearly 4,000 schools to develop and offer four challenging programs in 146 countries to over a million students.
Wherever possible, the subjects are approached from an international perspective. The IBO promotes intercultural understanding and respect, not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential part of life in the 21st century. Teachers, counselors and administrators have been trained in the curriculum and assessment procedures of IB, and professional development related to IB is ongoing. All DP courses are reviewed on a seven-year teaching cycle to ensure that each is fit for purpose in a changing world and incorporates the experience of IB schools and the latest educational research.
The IB diploma has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities. Many schools take IB participation into account in evaluation of applicants, and most give credit for successful completion of the diploma, or individual IB exams.
Students pursuing the IB diploma at NPHS fulfill all State of California education requirements and can graduate with a diploma from NPHS and one from IB. Ninth- and tenth-grade students who wish to participate in the diploma program follow an “IB Pathway” of courses in preparation for the rigorous junior and senior years.
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How are the students assessed?
All academic courses in the IB Program are rigorously tested. Responsibility for academic judgments about the quality of candidates’ work rests with 15,000 DP examiners worldwide, led by chief examiners with international authority in their fields adhering to uniform standards set by the IB.
Each student completes internal assignments: essays, recorded orals, presentations, portfolios, or lab work done within the curriculum. These Internal Assessments are scored by our IB teachers against specific rubrics and scores are submitted to IB. Samples of the student work, selected randomly, are rescored by an examiner assigned by IB in order to maintain standardized application of the rubric. Students complete the process with examinations during May of their junior and senior years, scored by external examiners. The final grade combines Internal Assessment and May exam scores.
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College Credit
Higher Level test scores of 5 or higher on a 7 point scale currently receive 8 quarter units of credit in the UC system and similar credit at the other colleges and universities, whether the student is a full diploma candidate or a student taking an individual IB course. A student who earns a 30-point or better IB Diploma will receive 30 quarter units in the UC system. For more information, visit www.ibo.org.
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Requirements for earning the Full IB Diploma:
Approximately 400 juniors and seniors at NPHS are currently enrolled in one or more IB courses. However, many students choose to work toward the IB diploma, which requires them to take and test in DP (Diploma Program) courses across six disciplines and to complete additional core requirements.
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To obtain an International Baccalaureate Diploma, candidates must:
- Successfully complete one course from each of the subject groups listed above. Most require two years of instruction during the 11th and 12th grade. Three or four of the courses are taken at a Higher Level (HL) as defined by IB, and the others are taken at a Standard Level (SL).
- Complete Theory of Knowledge (TOK), a class which challenges students to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, and to consider the role which knowledge plays in a global society.
- Prepare and submit a research paper in a student-chosen subject (4000-word Extended Essay).
- Complete a CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) program. This program requires students to perform 150 hours of extra-curricular activities, portions of which must involve service to the school or community.
For more information about IB, visit www.ibo.org.
For California-specific information, visitwww.c-ibo.org.For more information about the NPHS IB Diploma Program, contact Debbie Doğançay, IB Coordinator.
Information for current IB students:
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2023 IB Exams – Registration Open Now through Nov 1
Exams at NPHS run May 1 – May 19.
Here is a link to the IB exam registration instructions.
Two steps:
1. Register for specific IB tests by clicking here
2. Pay the IB exam fees through Q-Parent Portal ($125 per IB exam) IBYou must be in an IB Class at NPHS to register for May exams. Many IB courses require 2 years of coursework before the exam is taken, so speak with your IB teachers about registering for exams prior to paying and signing up. To register for the May 2023 exams, complete both of the steps above on or before November 1, 2022. Late registrations will not be accepted.
Financial Assistance: reduced fees available to families who qualify for free/reduced lunch (application on Q Parent Portal)
If you have questions, consult your IB teachers or email Debbie Doğançay, IB Coordinator.
Information for prospective IB students and their parents:
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Information for prospective IB students and their parents:
Students apply for IB Diploma Candidacy in the spring of 10th grade. Students need not apply to take individual IB classes, assuming they have the appropriate prerequisite coursework. However, students interested in working toward a diploma from the International Baccalaureate Organization should take a look at the information here to see if they qualify. If eligible, there are many benefits for students who earn this highly-respected, internationally-recognized diploma, while also working toward a traditional high school diploma.
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Information about the IB Diploma Program at NPHS
- Video – General Information about IB at NP
- Link to Presentation slides
- Video – Focus on IB at NP (by former student, Dhirar Guarav, Class of 2019)
- Video – The IB Diploma Programme (from IBO)
- Video – General Information about IB at NP
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Planning your IB Course Pathways (for grades 9-12)
- Video – IB Course Pathways
- Pathway Presentation slides
- How to choose your IB English A course: Literature or Language & Literature?
- Video – IB Course Pathways
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Submitting your application for full IB Diploma Candidacy (current 10th grade students)
If you are interested in applying for IB Diploma Candidacy, then you can choose any one of the three following options:
- Complete THIS GOOGLE FORM (must be signed in to your school Learn account) by 11:59 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 15.
- Ms. Dogancay will use this form to generate your 2023-24 course registration form and contract (after verifying eligibility)
- Fill in and have your parents sign the blue IB registration form you received in AP European History and then turn it in to Ms. Dogancay by the end of the school day Thurs., Feb 16
- Ms. Dogancay will be available during nutrition and after school in E-1 on Thurs, Feb 16, if you have questions
- Print this Course Contract and IB Application and submit it to Ms. Dogancay by email or in person in room E-1 before you register with your counselor.
- Complete THIS GOOGLE FORM (must be signed in to your school Learn account) by 11:59 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 15.
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CAS information: Creativity – Activity – Service
- Slides from CAS Orientation: Intro to CAS (for the Full IB Class of 2023)
- Flyer: CAS FAQs, Requirements & Timeline
- Flyer: CAS Ideas that work during a global pandemic
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Here are a few IB publications about the benefits of the IB Diploma: