Brooklyn Friends School offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a rigorous pre-university curriculum that meets the needs of the highly-motivated and academically-talented secondary school student. In an increasingly global world, the IB program at BFS challenges students to think critically, research deeply, and develop internationally-minded perspectives on a broad range of issues.
Established in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland, by an international association of educators who sought to create a comprehensive curriculum with consistent assessment standards adaptable to any country, the IB program’s goal was to develop truly global citizens capable of succeeding in university programs around the world. Today, the IB program has grown to include 2,088 schools in 125 countries.
International Baccalaureate Organization’s Mission Statement
The IBO 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 IBO 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.
THE IB DIPLOMA—All IB Diploma candidates are required to take courses during the last two years of high school that lead to examinations in six subject areas.
IB SUBJECTS
Language A: English
Language B: French, Spanish, Latin
Individuals & Societies: History
Experimental Sciences: Biology, Physics
Mathematics: Mathematical Studies
Art: Visual Arts, Theater Arts
Diploma candidates must take courses in six subject areas: three subject areas for higher level credit and three subject areas for standard level credit. Typically, these are two year courses. There are course choices available so that students can tailor their own IB programs. Higher level courses are more rigorous than standard level offerings.
To earn the IB Diploma, a candidate must earn at least 24 points. Points are awarded in each subject on a 1 (poor) to 7 (excellent) scale, and a candidate can earn up to three bonus points based on the quality of work in Theory of Knowledge and on the extended essay. In each subject, students undergo internal assessment by the classroom teacher as well as external assessment by IB examiners. In particular, most courses end with formal, universal examinations held in May of the second year.
ENGLISH: Students take a world literature program, studying works by authors from a list that includes Poe, Emerson, Hawthorne, Chopin, Twain, Cather, Fitzgerald, Morrison, Knowles, Curry, Marquez, Dostoevsky, Achebe, Conrad, Kafka, Shakespeare, Charlotte Brontë, Voltaire, and Chaucer. External assessment is based on two papers, a formal oral examination administered by the department, and a formal written examination.
HISTORY: The history course covers European history from the French Revolution to the beginning of European colonization of Africa. There is a focus also on Europe from the eve of World War I to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
FRENCH/SPANISH/LATIN: Students prepare for a standard level examination taken at the end of their fourth year of French, Spanish, or Latin. Internal assessment is based on class work. External assessment is based on an examination, and on an oral presentation done in class and sent to international examiners.
BIOLOGY and PHYSICS: Students take Biology as a higher level course. Students are internally assessed based on laboratory work, and externally assessed by written examinations. If desired, science-oriented students can take an extra science course, and study standard level Physics in addition to Biology.
MATHEMATICAL STUDIES: Students take the one-year, standard level Math Studies as either juniors or seniors, in the year after taking Algebra II. Internal assessment is based on a long-term project, and external assessment is based on May examinations. For students who take Math Studies as juniors, this course serves as preparation for senior year Calculus courses.
VISUAL ARTS and THEATRE ARTS: Students prepare for the art examinations by taking at least two years of their arts discipline. Visual Arts assessment is based on the research workbook/journal (kept over the two years) and the presentation of their work to a visiting examiner. Students in Theatre Arts are assessed internally by the department based on performance, portfolio, and individual study. External assessment is based on critical reviews, an essay, a research project, and an oral presentation/discussion.
ADDITIONAL DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the six courses and examinations, IB Diploma candidates must take the Theory of Knowledge course; write a 4,000-word extended essay; participate in CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) activities.
THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE provides IB candidates with opportunities to reflect upon their experiences as knowers and learners in the light of selected philosophical issues. The course aims to help students develop greater understanding of the methods, achievements, and connectedness of subjects studied in school; develop greater ability to pursue analyses that illuminate issues in constructive and compassionate ways; anddevelop greater ability to articulate experiences, concepts, and values, both orally and in writing. The Theory of Knowledge course is a three-term class taken in fall and winter of the junior year and fall of the senior year. Assessment is based on one externally graded essay (1,000-1,500 words), and an internally graded presentation.
THE EXTENDED ESSAY is an original and extended piece of research and writing by the student on a topic from one of the six IB subjects. The essay is supervised by a BFS teacher and the IB Coordinator and must be completed by January of the senior year. Assessment is by an external examiner.
CAS (CREATIVITY, ACTION, SERVICE) activities are required in roughly equal parts. Students who participate in Brooklyn Friends School’s arts, athletics, and service programs easily meet the CAS requirements.
Please contact IB Coordinator Trefor Davies (tdavies[at]brooklynfriends[dot]org) with any questions you might have regarding the program.