FWISD SCHOOLS RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
Fort Worth, Texas - It’s official! Fort Worth ISD’s Leonard 6th Grade Center, Leonard Middle School and Western Hills High School are now International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools. These schools join 2,931 schools in 138 countries offering an IB education. Western Hills HS becomes one of less than 200 schools world-wide offering both the Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.
The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenges that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical, reflective thinkers.
Key elements of the IB Middle Years Programme include:
· International-mindedness starting with a foundation in their own language and culture
· Positive attitude to learning through problem solving, creativity and resourcefulness and community participation
· Communication skills encouraging inquiry, understanding, language acquisition, reflection and expression
· Development of the whole student – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
· Areas of Interaction - eight subjects taught through real world focuses
The IB Diploma Programme builds on the Middle Years program and is an academically challenging and balanced programme with final examinations that prepares students for life success. The Diploma Programme has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities.
Students in the IB Diploma Programme complete three core requirements that broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding:
· The extended essay - independent research and in-depth study of a question relating to one of their study subjects.
· Theory of knowledge - encourages reflection on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing and different kinds of knowledge.
· Creativity, action, service - actively learning from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom.
“This recognition is the result of hard work by everyone in the Western Hills secondary pyramid,” said Chief Academic Officer Michael Sorum. “We look forward to these students holding not only a FWISD diploma but also International Baccalaureate Diplomas recognized around the world as a calling card for success.”
For more information, please contact Karen VanEaton, MYP Coordinator for Leonard 6th Grade Center and Leonard Middle School, 817-815-6200 or Stephanie Stuart, MYP and DP Coordinator at Western Hills High School, 817-815-6000 or visit www.ibo.org.
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