By Rachel Coller and Nadine Goldberg
A three-person team of volunteers from the International Baccalaureate Organization visited Miami Beach Senior High School on Dec. 7 and 8 as part of the school’s application process for IB authorization.
If the school is authorized, the IB Diploma Programme will be offered at Beach High beginning in 2010-2011 school year. This two-year program consists mainly of advanced education in six subject areas: English, foreign language, social studies, science, mathematics, and the arts. As part of the curriculem, students are required to complete an Extended Essay, conduct a Creativity Action and Service Project and participate in a Theory of Knowledge course.
Volunteers Dave Roylance, Elaine Chambart and Linda Blair, who have worked at IB schools as educators and coordinators, toured the school and held interviews with prospective IB teachers, students, and parents.
The team’s job was to “make sure there is a discernable relationship between [what is written in] the application and reality,” said Roylance.
According to Dr. Rosann Sidener, principal, the visitors had to verify that the facilities are sufficient for the courses the school plans to offer, that the community is supportive, and that prospective students and teachers are interested and knowledgeable about the program.
“At the student interview, I think [the visitors] saw that the students were enthusiastic about the program,” said Gabriela Gerinska, prospective IB student, “and that it would make a great addition to our curriculum.”
Based on the team’s report back to the IBO, a recommendation is made to the director general of the IBO, who recommends whether the school’s application be approved, denied or delayed. Beach High will receive a final decision in the spring.
“I expect we will be approved based on the reactions of the site visit team,” said Samuel Brown, prospective IB English teacher, “and based on the resources of time, energy, and funding that have been devoted to starting the program well.”
According to Sidener, if the application is approved, current sophomores who have taken at least one Advanced Placement course and either passed the exam or received a recommendation from their AP teacher will be eligible to apply for Beach High’s IB Diploma Program. The application deadline was Jan. 22.
If the school is not authorized, it can extend its application for one year. “[The IBO would] give us very specific feedback,” Sidener said. “And then we’d have the opportunity to go back and do what we need to do to bring those items up to par.”
In preparation for the visit, prospective teachers reviewed information from the IB training sessions they attended and presented their potential curricula. Sidener shared the interview schedule and possible interview questions, while students developed posters promoting the ten characteristics the IBO values in students.
